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- [Voiceover] 'Welcome to
The Art of Freelancing.

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I'm Noah Bradley.

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And I'm going to be talking today

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about Everything I Wish They
Had Taught Me in Art School.

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Now first, let me
quickly introduce myself.

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I'm a full time freelance artist,

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concept artist, and illustrator.

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I tend to work in the fantasy
and science fiction fields,

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and I do a lot of environment
and landscape painting.

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If you're not familiar with
my work, you can go ahead

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and find it at noahbradley.com.

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Now I'm producing this video

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because there is a clear lack of knowledge

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about how to freelance.

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Art schools are doing a really bad job

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in general of educating their students

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on how to actually freelance.

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I had the personal experience of

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going to a required business class

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in my department at art school.

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And I thought this would be a great thing.

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I thought it was a great idea.

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I thought it was great that
they were forcing everyone

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to do some business classes.

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The problem is that the class
was absolutely terrible.

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Now I'm not saying anything
bad about the teacher.

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He was probably a great guy.

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He probably knew a lot about
what he was talking about.

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But he knew absolutely nothing

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about the business of freelancing.

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And I have found it all too common

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that people complain to me

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that their art schools are simply

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not teaching them any of the business

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or marketing aspects of art.

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They teach them the art and
design aspects of things,

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but never the business side of things.

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So it's my goal with this video

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to help educate some of those people

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that were lost in those
gaps in art school.

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To help those people that
would love to freelance,

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and would to love to make
a living with their art,

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but simply don't know how.

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And I think I'm in the
perfect place to do this

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because I have a fair bit of
freelancing experience myself.

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But at the same time, I'm
not a super-established pro

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that's completely forgotten
how to break into the industry.

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It was recent enough for me
that I remember it distinctly.

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I remember all the
challenges along the way.

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I remember all the mistakes I made.

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And hopefully I can convey some of that

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so that you won't make those mistakes.

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Or you won't have quite
as much trouble as I did.

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Resources:

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I'm gonna be talking about
a lot of different books

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and sites and tools for
artists and designers

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during this talk.

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And rather than you writing down

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every little thing that I say,

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I'm actually making a
special resource site

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just for this video.

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And this is a list of
resources that I won't

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be giving out to anyone

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but the people who have
purchased this video.

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And so you can go to
TheArtOfFreelancing.com/Resources

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and I have compiled an
extensive list of resources

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for anyone who wants to freelance.

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I'll also be keeping this list updated

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with brand new information
as I discover new things

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or as people send me suggestions.

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So after you watch this,

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if you have any questions or any comments,

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please do not hesitate to email me.

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You can email me at
Noah@TheArtofFreelancing.com.

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And with that, let's get started.

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Part one: Getting Started.

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In this first section,

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we're gonna cover the very basics

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from what freelancing is

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to common concerns that
a lot of people have

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before they get started,

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to questions that everyone seems to ask.

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I'm gonna try to answer
all those questions

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to the best of my ability.

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And at the end of this section

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I'm going to get into portfolio building.

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Probably a question that
a lot of people have.

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So first off, let's define
what freelancing is.

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What does it mean to be a freelancer?

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And the simple definition is that

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you're a self-employed, and in our case,

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creative individual.

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And rather than work in a studio,

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and have a common day job

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where you go there five days a week

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to the same place and work with the same

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company every day,

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you work typically from home.

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And you work for a number
of different clients.

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Now freelancing is actually
an interesting topic

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for most people to grasp

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because they're used to their nine to five

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day jobs five days a week.

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And so you'll find, if
you start telling people

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that you're a freelancer,
they will immediately assume

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that you're unemployed.

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This is perfectly normal.

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I get this all the time.

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But it is starting to become

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a little more accepted and recognized

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that people do freelance.

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And people actually do make money.

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We're not all homeless.

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Now once you get past the stigma

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of being a freelancer and
that being a lazy bum,

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you get to the dream
of being a freelancer:

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the one where everyone
working their nine to five job

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is extremely jealous of you.

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And we're gonna call this
the ideal freelancing life.

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What people think freelancing is like.

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The first thing a lot of people think

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is that you make your own hours.

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You work whenever you want,

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which is often a couple hours a day maybe,

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and sometimes not that.

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Secondly, people think you
work for whoever you want.

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You pick your clients.

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You get to pick and choose your jobs.

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You have so many jobs coming in of course,

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that you can only pick the best ones,

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the most fun ones.

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And you get only those choice jobs.

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Whereas in a studio you'd
have to deal with the

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boring jobs and occasionally
you get that fun job.

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And third, you work wherever you want.

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If you feel like working
at a coffee shop one day,

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you can go there.

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If you feel like working in bed one day,

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you can go ahead and work there.

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Next, you make more money, clearly.

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Because you're self-employed,
and all the money

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goes directly to you and not the company.

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You're making tons of money.

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And lastly and in general,

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is just the fact that you
have absolute freedom.

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Freedom to sit around in your pajamas

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working all day or not working all day.

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You have the freedom to
come and go as you please.

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You have the freedom to work
or not work as you please.

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Take vacations whenever you want.

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Hang out with friends.

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Live that ideal, artistic life.

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And that's all a great dream,

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but as you might expect,

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that's not entirely what it's like.

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I will say it is pretty awesome.

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But it's far from perfect.

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The reality is that: yes
I do make my own hours.

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But those hours are often longer

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and sometimes worse than if I were working

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a nine to five job.

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Take for instance, you've
got a tight deadline.

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In the case of a studio,

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you probably wouldn't
have to deal with that.

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That wouldn't be your problem.

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It would be the company's problem.

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When you're on your own,
it's entirely up to you.

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You have deadlines to meet.

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You are the one responsible.

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So if you have to work
'til midnight one night,

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you have to work 'til midnight one night.

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And if you have to work
'til four a.m. that night,

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you have to work 'til four a.m.

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I think if you ask most freelancers,

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they would say that they work

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many more hours than their typical

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nine to five compatriots.

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But even though the hours are long

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and sometimes miserable,

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I do get to pick when they are,

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which is extremely useful,

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and one of those advantages
that freelancers have

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which you can never, ever imitate

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in a typical nine to five job.

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For instance, if someone called me up

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tomorrow, and said they wanted to hang out

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and do something fun,
go hike or something,

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I would be able to say yes.

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I would be able to take the time off

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and work some other time.

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Of course if I had a deadline

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I wouldn't be able to do that.

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But if I had a little advanced notice,

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I could easily take any
day off that I wanted.

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I could take a week off if I wanted

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if I killed myself doing work
the week before, that is.

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And to cover the second point,

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yes I do get to pick and
choose my jobs, sort of.

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I am not to the point where

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I can really do that comfortably.

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I'm still at the point where

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I need the work more
than I necessarily need

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to only pick the best
and most fun, enjoyable,

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creatively fulfilling
jobs that are out there.

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But it is certainly
true that at some point,

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once you're really, really,
really good, very established,

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and extremely well-known,

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that yes, you do get to be very picky

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about the work that you take on.

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But I think it's fare to say
that for at least the first

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few years, you will have
some very boring jobs

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that you will have to take
on to support yourself.

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And the third point:

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yes I actually can work wherever I want.

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And this one's actually pretty true.

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I really haven't found
much of a drawback here.

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In this day and age,
unless you actually need

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to be on the site for the job,

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which some jobs you
will need to be on site,

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you can really work wherever you can find

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reliable internet connection.

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So at least for that
point, the dream is true.

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And the fourth point: money.

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Yes, it's true you can make more money.

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That's certainly possible.

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You have that ability.

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But it's also true that you
can make a lot less money.

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And it's also extremely true

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that your income will be very unsteady.

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That is to say,

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most people get a paycheck every week

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or every other week.

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Sometimes I go a month, for instance,

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and I will not get any income.

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And then the next month I
will somehow make up for that.

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But it's kind of a scary way to live.

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So even though you might be
making a little bit more money,

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a lot of people can't take the stress

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of such a variable income.

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Another factor people seem
to forget when it comes

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to how much money freelancers are making,

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is that they hear the hourly
rate, and they're like:

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oh my god, that's two or
three times as much as I make.

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But they forget that freelancers
have a lot of unique costs

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that people working at
a company don't have.

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Because the company takes
care of all those costs.

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Things like insurance,
things like overhead,

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all the supplies, all the
equipment, all the software.

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All of that, rather than
being paid for by the company

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is all the freelancer's responsibility.

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So an almost depressing amount of money

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actually does not end up
in the freelancer's hand.

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So at the end of the day, it's true.

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The freelancer's life
is not exactly perfect.

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But it is pretty darn sweet.
I'll be honest with you.

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I really, really love freelancing.

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The fact that I can
come and go as I please.

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00:10:55,181 --> 00:10:56,944
The fact that I do make my own hours.

259
00:10:56,944 --> 00:10:59,118
The fact that i can take days off.

260
00:10:59,118 --> 00:11:02,551
And just the fact that
you feel in control.

261
00:11:02,551 --> 00:11:05,538
With a company, you're
not exactly in control.

262
00:11:05,538 --> 00:11:07,102
You're one part of the company.

263
00:11:07,102 --> 00:11:10,007
With a freelancer, you are everything.

264
00:11:10,007 --> 00:11:13,475
How well you do comes down entirely

265
00:11:13,475 --> 00:11:15,364
to how well you do,

266
00:11:15,364 --> 00:11:18,595
how well you yourself do.

267
00:11:18,595 --> 00:11:20,504
There's something very
invigorating, empowering

268
00:11:20,504 --> 00:11:23,483
about that, and it appeals
to a lot of people.

269
00:11:23,483 --> 00:11:24,804
Which is probably part of the reason

270
00:11:24,804 --> 00:11:26,977
you're listening to this video.

271
00:11:26,977 --> 00:11:28,298
So I will say this:

272
00:11:28,298 --> 00:11:31,427
I will say that freelancing
can be very scary.

273
00:11:31,427 --> 00:11:34,332
It is very unsettling for a lot of people.

274
00:11:34,332 --> 00:11:36,364
There's a lot of risk to it,

275
00:11:36,364 --> 00:11:38,111
but there's also a lot of reward.

276
00:11:38,111 --> 00:11:40,468
And it's a very fulfilling lifestyle,

277
00:11:40,468 --> 00:11:42,439
one that I've enjoyed greatly

278
00:11:42,439 --> 00:11:43,577
while I've been doing it.

279
00:11:43,577 --> 00:11:46,685
And I hope to do it for
a long time to come.

