Hi all! Today I have a treat for you – a guest post from photographer extraordinaire Jason Moore! Today he talks about building self confidence, learning to self edit, and how communities can help you in your career. I have been a fan of Jason’s for a few years and I am so grateful to have him here.
A big thank you to Jason and I hope you all enjoy his guest post. 
For the first time ever the Photoshop World Conference Keynote will be broadcast LIVE tomorrow! If you have never been to a PSW then now is your chance to get a taste of what it’s like. Just be sure to visit http://photoshopworld.com/ Wednesday, Sept.1 at 9am Pacific time (noon EDT) tomorrow for your front row seat and get ready to ROCK! 
Hi all!
I’d like to take today to talk a little bit about what is going on in my world because a lot of it seems to be effecting the content on this site.
Within the past few months, my workload has gone from 1 to 3 projects a month on average, to 5-8 projects a month on average and I have had to create a client waiting list for the first time ever in my freelancing career. As these projects are the ones that are paying the bills, they have had my full attention and things that I normally do like Twittering, helping out in the NAPP forums, writing for other websites, and creating content for this site, are gradually starting to take a back seat. Although I couldn’t be more thrilled with my new work load, I am sad that this website has to suffer because of it.
I have been thinking about this long and hard and I’ve come to a decision. Rather than continuing to create content that is not up to my normal standards just so that I have something to post, I am going to be cutting back on my posting schedule from 4-5 days a week to 2-3 days a week and I’ll be looking for occasional guest posters to fill in a few days as well. Monday will still have new downloads every week, but the Top Ten Re-Tweet post that is so popular with everyone is going to be in hiatus until my freelance work load lightens up or until I can afford to hire an assistant which ever comes first. I hope that this new posting schedule will allow me the time I need to go back to creating stronger content and I am looking to put the new routine into place starting next week.
But, also, within the next week or so, I will be moving this site to a new server. Things around here could get a little wonky so I’m asking everyone to please report any weirdness they may encounter. During the move it looks like there is a good chance for all comments made on posts within the next week, to possibly get lost within the move. Due to that, I will be putting the Designer Roundtable discussion on hold until the move is complete. Please be aware that if you find a comment of yours missing, that I did not delete it intentionally and that I do appreciate hearing from you and listing to what you have to say. Talking to my readers is one of my favorite things to do so I hope once the move has been made, you will continue to talk to me.
Lastly, I wanted to tell you about a project that I am very excited about! Right now, myself and four other of my designer buddies are working on putting together an actual Designer Roundtable live podcast. Within each podcast, we will be setting up a way for you to talk to us and ask questions and get answers on loads of topics involving design, education, business, networking, web development, and more. Currently, things are still in the beginning stages, but this is something that we have been talking about doing for a long time and it looks like we are finally going to be moving forward with it. When I have more details I will be sure to pass them along to you as soon as I can. So keep an eye out for that!
My thanks and gratitude go out to all of you for your support. If there is anything you would like to see added as a feature or have suggestions for improvement, please let me know – my door is always open. Also, if you or someone you know is interested in becoming a guest writer for a day, please email under the name datchicfirgs on gmail with your proposed topic.
Thanks again. I look forward to making this site the best it can be for all that read it.
Warmest Regards,
~Firgs
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Reference Articles For Discussion:
How to Find Freelance Graphic Design Jobs – on eHow
How to Find Freelance Jobs through Effective Forum Networking – on Freelance Folder
This past weekend I was able to get away for a bit and partake in one of my all time favorite activities. I went to visit and spend time with my nephews – ages 2 and 4. The older one and I have been “best buddies” ever since he was born so I guess I’m not really surprised that I see a lot of me in him. For example, he took to using the computer and surfing the Internet at age 2 before anyone even showed him how to do it. Sounds like my kind of kid right? But there is another thing about him that makes him so special in my eyes. He’s a bit timid and tends to be afraid of a lot of things. I was just like that when I was a kid. I was extremely shy and it took me a long time to grow out of it. Believe it or not, it’s something that I still struggle with from time to time.
To my surprise, this time when I arrived at my brother’s house, my 4yr old nephew was very eager to show me his brand new “Bravery Chart”. It was a system that my brother and his wife had developed where every time Little Man did something brave or wasn’t afraid, he got a sticker along with a note describing what it was that made him so brave. After a collection of ten stickers, he got a special prize as an additional reward. He was very proud of his brave achievements and couldn’t wait to tell me the stories that went with each sticker.
As odd as this may seem, the more I thought of the Bravery Chart the more I started to wonder how this sort of thing could be applied to the freelancers and entrepreneurs of today’s world. Where there times were we were being too timid and missing out on opportunities? How many things are we not doing because fear is standing in our way? Do we ever reward ourselves for being brave and grasping the moment?
As we grow into adulthood it becomes a general expectation that we face our fears as a part of life. We learn that life is naturally scary and it’s ok to avoid feelings of fear and uncertainty if we can. So we duck out of uncomfortable situations, skirt issues, and dodge meetings or confrontations – or worse, talk ourselves out of doing something that we know we need or want to be doing just because we are afraid of the unknown. Giving into our fears can hold us back rather than propel us or our business forward. Without adventures and accomplishments then everything, including ourselves, can stop growing.
I started to wonder what would happen if we spent more time facing our fears and then celebrated our victory after, even if it was just with something as simple as making a note of it so that we could read it every day. My guess is that one adventure would lead to a new adventure and that one to the next and so on and before we know it we’d have a whole wall of accomplishments to wake up to each day and be very excited about sharing them just like Little Man. That was an idea that I liked – a lot!
So, the next time you need to face something that makes you uncomfortable, or makes you want to talk yourself out of doing it – just think of my Little Man and all of his exciting stickers. Because if he can face his fears, shouldn’t we all be able to?
Hi all!
I’ve been working my tail end off and before I reach the point of burn out, I’ve decided to skip town for a few days and just try to get away from it all for a bit to recharge the batteries. I’ll be back next Monday with new content.
Until then, I wish you all happy and successful projects of your own.
Thanks everyone and I’ll see you when I get back!!!
~Firgs
While checking my Twitter feed the other week, I spotted an interesting question that appeared in my stream. “What can I do to improve my communication and Internet presence?” The question then preceded to stick with me for the rest of the day and as you can see, weeks later, I’m still thinking about it. It’s a question that I have asked of myself, and I get the feeling that I am not alone. Effective communication plays a big part in expanding your business, and in today’s technology driven world – an Internet presence is a necessity.
So what are some of the things you can do to improve your communication and presence?
Here’s what I came up with…
Hey all!
Just thought I would take a quick minute to point you in the direction of a new article I’ve written. It’s called “You’re Fired! Surviving a Bad Client or Freelancer Relationship” and it’s being hosted over on Onextrapixel. In the article I go over how to recognize when you are in a bad relationship, how to know when it’s time to fire a client, how to do so with tact, and how to survive with your reputation in good standing.
If you choose to read the article and have some time, I would appreciate some feedback in the comments.
Thanks all!
~Firgs
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Reference Articles For Discussion:
What to Include In Your Design Contracts – by Brian Hoff on The Design Cubical
12 Points to Include in Your Design Contract – by Angela Ferraro-Fanning on Freelance Switch
