Episode 79 'Freelance the Lazy'

Freelancing is a funny business. On occasion I feel like I don't particularly belong anywhere, but then again this is precisely what it's all about, so I won't pretend to be dismayed about the matter. I have the writing tendencies of a drama queen sometimes, so ignore me. But don't! Because you need to read my blog. I do actually enjoy the free aspect of this lancing lark, especially when you get a surprise day off to write the next blog chapter. 

What I've come to realise in these last few months of my progress as a freelancer, is that there is no room for laziness. And I am so lazy! (this is subjective to the people who are not hiring me). But this is not in the work place; I love what I do and will crack on 100% in the studio environment. My problem is at home. As you may have noticed in previous blog posts, I claim it takes 'x' amount of hours or days for me to write a paragraph or the like. This is because of my homely distractions!

Here is a short list of things that cause procrastination:

• lunch
• planning lunch
• rearranging my Star Wars figures
• watching the Tribe
• making lists
• going into town and achieving very little from the list I just made
• planning dinner
• making a brew
• tidying my room
• writing my blog (controversial I admit, but I really should be looking for work right now!)

When it comes to those little 'home' projects i.e. sculpts, card designs, canvas painting, you can always find a place to sell them. I haven't actually considered online sales for any of my work (on etsy.com for example), purely because I don't have an extensive range. I have paintings, drawings and models but not nearly enough to set up something significant. But there is a solution! 

Facebook. It's largely full of codswallop and nincompoops. But a midst the chaos is a beacon of Minas Tirith. People are always on Facebook. Friends, family, acquaintances, pets, people you don't like, people who don't like you, people who have met you on that coach ride from Bogota to Lima and can't stop tagging you in photographs of himself standing next to a bus. My point is, it's a good database for an incredibly broad range of potential clients. Post some photos of your work up, Facebookers will like and share so that your skills will transcend to all ends of the Internet. I've managed to sell a few items for chump change, but it's still good practice for the budding freelancer. For example, the image below is of a mural I'm currently painting for my Aunty Val; hopefully she can spread the word! 

One of my odd jobs is painting murals; this one is almost finished!

Another part of freelancing is your title. What do you call yourself? What area of your chosen trade do you specialise in? The latter seems fairly obvious, but I still don't know whether to call myself a model maker, carpenter or a stop motion animator. I assume that I'm all three, yet I can do more. Tommy the multi-artist? Sir Thomas the brave? Mr Grainger the carpenter (who can also sculpt, paint, draw, cook, clean and hang out your cotton socks). I'm still in the process of deciding my freelance title because I will be designing some new business cards in the near future.

I am currently in the process of creating a sidekick for my freelancing adventures. It (none gender specific) is called portfolio and wears a cape, whereas I do not. It's all good and well having an online presence (LinkedIn etc) but I wanted a place for visuals, images, videos, not too much text and yet kept a professional level. It is advantageous to have an online portfolio full of visuals because a) that's what artists do (so what could describe our talent more than actually seeing it) and b) it's much simpler to send a link to a potential client or studio to show what you're capable of. Even now I can say click HERE and you've been transported to a rather fetching site concerning yours truly. 

I realise that my blog is full of images concerning my work... but it also contains images of random animals, holiday snaps and the ever present topic of Star Wars. So perhaps not as professional as I'd quite like. But it means that you guys get to read the real me... find out more in this months issue of Heat with an exclusive look into my wardrobe. 

Speaking of Star Wars it's getting very close to that time of year where it'll be a year until Episode VII The Force Awakens is released. And good lord am I excited. It now has a title, filming has been wrapped and the on-set photographs have kept us all ludicrously engrossed. I do believe (and hope) that there will be a Star Wars teaser trailer before Christmas this year. There must be something for us!