280
00:11:46,685 --> 00:11:48,981
And I hope in some small way

281
00:11:48,981 --> 00:11:51,947
that I can help you on
your own personal journey

282
00:11:51,947 --> 00:11:55,056
towards freelancing.

283
00:11:55,056 --> 00:11:56,804
So let's get right to it.

284
00:11:56,804 --> 00:12:01,557
I've broken down freelancing
in two very simple steps.

285
00:12:01,557 --> 00:12:04,828
It's not very difficult
to become a freelancer.

286
00:12:04,828 --> 00:12:06,515
And the two simple steps are:

287
00:12:06,515 --> 00:12:10,964
first, one, you make great work.

288
00:12:10,964 --> 00:12:13,219
Secondly, you show it to people

289
00:12:13,219 --> 00:12:15,962
who commission that kind of work.

290
00:12:15,962 --> 00:12:18,786
It's really, really that simple.

291
00:12:18,786 --> 00:12:21,610
Naturally that's easier said than done.

292
00:12:21,610 --> 00:12:25,084
But it's important to remember
those two simple steps.

293
00:12:25,084 --> 00:12:27,404
Because that's what you're shooting for.

294
00:12:27,404 --> 00:12:30,756
And step one of making great, awesome work

295
00:12:30,756 --> 00:12:32,690
is not really what we're
gonna be talking about

296
00:12:32,690 --> 00:12:34,295
in this video.

297
00:12:34,295 --> 00:12:36,530
There's plenty of videos out there,

298
00:12:36,530 --> 00:12:38,765
there's plenty of resources out there

299
00:12:38,765 --> 00:12:40,573
on how to get better at your craft,

300
00:12:40,573 --> 00:12:41,976
whatever that might be.

301
00:12:41,976 --> 00:12:43,804
Whether it's illustration,
whether it's concept art,

302
00:12:43,804 --> 00:12:45,571
whether it's graphic design.

303
00:12:45,571 --> 00:12:47,359
Whatever it happens to be, there's plenty

304
00:12:47,359 --> 00:12:51,077
of fundamental videos out
there that you can watch.

305
00:12:51,077 --> 00:12:53,840
So if you don't have awesome work yet,

306
00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:56,217
you can still get a lot out of this video.

307
00:12:56,217 --> 00:12:59,224
Because you're gonna get a
better idea by watching this

308
00:12:59,224 --> 00:13:02,637
of the things that you're
gonna be preparing for:

309
00:13:02,637 --> 00:13:04,202
why you're doing all this work,

310
00:13:04,202 --> 00:13:06,985
why you're developing your craft.

311
00:13:06,985 --> 00:13:09,078
And when you have that foresight,

312
00:13:09,078 --> 00:13:11,577
your work all of a sudden
has more direction to it.

313
00:13:11,577 --> 00:13:13,568
You know where you're headed.

314
00:13:13,568 --> 00:13:15,620
So step two is where
we're gonna be spending

315
00:13:15,620 --> 00:13:17,388
most of our time today.

316
00:13:17,388 --> 00:13:18,830
It's all about getting your work

317
00:13:18,830 --> 00:13:21,329
in front of the right people.

318
00:13:21,329 --> 00:13:24,560
And even though I've broken
this down into just two steps,

319
00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:28,176
freelancing really is
extremely difficult to do.

320
00:13:28,176 --> 00:13:32,077
Making money, and making a
living as a creative person,

321
00:13:32,077 --> 00:13:35,754
whatever that is,
illustrator, graphic designer,

322
00:13:35,754 --> 00:13:40,754
web designer, whatever
it is, it's not easy.

323
00:13:40,793 --> 00:13:43,759
I mean, I don't wanna depress
you guys or scare you,

324
00:13:43,759 --> 00:13:45,669
but it's good to be a little bit scared.

325
00:13:45,669 --> 00:13:47,660
Because it's good to
realize that this is not

326
00:13:47,660 --> 00:13:49,184
an easy field to get into.

327
00:13:49,184 --> 00:13:52,333
It's not an easy field to make it in.

328
00:13:52,333 --> 00:13:55,543
But it is certainly possible.

329
00:13:55,543 --> 00:13:58,367
Just not easy.

330
00:13:58,367 --> 00:14:01,719
I believe the statistic is
that of art student graduates,

331
00:14:01,719 --> 00:14:03,813
who you'd think would
be pretty well set up

332
00:14:03,813 --> 00:14:07,489
to become professionals,
I believe something like

333
00:14:07,489 --> 00:14:12,489
95 to 99% of them will not
be doing anything art related

334
00:14:13,137 --> 00:14:16,977
five years after graduation.

335
00:14:16,977 --> 00:14:19,476
So that's a pretty terrifying statistic.

336
00:14:19,476 --> 00:14:21,894
And I remember hearing that one when I was

337
00:14:21,894 --> 00:14:24,393
just starting out in art school.

338
00:14:24,393 --> 00:14:27,908
And naturally, I just
assumed I was not gonna be

339
00:14:27,908 --> 00:14:29,432
one of those people that failed.

340
00:14:29,432 --> 00:14:32,418
I just knew, and didn't even question

341
00:14:32,418 --> 00:14:35,852
the fact that I was gonna be successful.

342
00:14:35,852 --> 00:14:38,535
And that almost stupid level of confidence

343
00:14:38,535 --> 00:14:43,166
enabled me to really push
myself to be successful.

344
00:14:43,166 --> 00:14:45,888
It made me set those goals so high,

345
00:14:45,888 --> 00:14:48,713
because I knew the cost of failing,

346
00:14:48,713 --> 00:14:51,069
that I ended up workin' my butt off

347
00:14:51,069 --> 00:14:52,532
while I was in art school

348
00:14:52,532 --> 00:14:54,564
so that I was able to be successful.

349
00:14:54,564 --> 00:14:56,514
And it turned out pretty well for me,

350
00:14:56,514 --> 00:14:59,298
because I was freelancing

351
00:14:59,298 --> 00:15:00,206
pretty much full time

352
00:15:00,206 --> 00:15:03,539
during my entire senior
year of art school.

353
00:15:03,539 --> 00:15:05,204
But don't let that discourage you.

354
00:15:05,204 --> 00:15:08,800
That's not exactly common
for people to do that.

355
00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:12,660
I guess I just got lucky,
and I worked really hard.

356
00:15:12,660 --> 00:15:14,673
Which is really a lot of what success is.

357
00:15:14,673 --> 00:15:17,496
I think it comes down
to working very hard,

358
00:15:17,496 --> 00:15:21,458
to persisting and stickin'
with it for a long time.

359
00:15:21,458 --> 00:15:23,754
And then gettin' a little bit lucky

360
00:15:23,754 --> 00:15:26,496
never really hurt anybody.

361
00:15:26,496 --> 00:15:28,772
So while you're working
on becoming a freelancer,

362
00:15:28,772 --> 00:15:30,356
while you're developing your skills,

363
00:15:30,356 --> 00:15:31,413
while you're doing everything

364
00:15:31,413 --> 00:15:32,957
that we're gonna be talking about today,

365
00:15:32,957 --> 00:15:35,944
while you're marketing yourself
building your portfolio,

366
00:15:35,944 --> 00:15:38,849
it's very important
not to get discouraged.

367
00:15:38,849 --> 00:15:41,960
Because it's often a very slow process

368
00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:43,792
to become a freelancer.

369
00:15:43,792 --> 00:15:46,677
In fact, I've heard many
people say that it takes

370
00:15:46,677 --> 00:15:48,952
anywhere from five to ten years

371
00:15:48,952 --> 00:15:52,406
before you're really
established as an artist.

372
00:15:52,406 --> 00:15:54,072
And that's after you're already at

373
00:15:54,072 --> 00:15:56,796
somewhat professional quality of work.

374
00:15:56,796 --> 00:15:58,380
So it's a very slow process.

375
00:15:58,380 --> 00:16:02,159
So take your time; don't rush it.

376
00:16:02,159 --> 00:16:04,536
Don't think that you
need to be professional

377
00:16:04,536 --> 00:16:08,599
full time working with the
best clients next week.

378
00:16:08,599 --> 00:16:11,504
But rather plan out for the long term.

379
00:16:11,504 --> 00:16:12,744
Plan out for what you're gonna be doing

380
00:16:12,744 --> 00:16:15,588
for the next several years.

381
00:16:15,588 --> 00:16:17,702
It's real easy to look
at the professionals

382
00:16:17,702 --> 00:16:20,769
out there now, and you see
how successful they are

383
00:16:20,769 --> 00:16:23,024
and how well they're doing.

384
00:16:23,024 --> 00:16:24,792
But you have to realize that

385
00:16:24,792 --> 00:16:26,945
most of them had a very long road

386
00:16:26,945 --> 00:16:29,160
to get where they are today.

387
00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:31,334
Most of them didn't just wake up one day

388
00:16:31,334 --> 00:16:33,589
and: oh, I think I'm going
to be a super-awesome

389
00:16:33,589 --> 00:16:35,174
professional today.

390
00:16:35,174 --> 00:16:36,413
No, most of them went

391
00:16:36,413 --> 00:16:39,318
through years and years of getting there.

392
00:16:39,318 --> 00:16:42,224
Of developing their skills,
developing their brand,

393
00:16:42,224 --> 00:16:44,337
marketing themselves, getting known,

394
00:16:44,337 --> 00:16:46,612
building their client list.

395
00:16:46,612 --> 00:16:48,909
It's often a very long
process, even for the people

396
00:16:48,909 --> 00:16:51,996
that make it look so easy.

397
00:16:51,996 --> 00:16:54,983
And even though these
people make it look easy,

398
00:16:54,983 --> 00:16:56,852
often if you actually sit
down with some of them,

399
00:16:56,852 --> 00:16:59,493
as I've done, and talk to them about it,

400
00:16:59,493 --> 00:17:02,459
they will tell you just how hard it was.

401
00:17:02,459 --> 00:17:04,511
How they had difficulty paying rent

402
00:17:04,511 --> 00:17:06,563
when they first started out.

403
00:17:06,563 --> 00:17:08,737
So try not to base your
assumption on the industry

404
00:17:08,737 --> 00:17:10,505
and how hard it is to get in

405
00:17:10,505 --> 00:17:13,695
on people that were in it 20 years ago

406
00:17:13,695 --> 00:17:15,320
that are doing just fine now,

407
00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:17,433
can coast a little bit.

