Over at the Creative Freelancer Blog, contributor Laurel Black seems to have struck a nerve with her post asking if she was too old to be a designer. 80 comments later (and counting), the merits and disadvantages of age vs. experience are still being debated. What do you think? How old is “too old?” Does…
Category Archives: work
The Third Rail
I was out with a group of communications professionals and one asked a question about one of my past ventures. I comment about how the business model had retarded any real business growth on a product that, at the time, was uniquely positioned for success. Faces recoiled at the word. Retarded. It took me a…
Strategy For All Content
There’s an endless amount of buzz about content strategy and how it can improve your corporate website. I’m a firm believer in content strategy and the results that it can deliver. Not familiar with content strategy? The idea is that the presentation of information — design, navigation and site structure — should be built around…
There Once Was A Girl Named…
My first name has always managed to stump people when they see it. I get a lot of “Alyssa,” “Alicia,” and sometimes even “Alice.” What I rarely get is someone who can pronounce my name correctly (hint: it rhymes with Lisa). Which is why when I got married and took my husband’s 10-letter last name,…
Outward Appearances
When deciding to go solo, many writers, designers, photographers and other creative types find themselves faced with a decision: do they want to be known as a single-person operation, or do they want to appear larger than they are? I’ve heard several freelancers say that no one will take them seriously or treat them as…
Multitasking
“Wait, you went to the hair salon during business hours? Wow. The life of a freelancer!” There’s an illusion that freelancers don’t work as much because most of us aren’t locked into a schedule. But before you get all jealous of my glamorous life, let me point out what I did while I was at the…
A Laptop Bag I Can Love
I don’t usually do the unsolicited product endorsement thing, but I’ve had my Tumi T-Tech Empire Laptop Messenger for more than six months now and I can honestly say that it’s one of the most useful bags that I’ve ever owned. Ever since my favorite, custom Timbuk2 laptop messenger was stolen in 2005, I’ve been…
Freelancers: Go Now
Have you been reading the Creative Freelancer Blog? No? Why not? Not only is it chock full of freelancer-related goodness, it’s also where I’ve been doing quite a bit of posting about all sorts of topics, like knowing when it’s time to make the leap from moonlighting to freelancing, parts 1, 2 and 3. Or…
Be Careful What You Wish For
Remember when I mentioned that I’d hoped to step out of my shell this year to do more public speaking? My wish has been granted. I’ve been selected to speak at the 2011 American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) Conference in Jacksonville this fall. The topic: Presenting Yourself as a Freelance/Independent Professional. I’m more excited than…
A New Kind of Client Issue
Have you ever heard of an over-responsive client? Neither had I until I met this one. Now I have fodder for a new post on the Creative Freelancer Blog. I also recently posted an item about my Friday afternoon victories. What’s not to love about Fridays? Follow this link to read all of my posts…