408
00:17:17,433 --> 00:17:18,450
Not completely.

409
00:17:18,450 --> 00:17:19,830
They still do a little bit of marketing.

410
00:17:19,830 --> 00:17:21,334
They still work.

411
00:17:21,334 --> 00:17:23,162
And they still have to try to break into

412
00:17:23,162 --> 00:17:24,666
new fields and stuff.

413
00:17:24,666 --> 00:17:26,169
But it's not nearly as hard

414
00:17:26,169 --> 00:17:28,445
as that guy getting out of college

415
00:17:28,445 --> 00:17:32,252
who's trying to get that first job.

416
00:17:32,957 --> 00:17:34,867
So one of the concerns
a lot of people have

417
00:17:34,867 --> 00:17:37,124
when they're talking about freelancing

418
00:17:37,124 --> 00:17:40,556
is they're worried that
they're gonna be selling out.

419
00:17:40,556 --> 00:17:42,425
They're worried that
they're gonna be sacrificing

420
00:17:42,425 --> 00:17:45,838
all their creativity
and all their expression

421
00:17:45,838 --> 00:17:48,642
for some commercial gain.

422
00:17:48,642 --> 00:17:50,044
I know when I was in art school

423
00:17:50,044 --> 00:17:52,238
that I was in the illustration department,

424
00:17:52,238 --> 00:17:53,640
and the painting department

425
00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:56,383
would often give us a hard time

426
00:17:56,383 --> 00:17:59,552
because the painting
department was full of artists

427
00:17:59,552 --> 00:18:01,523
who created art.

428
00:18:01,523 --> 00:18:04,083
And they created art for art's sake.

429
00:18:04,083 --> 00:18:05,830
And then the illustration people

430
00:18:05,830 --> 00:18:08,918
were trying to make art so
they could make a living.

431
00:18:08,918 --> 00:18:12,332
And somehow, through some
messed up way of thinking,

432
00:18:12,332 --> 00:18:14,932
that was somehow worse.

433
00:18:14,932 --> 00:18:17,492
That was somehow lesser.

434
00:18:17,492 --> 00:18:20,601
And unfortunately this
is a very common stigma

435
00:18:20,601 --> 00:18:23,547
that illustrators and
designers have to deal with.

436
00:18:23,547 --> 00:18:27,041
The fact that they're often
labeled as not real artists.

437
00:18:27,041 --> 00:18:30,190
Norman Rockwell for instance,
he went his whole life

438
00:18:30,190 --> 00:18:32,832
and despite being a fantastic artist,

439
00:18:32,832 --> 00:18:36,367
constantly struggled with the belief

440
00:18:36,367 --> 00:18:38,216
that he was not in fact a real artist,

441
00:18:38,216 --> 00:18:40,329
and just an illustrator.

442
00:18:40,329 --> 00:18:43,132
I've even had teachers make that claim.

443
00:18:43,132 --> 00:18:46,911
And it honestly drives me up the wall.

444
00:18:46,911 --> 00:18:49,004
I have no issue with
saying that an illustrator

445
00:18:49,004 --> 00:18:51,584
is a great artist despite
the fact that they are

446
00:18:51,584 --> 00:18:53,758
doing illustration work.

447
00:18:53,758 --> 00:18:57,049
So what I usually tell people
when they bring up this issue

448
00:18:57,049 --> 00:18:59,366
is that: if you would like to remain pure,

449
00:18:59,366 --> 00:19:02,840
like to remain pure to
your artistic intent

450
00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,481
and your own personal creativity,

451
00:19:05,481 --> 00:19:07,756
you are more than welcome to do that.

452
00:19:07,756 --> 00:19:12,470
But I cannot guarantee
that you will not starve.

453
00:19:12,470 --> 00:19:15,274
And if you really do need
justification of some sort

454
00:19:15,274 --> 00:19:16,980
for doing work for clients,

455
00:19:16,980 --> 00:19:19,744
for creating someone else's vision,

456
00:19:19,744 --> 00:19:21,938
just look back at all the old masters.

457
00:19:21,938 --> 00:19:24,682
And you will find that most
of them worked for patrons.

458
00:19:24,682 --> 00:19:27,018
Or they worked for the church,

459
00:19:27,018 --> 00:19:29,638
or someone with a lot of money
who was willing to pay them

460
00:19:29,638 --> 00:19:32,848
to create a commissioned piece.

461
00:19:32,848 --> 00:19:35,489
Another question I hear all the time is:

462
00:19:35,489 --> 00:19:37,460
am I too old?

463
00:19:37,460 --> 00:19:38,924
Am I too old to start?

464
00:19:38,924 --> 00:19:41,605
And people asking this will vary in age.

465
00:19:41,605 --> 00:19:45,242
I've even seen people that
were 15 years old ask me

466
00:19:45,242 --> 00:19:47,904
if they were too old
to start learning art.

467
00:19:47,904 --> 00:19:50,910
Or too old to start learning design.

468
00:19:50,910 --> 00:19:52,881
And of course there's people in their 50s

469
00:19:52,881 --> 00:19:55,806
asking, am I too old?

470
00:19:55,806 --> 00:19:58,833
And there's a very, very
simple answer to this question.

471
00:19:58,833 --> 00:20:01,718
And that is, probably not.

472
00:20:01,718 --> 00:20:05,924
First of all, I will say that
no client I've ever worked for

473
00:20:05,924 --> 00:20:09,927
has ever asked me how old or young I was.

474
00:20:09,927 --> 00:20:12,791
So really it doesn't matter
in the freelance industry

475
00:20:12,791 --> 00:20:15,636
how old you are, because
honestly most of your clients

476
00:20:15,636 --> 00:20:18,033
are never gonna even know.

477
00:20:18,033 --> 00:20:19,862
When I first started
out doing freelancing,

478
00:20:19,862 --> 00:20:21,670
I was still in school.

479
00:20:21,670 --> 00:20:23,459
And I made a point of not telling anyone

480
00:20:23,459 --> 00:20:24,981
that I was in school.

481
00:20:24,981 --> 00:20:28,760
Because well who wants to
give work to a student?

482
00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,442
So clients really just don't care

483
00:20:31,442 --> 00:20:33,414
how old you are, where you are,

484
00:20:33,414 --> 00:20:34,795
or anything like that

485
00:20:34,795 --> 00:20:38,514
as long as you can do the
work and communicate clearly.

486
00:20:38,514 --> 00:20:40,260
Now there's also the concern that

487
00:20:40,260 --> 00:20:44,933
if someone starts at say 45,
it's gonna take them too long

488
00:20:44,933 --> 00:20:46,148
to get to a professional level.

489
00:20:46,148 --> 00:20:49,297
They'll be in the grave
before they even get going.

490
00:20:49,297 --> 00:20:50,456
And it's really not the case,

491
00:20:50,456 --> 00:20:53,747
because with a certain
amount of devoted effort,

492
00:20:53,747 --> 00:20:57,343
you can probably get to a
professional level of work

493
00:20:57,343 --> 00:21:01,345
within five years to maybe ten years.

494
00:21:01,345 --> 00:21:03,479
Naturally, some people are
gonna take longer than this,

495
00:21:03,479 --> 00:21:06,912
and some people can take much less time.

496
00:21:06,912 --> 00:21:08,944
It really depends on the person.

497
00:21:08,944 --> 00:21:10,468
So if you really wanna be an artist,

498
00:21:10,468 --> 00:21:12,784
you really wanna be a designer,

499
00:21:12,784 --> 00:21:14,430
don't worry about it.

500
00:21:14,430 --> 00:21:15,344
Go for it.

501
00:21:15,344 --> 00:21:17,701
It doesn't matter how old you are.

502
00:21:17,701 --> 00:21:19,834
You might start a little
later than someone else,

503
00:21:19,834 --> 00:21:21,297
but that really doesn't matter.

504
00:21:21,297 --> 00:21:25,218
You can still be extremely successful.

505
00:21:25,218 --> 00:21:27,087
Now the next question that I get asked

506
00:21:27,087 --> 00:21:28,570
all the time is:

507
00:21:28,570 --> 00:21:30,602
should I go to art school?

508
00:21:30,602 --> 00:21:33,060
Should I get a degree?

509
00:21:33,060 --> 00:21:35,742
And my first response to that is usually:

510
00:21:35,742 --> 00:21:40,680
you will never ever get
work from your degree.

511
00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,097
Never. It's not gonna happen.

512
00:21:43,097 --> 00:21:46,937
Your work is solely gonna
come from your own portfolio,

513
00:21:46,937 --> 00:21:48,684
from the portfolio you develop

514
00:21:48,684 --> 00:21:50,777
from the work you put into it.

515
00:21:50,777 --> 00:21:54,271
Now that said, there is a lot
of worth to getting training,

516
00:21:54,271 --> 00:21:55,734
to get some sort of instruction.

517
00:21:55,734 --> 00:21:56,892
It's gonna help you along.

518
00:21:56,892 --> 00:21:58,172
It's gonna teach you faster

519
00:21:58,172 --> 00:22:00,529
than you can probably teach yourself.

520
00:22:00,529 --> 00:22:02,927
But in the end, whether
you go to art school or not

521
00:22:02,927 --> 00:22:04,795
is really a very personal decision.

522
00:22:04,795 --> 00:22:08,229
It depends a lot on who
you are as a person.

523
00:22:08,229 --> 00:22:10,029
And I could get into this
for a very long time,

524
00:22:10,029 --> 00:22:12,202
and I won't because that's
not really the topic

525
00:22:12,202 --> 00:22:14,315
that we're talking about today,

526
00:22:14,315 --> 00:22:16,977
but i will say that you
really need to just figure out

527
00:22:16,977 --> 00:22:20,390
what is the best way for you
to get the training you need

528
00:22:20,390 --> 00:22:23,864
to do the sort of work you want to do?

529
00:22:23,864 --> 00:22:26,018
Now for me, that was art school.

530
00:22:26,018 --> 00:22:28,335
And I found art school
extremely beneficial.

531
00:22:28,335 --> 00:22:32,012
And I definitely think it was
a good decision for me to go.

532
00:22:32,012 --> 00:22:34,023
Now could I have gotten
to a professional level

533
00:22:34,023 --> 00:22:35,404
without art school?

534
00:22:35,404 --> 00:22:37,822
Sure. I would have gotten there.

535
00:22:37,822 --> 00:22:39,468
And the thing is

536
00:22:39,468 --> 00:22:41,967
is that it probably would
have taken me longer.

537
00:22:41,967 --> 00:22:45,218
Art school, for me, gave
me a very concentrated way

538
00:22:45,218 --> 00:22:46,619
that I could study.

539
00:22:46,619 --> 00:22:49,240
It gave me a place and a time

540
00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:51,029
where pretty much my
entire life was devoted

541
00:22:51,029 --> 00:22:53,344
just to studying art.

542
00:22:53,344 --> 00:22:56,047
It also surrounded me with
people with common interests.

543
00:22:56,047 --> 00:22:59,541
It gave me a network of
friends that were all artists,

544
00:22:59,541 --> 00:23:01,086
and so it did a lot of good for me.

545
00:23:01,086 --> 00:23:03,340
It exposed me to a lot of different art,

546
00:23:03,340 --> 00:23:05,453
and I'm extremely glad that I went.

547
00:23:05,453 --> 00:23:07,932
But at the same time I
have seen plenty of artists

548
00:23:07,932 --> 00:23:10,138
and designers that were
self-taught that are doing

549
00:23:10,138 --> 00:23:11,966
extremely well.

550
00:23:11,966 --> 00:23:15,176
And I will repeat once again
that the degree itself,

551
00:23:15,176 --> 00:23:17,330
that piece of paper you hang on your wall,

552
00:23:17,330 --> 00:23:19,077
is not gonna get you a job.

553
00:23:19,077 --> 00:23:22,165
It's all in the portfolio.

554
00:23:22,165 --> 00:23:25,255
With the one caveat that
occasionally with in-house jobs,

555
00:23:25,255 --> 00:23:27,529
they will want a degree.

556
00:23:27,529 --> 00:23:29,073
But they won't necessarily need one

557
00:23:29,073 --> 00:23:31,999
if your portfolio is strong enough.

558
00:23:31,999 --> 00:23:34,945
An issue a lot of young
artists and designers have

559
00:23:34,945 --> 00:23:37,037
is they don't know when they're ready

560
00:23:37,037 --> 00:23:38,480
to actually start working.

561
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:40,755
When are they ready to freelance?

562
00:23:40,755 --> 00:23:42,848
And now I will say, to start off,

563
00:23:42,848 --> 00:23:46,444
that there is such a thing
as starting too early.

564
00:23:46,444 --> 00:23:48,537
There's a danger if you start too early

565
00:23:48,537 --> 00:23:51,178
that you're gonna be
starting at the very bottom.

566
00:23:51,178 --> 00:23:54,063
You're gonna start with
some extremely amateur work.

567
00:23:54,063 --> 00:23:55,506
And that work is gonna get out there.

568
00:23:55,506 --> 00:23:57,944
It's gonna get printed.
It's gonna get seen.

569
00:23:57,944 --> 00:24:00,219
And your name's attached
to all that stuff.

570
00:24:00,219 --> 00:24:03,268
And so you're gonna start
to build this reputation

571
00:24:03,268 --> 00:24:06,192
as sort of a lower tier
artist or designer.

572
00:24:06,192 --> 00:24:09,301
And that can be extremely
hard to break out of.

573
00:24:09,301 --> 00:24:11,901
Because you'll start to get
a client base that expects

574
00:24:11,901 --> 00:24:15,823
a certain level from you,
expects a certain price from you,

575
00:24:15,823 --> 00:24:18,333
and they're gonna refer
you to other clients

576
00:24:18,333 --> 00:24:20,832
who will expect the exact same.

577
00:24:20,832 --> 00:24:22,985
So rather than getting into that rut,

578
00:24:22,985 --> 00:24:25,459
it's best to start at a
little bit higher level.

579
00:24:25,459 --> 00:24:27,105
And some people differ on this.

580
00:24:27,105 --> 00:24:28,466
Some people say to start getting work

581
00:24:28,466 --> 00:24:30,011
as soon as you can.

582
00:24:30,011 --> 00:24:33,058
Some people wait until you
get to the very top tier.

583
00:24:33,058 --> 00:24:35,943
And I will say that it's good
to break into the industry

584
00:24:35,943 --> 00:24:39,185
when you're around the
middle to upper level tiers.

585
00:24:39,185 --> 00:24:40,831
You don't wanna start too low,

586
00:24:40,831 --> 00:24:42,801
but you also don't wanna wait forever.

587
00:24:42,801 --> 00:24:45,382
So as tempting as it is
to start getting work

588
00:24:45,382 --> 00:24:46,804
as soon as you can,

589
00:24:46,804 --> 00:24:49,039
it's not necessarily the best decision.

590
00:24:49,039 --> 00:24:50,827
Because, just because you're doing

591
00:24:50,827 --> 00:24:53,874
10 dollar drawings from DeviantArt,

592
00:24:53,874 --> 00:24:55,520
it does not mean you're a freelancer.

593
00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:58,608
And if you're doing
somebody's logo for 20 bucks,

594
00:24:58,608 --> 00:25:01,209
you're just doing somebody's
logo for 20 bucks.

595
00:25:01,209 --> 00:25:03,159
It doesn't really solidify your position

596
00:25:03,159 --> 00:25:04,825
as a real designer.

597
00:25:04,825 --> 00:25:07,385
There's no more pride in
doing something for 20 bucks

598
00:25:07,385 --> 00:25:09,213
as doing something for yourself

599
00:25:09,213 --> 00:25:11,916
or something pro bono.

600
00:25:11,916 --> 00:25:14,557
So the best way to know when you're ready

601
00:25:14,557 --> 00:25:16,223
is to compare yourself.

602
00:25:16,223 --> 00:25:18,600
Compare, compare, compare.

603
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:20,713
It is the ultimate way to figure out

604
00:25:20,713 --> 00:25:22,541
if you're right for the industry,

605
00:25:22,541 --> 00:25:26,666
if your work is up to that
level that it's professional.

606
00:25:26,666 --> 00:25:27,702
And the way you go about doing this

607
00:25:27,702 --> 00:25:29,124
is extremely simple.

608
00:25:29,124 --> 00:25:30,648
You take a selection of your work

609
00:25:30,648 --> 00:25:33,391
and you take a selection
of professional work.

610
00:25:33,391 --> 00:25:35,524
You take it from whatever
industry you're in.

611
00:25:35,524 --> 00:25:37,535
And you put them all side-by-side,

612
00:25:37,535 --> 00:25:39,364
and see if your work fits in.

613
00:25:39,364 --> 00:25:40,989
See if it blends.

614
00:25:40,989 --> 00:25:41,985
Or does it stick out?

615
00:25:41,985 --> 00:25:45,235
Is there something that
your work is missing still?

616
00:25:45,235 --> 00:25:47,287
Is there some certain amount of quality

617
00:25:47,287 --> 00:25:49,522
that you don't have yet?

618
00:25:49,522 --> 00:25:50,985
Now a lot of people have the difficulty

619
00:25:50,985 --> 00:25:53,342
of seeing their own work objectively.

620
00:25:53,342 --> 00:25:54,420
They're too attached to it.

621
00:25:54,420 --> 00:25:56,247
It's their own little baby.

622
00:25:56,247 --> 00:25:58,341
But you need to start
developing that skill.

623
00:25:58,341 --> 00:26:00,087
It's an extremely useful skill

624
00:26:00,087 --> 00:26:01,956
when you're an artist or designer.

625
00:26:01,956 --> 00:26:05,410
You need to know where your work stands.

626
00:26:05,410 --> 00:26:07,686
But if you really can't
see your work objectively,

627
00:26:07,686 --> 00:26:11,546
and you really don't have
any idea where it's at,

628
00:26:11,546 --> 00:26:13,497
then you can always ask a professional.

629
00:26:13,497 --> 00:26:15,264
Get a portfolio review.

630
00:26:15,264 --> 00:26:17,034
Get somebody who's in the industry

631
00:26:17,034 --> 00:26:18,679
and knows what they're talking about

632
00:26:18,679 --> 00:26:20,061
to take a look at your work.

633
00:26:20,061 --> 00:26:22,804
Take a look at it and give you some input.

634
00:26:22,804 --> 00:26:25,567
Just whether it's right
or not for the industry.

635
00:26:25,567 --> 00:26:28,878
Just whether you're up
to that level or not.

636
00:26:28,878 --> 00:26:31,824
Now here's a step that
everyone seems to forget about

637
00:26:31,824 --> 00:26:34,811
in art school, at least
from my own experience.

638
00:26:34,811 --> 00:26:37,208
And that is, to research.

639
00:26:37,208 --> 00:26:38,509
And what do I mean by that?

640
00:26:38,509 --> 00:26:43,019
I mean research the field
you want to go into.

641
00:26:43,019 --> 00:26:44,969
So many people that
graduate from art school

642
00:26:44,969 --> 00:26:47,428
or training themselves to be an artist

643
00:26:47,428 --> 00:26:51,769
want to be an artist, but
they have absolutely no idea

644
00:26:51,769 --> 00:26:53,943
how they're going to be an artist.

645
00:26:53,943 --> 00:26:56,360
They just have this mysterious idea

646
00:26:56,360 --> 00:26:57,823
that once they get good enough,

647
00:26:57,823 --> 00:27:00,627
once they get all the
skills to become an artist,

648
00:27:00,627 --> 00:27:02,963
that they'll magically be
able to make money somehow.

649
00:27:02,963 --> 00:27:06,437
There will be somehow a field
out there that's perfect

650
00:27:06,437 --> 00:27:09,404
for exactly what they do.

651
00:27:09,404 --> 00:27:10,440
And I hate to break it to you,

652
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:12,939
but this is not really gonna happen.

653
00:27:12,939 --> 00:27:14,503
Because you need to find people

654
00:27:14,503 --> 00:27:17,612
that will pay you for the work you make

655
00:27:17,612 --> 00:27:19,847
if you wanna be a freelancer.

656
00:27:19,847 --> 00:27:21,330
And this isn't really the time,

657
00:27:21,330 --> 00:27:22,630
when you're just starting out,

658
00:27:22,630 --> 00:27:25,740
to create your own unique
field, your own unique job

659
00:27:25,740 --> 00:27:27,973
just for what you do.

660
00:27:27,973 --> 00:27:30,472
This is the time to start
getting your feet wet,

661
00:27:30,472 --> 00:27:31,976
to start getting established,

662
00:27:31,976 --> 00:27:34,292
to start making an income.

663
00:27:34,292 --> 00:27:35,552
And the surest way to do that

664
00:27:35,552 --> 00:27:39,046
is to start researching the
field you wanna go into.

665
00:27:39,046 --> 00:27:41,098
And start researching the sort of jobs

666
00:27:41,098 --> 00:27:43,760
that are in that field.

667
00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,929
You'll very quickly find, as
you're researching the fields,

668
00:27:46,929 --> 00:27:49,652
is that every one has
its little quirks to it.

669
00:27:49,652 --> 00:27:52,720
Everything has a little thing
that they do differently

670
00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:54,243
than everybody else.

671
00:27:54,243 --> 00:27:56,681
So you wanna start
understanding these things.

672
00:27:56,681 --> 00:27:57,839
And the things to look out for

673
00:27:57,839 --> 00:28:00,460
is you wanna know the
terminology of the field.

674
00:28:00,460 --> 00:28:03,142
Different fields have
different terminology.

675
00:28:03,142 --> 00:28:05,540
There are some that of course overlap.

676
00:28:05,540 --> 00:28:09,380
Things like bleed, things like kill fee.

677
00:28:09,380 --> 00:28:10,802
That sort of stuff, you need to know

678
00:28:10,802 --> 00:28:12,833
exactly what it means.

679
00:28:12,833 --> 00:28:15,251
You also wanna start
getting an understanding of

680
00:28:15,251 --> 00:28:17,506
who the big players in the industry are.

681
00:28:17,506 --> 00:28:20,473
Not only who the great
designers or artists are,

682
00:28:20,473 --> 00:28:21,874
which is very important,

683
00:28:21,874 --> 00:28:24,699
but also what the big companies are.

684
00:28:24,699 --> 00:28:27,259
What are those clients that
seem to hire a lot of people,

685
00:28:27,259 --> 00:28:28,985
carry a lot of respect.

686
00:28:28,985 --> 00:28:30,794
For instance, I do a lot of fantasy

687
00:28:30,794 --> 00:28:32,866
and science fiction illustration.

688
00:28:32,866 --> 00:28:35,528
And everybody knows in the entire industry

689
00:28:35,528 --> 00:28:36,990
who Wizards of the Coast is.

690
00:28:36,990 --> 00:28:38,433
Everybody wants to work for them.

691
00:28:38,433 --> 00:28:40,099
Because they're a big name.

692
00:28:40,099 --> 00:28:41,623
They have some great products,

693
00:28:41,623 --> 00:28:44,040
and they pay pretty well too.

694
00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:46,194
So if I was talking to a student,

695
00:28:46,194 --> 00:28:47,494
and they were telling me how they wanted

696
00:28:47,494 --> 00:28:50,420
to become a fantasy and
science fiction illustrator,

697
00:28:50,420 --> 00:28:53,244
and I tell them that
Wizards is a great company

698
00:28:53,244 --> 00:28:54,057
to shoot for.

699
00:28:54,057 --> 00:28:56,474
They're a fantastic company to work for.

700
00:28:56,474 --> 00:29:00,456
And all the sudden they
have no idea who Wizards is,

701
00:29:00,456 --> 00:29:03,809
I'm immediately gonna know
that they don't know that much

702
00:29:03,809 --> 00:29:07,446
about the industry, that they
haven't done their research.

703
00:29:07,446 --> 00:29:10,818
And once you know that,
you're not gonna be as eager

704
00:29:10,818 --> 00:29:12,342
to give them information.

705
00:29:12,342 --> 00:29:15,308
Because you know they're
not putting out the effort.

706
00:29:15,308 --> 00:29:17,807
So you need to do that research yourself

707
00:29:17,807 --> 00:29:19,636
to be able to show people
that you understand this,

708
00:29:19,636 --> 00:29:22,561
you know what you're going after.

709
00:29:22,561 --> 00:29:23,780
Now you're probably wondering,

710
00:29:23,780 --> 00:29:25,223
how do you research these things?

711
00:29:25,223 --> 00:29:27,072
How do you get all this information

712
00:29:27,072 --> 00:29:29,185
so that you can know where you're headed?

713
00:29:29,185 --> 00:29:30,790
That you can ask intelligent questions,

714
00:29:30,790 --> 00:29:32,943
that you can speak intelligently

715
00:29:32,943 --> 00:29:34,975
about the field you wanna work in.

716
00:29:34,975 --> 00:29:37,047
And I will say that one of the best ways

717
00:29:37,047 --> 00:29:40,542
to get this information
is either on forums,

718
00:29:40,542 --> 00:29:42,188
or on blogs.

719
00:29:42,188 --> 00:29:44,951
Industry professionals
are all over those places.

720
00:29:44,951 --> 00:29:46,982
The internet has been a wonderful resource

721
00:29:46,982 --> 00:29:49,786
for the creative industries.

722
00:29:49,786 --> 00:29:51,127
So quickly search online

723
00:29:51,127 --> 00:29:53,199
and find out what the big forums are,

724
00:29:53,199 --> 00:29:56,288
the big communities
that you wanna get into,

725
00:29:56,288 --> 00:29:58,096
the ones that you wanna start reading.

726
00:29:58,096 --> 00:30:01,143
And I will say a few
because I'm an illustrator.

727
00:30:01,143 --> 00:30:03,785
And I'm a fantasy, sci-fi kind of guy.

728
00:30:03,785 --> 00:30:06,121
That for instance, one of
the good forums you can go to

729
00:30:06,121 --> 00:30:07,706
is conceptart.org.

730
00:30:07,706 --> 00:30:09,534
And that's a fantastic community

731
00:30:09,534 --> 00:30:11,139
with a lot of professionals in it,

732
00:30:11,139 --> 00:30:13,557
and a ton of great information.

733
00:30:13,557 --> 00:30:15,731
And now there are forums
like that for every field

734
00:30:15,731 --> 00:30:19,286
and every specialty that
you would want to go into.

735
00:30:19,286 --> 00:30:21,643
Now I'll be sharing
some inside information

736
00:30:21,643 --> 00:30:23,614
from my own personal experience.

737
00:30:23,614 --> 00:30:25,300
Hopefully some information that won't

738
00:30:25,300 --> 00:30:27,616
get me into any trouble, 'cause naturally

739
00:30:27,616 --> 00:30:30,258
sometimes you aren't really
supposed to talk about.

740
00:30:30,258 --> 00:30:33,529
But I'll try to do my best.

741
00:30:33,529 --> 00:30:35,174
Now there's one last
point that I wanna make

742
00:30:35,174 --> 00:30:37,938
before we start to get into
the really nitty-gritty stuff

743
00:30:37,938 --> 00:30:41,615
of portfolio building and
marketing and all the rest.

744
00:30:41,615 --> 00:30:46,369
And that is: what do you do
if you can't seem to get work?

745
00:30:46,369 --> 00:30:48,238
You do all the things
I'm about to tell you

746
00:30:48,238 --> 00:30:49,864
with portfolio building and marketing,

747
00:30:49,864 --> 00:30:52,931
and you just can't seem to get work.

748
00:30:52,931 --> 00:30:55,004
And there's a very simple answer to this.

749
00:30:55,004 --> 00:30:57,970
And it's one that most
people just don't wanna hear.

750
00:30:57,970 --> 00:31:01,485
Because it's really tough,
but you need to hear it.

751
00:31:01,485 --> 00:31:03,987
If you're struggling, you
can't seem to get work,

752
00:31:03,987 --> 00:31:06,426
you're doing everything you know how to,

753
00:31:06,426 --> 00:31:08,741
but you just can't do it.

754
00:31:08,741 --> 00:31:10,102
And the simple fact is,

755
00:31:10,102 --> 00:31:12,154
is that if you can't get work,

756
00:31:12,154 --> 00:31:14,653
then your work needs to improve.

757
00:31:14,653 --> 00:31:16,157
Now I will say there is the case

758
00:31:16,157 --> 00:31:18,066
that perhaps your work is fine,

759
00:31:18,066 --> 00:31:20,504
but it's your marketing
skills that are lacking.

760
00:31:20,504 --> 00:31:23,450
And we'll work on that
later in this video.

761
00:31:23,450 --> 00:31:25,563
But if your marketing seems fine,

762
00:31:25,563 --> 00:31:28,123
then it really just does
come down to your work.

763
00:31:28,123 --> 00:31:30,399
And you need to improve your work.

764
00:31:30,399 --> 00:31:32,430
And the first thing you need to do is,

765
00:31:32,430 --> 00:31:34,787
like any good ten step program,

766
00:31:34,787 --> 00:31:36,230
is first that you need to admit that

767
00:31:36,230 --> 00:31:39,602
your work needs improvement.

768
00:31:39,602 --> 00:31:42,406
And this is extremely
hard for anyone to hear.

769
00:31:42,406 --> 00:31:44,804
We take a lot of pride in our work.

770
00:31:44,804 --> 00:31:47,099
And hearing that it's just not good enough

771
00:31:47,099 --> 00:31:49,009
is extremely difficult.

772
00:31:49,009 --> 00:31:51,041
But you need to humble yourself,

773
00:31:51,041 --> 00:31:53,073
buckle down, and return to the basics.

774
00:31:53,073 --> 00:31:55,754
Get those fundamental skills nailed down.

775
00:31:55,754 --> 00:31:56,730
And if you're confused about,

776
00:31:56,730 --> 00:31:59,025
maybe there's a specific area of your work

777
00:31:59,025 --> 00:32:00,529
that actually just needs work.

778
00:32:00,529 --> 00:32:02,987
Just a little bit of
polishing, and you'll be there.

779
00:32:02,987 --> 00:32:04,897
And in that case, just
ask some professionals

780
00:32:04,897 --> 00:32:06,461
to take a look at your work.

781
00:32:06,461 --> 00:32:08,426
Get their advice. Get their input.

782
00:32:08,426 --> 00:32:11,636
Find out those things that
you really need to improve on.

783
00:32:11,636 --> 00:32:13,221
Because odds are, if you think

784
00:32:13,221 --> 00:32:14,785
you're at a professional level,

785
00:32:14,785 --> 00:32:17,041
and you're just not
quite getting that work,

786
00:32:17,041 --> 00:32:19,763
then you're probably less than a year away

787
00:32:19,763 --> 00:32:21,917
from getting full time work.

788
00:32:21,917 --> 00:32:26,041
If you just buckle down and
get that last little bit done.

789
00:32:26,041 --> 00:32:28,439
You put that last little
bit of polish on your work

790
00:32:28,439 --> 00:32:31,547
to suddenly become professional.

791
00:32:31,547 --> 00:32:35,843
So with that, now it's time to
get on to portfolio building.

792
00:32:37,157 --> 00:32:39,392
Portfolio building is without a doubt

793
00:32:39,392 --> 00:32:42,825
one of the most important things
I'm gonna talk about today.

794
00:32:42,825 --> 00:32:45,588
It is absolutely crucial no matter what

795
00:32:45,588 --> 00:32:47,742
sort of creative
professional you wanna be.

796
00:32:47,742 --> 00:32:51,033
Whether it's a designer, or an
illustrator or photographer,

797
00:32:51,033 --> 00:32:54,447
your portfolio is where everything is at.

798
00:32:54,447 --> 00:32:56,672
Your portfolio is what defines you.

799
00:32:56,672 --> 00:32:59,659
Your portfolio is what will
either launch your career,

800
00:32:59,659 --> 00:33:02,381
or leave you without one.

801
00:33:02,381 --> 00:33:04,210
So really pay attention to this section.

802
00:33:04,210 --> 00:33:05,795
It's extremely important.

803
00:33:05,795 --> 00:33:07,826
I can't emphasize enough how important

804
00:33:07,826 --> 00:33:09,533
your portfolio is.

805
00:33:09,533 --> 00:33:12,012
It's where it's all at.

806
00:33:12,012 --> 00:33:13,881
And that's because the work you get

807
00:33:13,881 --> 00:33:16,136
is gonna be because of your portfolio.

808
00:33:16,136 --> 00:33:17,782
It's not gonna be because of your degree.

809
00:33:17,782 --> 00:33:20,545
It's not gonna be because of
any connections you might have.

810
00:33:20,545 --> 00:33:23,166
It's gonna be on the work that you can do,

811
00:33:23,166 --> 00:33:25,096
on what you can produce.

812
00:33:25,096 --> 00:33:28,895
And your portfolio is gonna show that.

813
00:33:28,895 --> 00:33:30,378
In this section, I'm
gonna be talking about

814
00:33:30,378 --> 00:33:32,877
how your portfolio should be developing.

815
00:33:32,877 --> 00:33:34,421
And then I'm also gonna talk about

816
00:33:34,421 --> 00:33:36,250
what your web presence should look like.

817
00:33:36,250 --> 00:33:38,486
What the actual online portfolio

818
00:33:38,486 --> 00:33:39,541
is gonna look like,

819
00:33:39,541 --> 00:33:41,228
and how it's gonna function.

820
00:33:41,228 --> 00:33:44,438
So let's get started with this.

821
00:33:44,438 --> 00:33:46,063
So the first thing we're
gonna talk about today

822
00:33:46,063 --> 00:33:49,009
with regards to your portfolio
is whether you should

823
00:33:49,009 --> 00:33:51,467
niche yourself, or whether
you should try to be

824
00:33:51,467 --> 00:33:53,235
a jack of all trades.

825
00:33:53,235 --> 00:33:56,343
And there are good
arguments for either side.

826
00:33:56,343 --> 00:33:58,578
On the side of being a jack of all trades

827
00:33:58,578 --> 00:34:00,569
and diversifying
yourself, and having a lot

828
00:34:00,569 --> 00:34:02,215
of different skill sets,

829
00:34:02,215 --> 00:34:03,475
is the fact that you can get

830
00:34:03,475 --> 00:34:04,836
a lot of different kinds of work.

831
00:34:04,836 --> 00:34:07,619
For instance, a client
doesn't have to come to you

832
00:34:07,619 --> 00:34:10,240
just for a specific one task.

833
00:34:10,240 --> 00:34:12,394
They can hire you to do a
lot of different things.

834
00:34:12,394 --> 00:34:14,222
And that can be a great thing.

835
00:34:14,222 --> 00:34:16,396
Since getting so many
different kinds of work,

836
00:34:16,396 --> 00:34:18,144
theoretically you're
gonna have an easier time

837
00:34:18,144 --> 00:34:20,947
maintaining a steady work flow.

838
00:34:20,947 --> 00:34:23,101
But on the downside, you're
gonna have a hard time

839
00:34:23,101 --> 00:34:25,844
becoming known for any
one particular thing.

840
00:34:25,844 --> 00:34:29,277
You're gonna be so good at
so many different things

841
00:34:29,277 --> 00:34:31,390
that you're not gonna have
that one specific thing

842
00:34:31,390 --> 00:34:33,483
that people will know you for,

843
00:34:33,483 --> 00:34:35,637
that people will associate your name with.

844
00:34:35,637 --> 00:34:37,282
And the thing is about
a lot of art directors

845
00:34:37,282 --> 00:34:39,334
and a lot of clients,
is they like being able

846
00:34:39,334 --> 00:34:42,504
to categorize their artists.

847
00:34:42,504 --> 00:34:44,872
They like to be able to think
about one particular artist

848
00:34:44,872 --> 00:34:47,087
and that's what they do.

849
00:34:47,087 --> 00:34:48,793
Having two entirely different things

850
00:34:48,793 --> 00:34:50,480
that that one person does

851
00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:52,247
kinda confuses a lot of art directors.

852
00:34:52,247 --> 00:34:53,507
They're not sure.

853
00:34:53,507 --> 00:34:57,509
They have a harder time
nailing that person down.

854
00:34:57,509 --> 00:35:01,898
So it's easy to be a lot more
memorable if you have a niche.

855
00:35:01,898 --> 00:35:06,124
And so I personally advocate
finding a niche for yourself.

856
00:35:06,124 --> 00:35:08,745
The advantage to finding a
niche, is that you're gonna

857
00:35:08,745 --> 00:35:11,894
easily become known for
a very specific thing.

858
00:35:11,894 --> 00:35:14,027
Clients are gonna come to you for that.

859
00:35:14,027 --> 00:35:16,587
So it's easier to become that one guy

860
00:35:16,587 --> 00:35:19,533
that you go to, for
instance, for that one thing.

861
00:35:19,533 --> 00:35:22,012
And this could be
entirely different things

862
00:35:22,012 --> 00:35:23,779
depending on your industry.

863
00:35:23,779 --> 00:35:25,689
For instance, if you're
a graphic designer,

864
00:35:25,689 --> 00:35:28,208
and for instance, you love doing logos.

865
00:35:28,208 --> 00:35:30,220
So you're gonna be the logo guy.

866
00:35:30,220 --> 00:35:32,475
But you don't have to just
be the general logo guy.

867
00:35:32,475 --> 00:35:35,972
You can pick a specific
niche within that niche.

868
00:35:35,972 --> 00:35:37,609
And that can be even more advantageous.

869
00:35:37,609 --> 00:35:40,656
For instance, you can be the guy that does

870
00:35:40,656 --> 00:35:43,542
winery logos, for instance.

871
00:35:43,542 --> 00:35:45,228
And you could be that one guy

872
00:35:45,228 --> 00:35:47,077
who nationwide or internationally

873
00:35:47,077 --> 00:35:49,738
is known for the best winery labels.

874
00:35:49,738 --> 00:35:51,831
Now I don't know whether
that's a good idea

875
00:35:51,831 --> 00:35:56,585
or not, to go that niche,
but it can really pay off.

876
00:35:56,585 --> 00:35:59,734
So let me talk about my own
personal experience with this.

877
00:35:59,734 --> 00:36:02,964
Personally I've had a great
time finding a niche for myself.

878
00:36:02,964 --> 00:36:05,910
As I've said, I'm an illustrator
and a concept artist.

879
00:36:05,910 --> 00:36:07,495
But I didn't didn't just decide to do

880
00:36:07,495 --> 00:36:09,242
illustration and concept art.

881
00:36:09,242 --> 00:36:11,132
And the first thing I narrowed it down to

882
00:36:11,132 --> 00:36:13,489
is I knew I wanted to do
fantasy/science fiction

883
00:36:13,489 --> 00:36:15,500
illustration and concept art.

884
00:36:15,500 --> 00:36:17,958
It's just what I love.
It's what I love to do.

885
00:36:17,958 --> 00:36:19,157
I love lookin' at it.

886
00:36:19,157 --> 00:36:21,920
And so that's what I knew I wanted to do.

887
00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:23,363
But I didn't stop right there.

888
00:36:23,363 --> 00:36:25,191
I went further than that.

889
00:36:25,191 --> 00:36:26,735
And I decided I really wanted to do

890
00:36:26,735 --> 00:36:29,498
just environment work.

891
00:36:29,498 --> 00:36:32,587
So by nailing down into this
little niche for myself,

892
00:36:32,587 --> 00:36:35,025
I was able to establish
myself very quickly

893
00:36:35,025 --> 00:36:37,097
as the environment guy.

894
00:36:37,097 --> 00:36:40,409
So when a client needed a
good environment piece done,

895
00:36:40,409 --> 00:36:42,319
they would be able to think of me

896
00:36:42,319 --> 00:36:43,883
right off the top of their head.

897
00:36:43,883 --> 00:36:45,122
Because that's what I focused on.

898
00:36:45,122 --> 00:36:46,423
That's what I loved to do.

899
00:36:46,423 --> 00:36:49,064
Now I'm sure there are
plenty artists out there

900
00:36:49,064 --> 00:36:51,197
who generalize and do a
lot of different things,

901
00:36:51,197 --> 00:36:53,818
and could probably crank
out a great environment.

902
00:36:53,818 --> 00:36:56,947
But the fact that I'm known
for doing environments

903
00:36:56,947 --> 00:37:00,076
and that's my specialty
is the reason clients

904
00:37:00,076 --> 00:37:01,234
just keep coming back to me.

905
00:37:01,234 --> 00:37:02,920
And they keep finding me

906
00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:05,907
because of that niche that
I've established for myself.

907
00:37:05,907 --> 00:37:10,011
I've established myself
as that environment guy.

908
00:37:10,011 --> 00:37:12,875
And now that I've established
myself in that role,

909
00:37:12,875 --> 00:37:14,785
I can start to branch out from there.

910
00:37:14,785 --> 00:37:17,406
Which is sometimes a difficulty for people

911
00:37:17,406 --> 00:37:19,722
that develop a niche for themselves.

912
00:37:19,722 --> 00:37:21,002
They get so pigeonholed

913
00:37:21,002 --> 00:37:23,278
into this one little thing that they do,

914
00:37:23,278 --> 00:37:25,331
that they never get hired for more jobs.

915
00:37:25,331 --> 00:37:26,914
They never get hired for anything

916
00:37:26,914 --> 00:37:29,048
outside of that arena.

917
00:37:29,048 --> 00:37:31,445
It's often told that an art director

918
00:37:31,445 --> 00:37:33,030
will never hire you for anything

919
00:37:33,030 --> 00:37:35,296
that they can't directly see.

920
00:37:35,296 --> 00:37:37,063
And I remember hearing
this one story, I think,

921
00:37:37,063 --> 00:37:40,639
that this guy had I think
a watermelon painting

922
00:37:40,639 --> 00:37:42,651
in his portfolio.

923
00:37:42,651 --> 00:37:45,028
And people gave him watermelon paintings

924
00:37:45,028 --> 00:37:47,242
for a long time.

925
00:37:47,242 --> 00:37:48,583
And then somebody came along

926
00:37:48,583 --> 00:37:52,179
and asked him, can you
paint, you know, an apple?

927
00:37:52,179 --> 00:37:54,466
And he just laughed, because I mean

928
00:37:54,466 --> 00:37:56,376
come on, he can paint an apple.

929
00:37:56,376 --> 00:37:58,428
It's one thing just like the other.

930
00:37:58,428 --> 00:37:59,424
But the fact is

931
00:37:59,424 --> 00:38:01,110
is that what you show

932
00:38:01,110 --> 00:38:04,936
is what the work is that you're gonna get.

933
00:38:05,763 --> 00:38:07,916
So I would encourage you,
if you're just starting out,

934
00:38:07,916 --> 00:38:10,720
to find a niche, something
you really love to do,

935
00:38:10,720 --> 00:38:13,930
something that maybe not
too many people are doing.

936
00:38:13,930 --> 00:38:17,079
Something that you don't have
to compete with everyone on.

937
00:38:17,079 --> 00:38:20,188
Just saying, for instance,
that you wanna be a designer

938
00:38:20,188 --> 00:38:21,874
is extremely daunting.

939
00:38:21,874 --> 00:38:24,028
Because as soon as you
want to be a designer,

940
00:38:24,028 --> 00:38:26,975
you have to compete
with everyone out there.

941
00:38:26,975 --> 00:38:28,518
But if you narrow that down,

942
00:38:28,518 --> 00:38:30,631
say you want to be a web designer,

943
00:38:30,631 --> 00:38:32,480
that eliminates all the people

944
00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:34,228
that just wanna be print designers.

945
00:38:34,228 --> 00:38:35,852
Those are no longer your competition.

946
00:38:35,852 --> 00:38:37,437
You're focused on the web.

947
00:38:37,437 --> 00:38:39,306
And then you further niche yourself.

948
00:38:39,306 --> 00:38:41,094
You further categorize yourself

949
00:38:41,094 --> 00:38:44,182
into a smaller and smaller category.

950
00:38:44,182 --> 00:38:45,301
For instance, with web design,

951
00:38:45,301 --> 00:38:46,621
you could say you're a web designer

952
00:38:46,621 --> 00:38:48,896
that also does the programming.

953
00:38:48,896 --> 00:38:50,663
And that eliminates all the people

954
00:38:50,663 --> 00:38:52,472
that outsource their programming.

955
00:38:52,472 --> 00:38:54,016
You have your own little specific niche

956
00:38:54,016 --> 00:38:55,703
where you take care of the development

957
00:38:55,703 --> 00:38:57,510
as well as the design.

958
00:38:57,510 --> 00:38:59,130
And you just go on and on like this

959
00:38:59,130 --> 00:39:00,822
in whatever field you're in,

960
00:39:00,822 --> 00:39:02,549
until you've established this little niche

961
00:39:02,549 --> 00:39:06,066
for yourself where you can specialize.

962
00:39:06,066 --> 00:39:09,471
Now once you've got this niche
nailed down for yourself,

963
00:39:09,471 --> 00:39:11,606
the next thing you need
to focus on is finding out

964
00:39:11,606 --> 00:39:13,291
who you wanna work for.

965
00:39:13,291 --> 00:39:15,912
Who is your ideal client?

966
00:39:15,912 --> 00:39:17,679
Now it's gonna be a little bit different

967
00:39:17,679 --> 00:39:19,468
depending on what industry you're in.

968
00:39:19,468 --> 00:39:22,027
For instance, if you're
working for clients

969
00:39:22,027 --> 00:39:24,181
that are more individuals and less

970
00:39:24,181 --> 00:39:27,310
giant corporations that
commission artwork and whatnot,

971
00:39:27,310 --> 00:39:29,280
if you're doing design for
little, small businesses

972
00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:31,373
and whatnot, you're gonna need to focus on

973
00:39:31,373 --> 00:39:33,264
what those businesses look like.

974
00:39:33,264 --> 00:39:36,107
What's that person that's
gonna be hiring you?

975
00:39:36,107 --> 00:39:38,504
What are their goals?
What are their ambitions?

976
00:39:38,504 --> 00:39:40,739
What do they want from you?

977
00:39:40,739 --> 00:39:41,775
And then you're gonna find out

978
00:39:41,775 --> 00:39:44,702
how exactly to market to them.

979
00:39:44,702 --> 00:39:46,184
So do a little bit of research,

980
00:39:46,184 --> 00:39:48,541
and find out what the
demographic looks like

981
00:39:48,541 --> 00:39:51,023
that you're gonna be aiming at.

982
00:39:51,023 --> 00:39:53,599
Now if you're doing work more
in the illustration field,

983
00:39:53,599 --> 00:39:55,752
for instance, and there's large companies

984
00:39:55,752 --> 00:39:57,256
that you're gonna be working for,

985
00:39:57,256 --> 00:40:00,242
you need to find out
what those companies are.

986
00:40:00,242 --> 00:40:04,286
For instance, I'll go
back to my own experience.

987
00:40:04,286 --> 00:40:06,481
In the fantasy and science fiction field,

988
00:40:06,481 --> 00:40:09,486
Wizards of the Coast, again,
is one of the big name

989
00:40:09,486 --> 00:40:12,453
clients that pretty much
everybody wants to work for.

990
00:40:12,453 --> 00:40:15,155
Not everybody is, but
that's kinda their goal.

991
00:40:15,155 --> 00:40:17,837
And it's nice to have that goal client.

992
00:40:17,837 --> 00:40:19,178
Because if you're producing work

993
00:40:19,178 --> 00:40:21,453
that's of the caliber for Wizards,

994
00:40:21,453 --> 00:40:25,029
there's probably at least
two dozen other clients

995
00:40:25,029 --> 00:40:27,040
that also will give you work.

996
00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:30,854
So having that goal client,
that pretty high end client

997
00:40:30,854 --> 00:40:33,614
that kinda defines what
you're shooting for,

998
00:40:33,614 --> 00:40:36,601
is what you're really
looking to find here.

999
00:40:36,601 --> 00:40:39,648
Because once you've nailed
down this ideal client,

1000
00:40:39,648 --> 00:40:42,472
you know what you're aiming
for with your portfolio.

1001
00:40:42,472 --> 00:40:44,951
And you can start developing a portfolio

1002
00:40:44,951 --> 00:40:47,470
that matches what they're looking for.

1003
00:40:47,470 --> 00:40:50,064
You can even go so far
as to create samples

1004
00:40:50,064 --> 00:40:53,679
that would be very fitting
for some of their products.

1005
00:40:53,679 --> 00:40:56,340
That's something a lot
of companies wanna see.

1006
00:40:56,340 --> 00:40:58,412
For instance, say you wanna
do some illustration work

1007
00:40:58,412 --> 00:40:59,793
for Blizzard.

1008
00:40:59,793 --> 00:41:01,988
Blizzard has a very specific style.

1009
00:41:01,988 --> 00:41:05,949
They have an in-house
style that is so specific,

1010
00:41:05,949 --> 00:41:08,145
more so than a lot of other places.

1011
00:41:08,145 --> 00:41:09,322
You know, they like bold color.

1012
00:41:09,322 --> 00:41:10,927
They like dynamic poses.

1013
00:41:10,927 --> 00:41:13,873
They've got this really specific style.

1014
00:41:13,873 --> 00:41:16,251
And they wanna see that
you can mimic that.

1015
00:41:16,251 --> 00:41:17,977
So if you can produce a few samples

1016
00:41:17,977 --> 00:41:20,395
that show that you can do that,

1017
00:41:20,395 --> 00:41:21,715
you're gonna have a lot easier time

1018
00:41:21,715 --> 00:41:23,788
getting work from them.

1019
00:41:23,788 --> 00:41:26,612
John Schindehette of Wizards of the Coast,

1020
00:41:26,612 --> 00:41:28,217
one of the art directors there,

1021
00:41:28,217 --> 00:41:30,614
often says that one of
the things he looks for

1022
00:41:30,614 --> 00:41:33,093
when hiring potential new illustrators

1023
00:41:33,093 --> 00:41:36,283
is that he wants to know that
they understand his brand,

1024
00:41:36,283 --> 00:41:37,441
that they know the worlds

1025
00:41:37,441 --> 00:41:39,696
that they're gonna be illustrating for.

1026
00:41:39,696 --> 00:41:42,926
That they know what an elf
looks like, for instance.

1027
00:41:42,926 --> 00:41:44,999
And when they have that understanding,

1028
00:41:44,999 --> 00:41:47,620
he knows they're gonna be able
to appreciate his products

1029
00:41:47,620 --> 00:41:52,222
and be able to produce a
good illustration for them.

1030
00:41:52,222 --> 00:41:53,868
So to sum up this little section,

1031
00:41:53,868 --> 00:41:57,242
I wanna say that you're looking
to target your portfolio.

1032
00:41:57,242 --> 00:41:59,191
That's what you're looking to do.

1033
00:41:59,191 --> 00:42:02,970
You're not looking to
just target everyone.

1034
00:42:02,970 --> 00:42:05,266
If you target everyone, you'll likely not

1035
00:42:05,266 --> 00:42:07,054
get any work at all.

1036
00:42:07,054 --> 00:42:09,268
You need to focus in and find exactly

1037
00:42:09,268 --> 00:42:11,706
who it is you wanna work for,

1038
00:42:11,706 --> 00:42:15,729
exactly the little field
that you wanna get work from.

1039
00:42:15,729 --> 00:42:16,989
And once you find that niche,

1040
00:42:16,989 --> 00:42:19,142
and once you start
targeting all of your work

1041
00:42:19,142 --> 00:42:21,910
towards that, you're gonna
have a lot easier time

1042
00:42:21,910 --> 00:42:24,262
becoming a freelancer.

1043
00:42:24,262 --> 00:42:25,908
I can't even begin to
tell you how many times

1044
00:42:25,908 --> 00:42:29,037
I see people just try to
do everything at once.

1045
00:42:29,037 --> 00:42:30,764
They try to be a graphic designer.

1046
00:42:30,764 --> 00:42:32,552
They try to be a web designer.

1047
00:42:32,552 --> 00:42:34,360
They try to be an illustrator.

1048
00:42:34,360 --> 00:42:36,188
They try to be a photographer.

1049
00:42:36,188 --> 00:42:37,705
And they think by spreading their selves

1050
00:42:37,705 --> 00:42:40,987
out so far, and trying
to market to everything,

1051
00:42:40,987 --> 00:42:42,370
that they're gonna do well.

1052
00:42:42,370 --> 00:42:47,105
And admittedly some do have some success.

1053
00:42:47,105 --> 00:42:49,889
But by and large, the
really successful people

1054
00:42:49,889 --> 00:42:52,266
are focused on what they wanna do.

1055
00:42:52,266 --> 00:42:54,967
They show the work that they want to do.

1056
00:42:54,967 --> 00:42:57,242
They hone in that little niche

1057
00:42:57,242 --> 00:42:59,701
until they've got a specific industry

1058
00:42:59,701 --> 00:43:02,931
that they're targeted towards.

1059
00:43:02,931 --> 00:43:05,511
All right. Let's talk about
style for a little while.

1060
00:43:05,511 --> 00:43:08,193
This is a topic that comes
up a ton in art school.

1061
00:43:08,193 --> 00:43:10,469
I heard it talked about all the time,

1062
00:43:10,469 --> 00:43:13,273
and heard a lot of
different opinions on it.

1063
00:43:13,273 --> 00:43:16,279
And I can sum up my opinions
on style very quickly.

1064
00:43:16,279 --> 00:43:19,733
And that is, just focus
on doing the best work

1065
00:43:19,733 --> 00:43:24,467
you possibly can in the field
that you enjoy the most.

1066
00:43:24,467 --> 00:43:26,844
Because if you're focused
on doing the best work

1067
00:43:26,844 --> 00:43:29,506
you possibly can, you like the work,

1068
00:43:29,506 --> 00:43:32,391
and you're desperately trying to improve,

1069
00:43:32,391 --> 00:43:35,215
your style is gonna
just develop naturally.

1070
00:43:35,215 --> 00:43:36,942
You don't really have to worry about it.

1071
00:43:36,942 --> 00:43:39,177
Style comes naturally.

1072
00:43:39,177 --> 00:43:40,335
As you develop as an artist,

1073
00:43:40,335 --> 00:43:42,204
as you develop as a designer,

1074
00:43:42,204 --> 00:43:44,276
your style will emerge.

1075
00:43:44,276 --> 00:43:46,276
Just focus on doing the best work

1076
00:43:46,276 --> 00:43:47,907
you possibly can.

1077
00:43:47,907 --> 00:43:50,324
Style is not that important.

1078
00:43:50,324 --> 00:43:52,153
Style can come into play later,

1079
00:43:52,153 --> 00:43:54,185
once you get into really specific things,

1080
00:43:54,185 --> 00:43:56,521
and you're looking to mimic a style.

1081
00:43:56,521 --> 00:43:58,898
But as far as your own personal voice,

1082
00:43:58,898 --> 00:44:01,885
that's gonna happen pretty much naturally.

1083
00:44:01,885 --> 00:44:03,957
People actually get
into a lot more trouble

1084
00:44:03,957 --> 00:44:07,208
when they consciously
try to develop a style.

1085
00:44:07,208 --> 00:44:08,833
Because the thing that
happens when you try

1086
00:44:08,833 --> 00:44:12,368
to develop a style often
is that you'll try to mimic

1087
00:44:12,368 --> 00:44:13,770
a particular artist.

1088
00:44:13,770 --> 00:44:16,757
You'll find this artist
or designer that you love.

1089
00:44:16,757 --> 00:44:18,891
And that's the kind of work you wanna do.

1090
00:44:18,891 --> 00:44:22,019
So you start pushing your
style in that direction.

1091
00:44:22,019 --> 00:44:26,042
You try to consciously mimic
the work that they're doing.

1092
00:44:26,042 --> 00:44:27,911
And naturally this just
puts you into the case

1093
00:44:27,911 --> 00:44:29,893
of becoming a knockoff,

1094
00:44:29,893 --> 00:44:32,453
which has a lot of problems
associated with it.

1095
00:44:32,453 --> 00:44:35,602
Mainly, why on earth should they hire you,

1096
00:44:35,602 --> 00:44:40,005
who's just a knockoff style
of this much better artist,

1097
00:44:40,005 --> 00:44:42,361
when they could just hire them?

1098
00:44:42,361 --> 00:44:44,454
And yes, you could compete on price.

1099
00:44:44,454 --> 00:44:46,465
And you could try to be a cheaper person,

1100
00:44:46,465 --> 00:44:48,010
but that's not really a business practice

1101
00:44:48,010 --> 00:44:50,041
you're looking to get into.

1102
00:44:50,041 --> 00:44:52,155
So you're looking to
avoid being a knockoff.

1103
00:44:52,155 --> 00:44:53,536
And if you want to avoid that,

1104
00:44:53,536 --> 00:44:56,274
you need to look at actually more art

1105
00:44:56,274 --> 00:44:58,936
and more design rather than less.

1106
00:44:58,936 --> 00:45:00,947
Because the reason people
are getting in trouble

1107
00:45:00,947 --> 00:45:02,958
is that they're focusing on maybe one

1108
00:45:02,958 --> 00:45:04,990
or maybe two artists.

1109
00:45:04,990 --> 00:45:07,570
And they're focused on how they do things.

1110
00:45:07,570 --> 00:45:11,756
It's their favorite artist.
They wanna be just like them.

1111
00:45:11,756 --> 00:45:12,772
And that's really a problem.

1112
00:45:12,772 --> 00:45:15,311
Because you are just
gonna be just like them,

1113
00:45:15,311 --> 00:45:16,896
just not as good.

1114
00:45:16,896 --> 00:45:20,004
And so your key is to
actually look at more art,

1115
00:45:20,004 --> 00:45:22,910
to look at more different
designers and artists.

1116
00:45:22,910 --> 00:45:25,206
Because as you do this,
and as you spread out

1117
00:45:25,206 --> 00:45:27,298
and look at tons of different stuff,

1118
00:45:27,298 --> 00:45:30,102
you're not gonna be so focused
on one or two individuals.

1119
00:45:30,102 --> 00:45:32,215
You're gonna be focused on
a lot of different things.

1120
00:45:32,215 --> 00:45:34,775
And then you start to
pick up little elements.

1121
00:45:34,775 --> 00:45:36,624
And that's what you're
really looking to do.

1122
00:45:36,624 --> 00:45:40,646
You see one little thing that
someone does, and you like it.

1123
00:45:40,646 --> 00:45:42,414
So you try to mimic that little part

1124
00:45:42,414 --> 00:45:43,450
of what that person does.

1125
00:45:43,450 --> 00:45:45,035
And then you combine
it with, for instance,

1126
00:45:45,035 --> 00:45:46,985
what somebody else is doing.

1127
00:45:46,985 --> 00:45:48,509
And as you start to
compile all these things

1128
00:45:48,509 --> 00:45:51,679
that you really like, before
long you're gonna actually have

1129
00:45:51,679 --> 00:45:54,320
your own personal style.

1130
00:45:54,320 --> 00:45:57,286
Now one of my teachers told
me a great story about style

1131
00:45:57,286 --> 00:46:00,009
and how it influenced
his own personal career.

1132
00:46:00,009 --> 00:46:03,107
His name's Sterling Hundley.
He's a fantastic illustrator.

1133
00:46:03,107 --> 00:46:05,266
World renowned artist, all that.

1134
00:46:05,266 --> 00:46:07,011
Great guy, great teacher.

1135
00:46:07,011 --> 00:46:10,729
And he told me this story of
when he was first starting out.

1136
00:46:10,729 --> 00:46:12,192
Now I'm not gonna probably tell this story

1137
00:46:12,192 --> 00:46:13,513
quite as well as he does,

1138
00:46:13,513 --> 00:46:15,869
but I'll give you the general gist of it.

1139
00:46:15,869 --> 00:46:17,454
And it's basically that
he was going to see

1140
00:46:17,454 --> 00:46:19,161
an art director one day.

1141
00:46:19,161 --> 00:46:21,965
And he handed the art
director his portfolio.

1142
00:46:21,965 --> 00:46:24,728
And before he was able to sit down,

1143
00:46:24,728 --> 00:46:29,728
the portfolio had been open,
closed, and handed back to him.

1144
00:46:29,848 --> 00:46:32,712
And naturally, Sterling was
a little shocked by this.

1145
00:46:32,712 --> 00:46:35,577
But the first words out of his mouth were

1146
00:46:35,577 --> 00:46:38,746
that he was mimicking another artist.

1147
00:46:38,746 --> 00:46:40,473
And he admitted that.

1148
00:46:40,473 --> 00:46:42,160
He said his work looked
a little bit too much

1149
00:46:42,160 --> 00:46:45,024
like Gary Kelley's, which
admittedly, he looked back

1150
00:46:45,024 --> 00:46:46,670
at his work: it really did.

1151
00:46:46,670 --> 00:46:49,067
So once he admitted that,
the art director finally

1152
00:46:49,067 --> 00:46:51,709
opened up his portfolio
again, had him sit down,

1153
00:46:51,709 --> 00:46:53,883
and they talked about it for a while.

1154
00:46:53,883 --> 00:46:56,666
And so he started to push
his work away from that,

1155
00:46:56,666 --> 00:46:58,027
push his work away from having

1156
00:46:58,027 --> 00:47:01,236
too much of a direct
influence from one artist.

1157
00:47:01,236 --> 00:47:04,334
And now if you go look up
his art, you can clearly see

1158
00:47:04,334 --> 00:47:07,411
it is an amazing style
and a personal voice

1159
00:47:07,411 --> 00:47:09,492
like you wouldn't believe.

1160
00:47:09,492 --> 00:47:11,112
And nobody else in the industry can do

1161
00:47:11,112 --> 00:47:13,203
quite what he's doing.

1162
00:47:13,203 --> 00:47:15,754
But, people are certainly trying.

1163
00:47:15,754 --> 00:47:17,658
In a nice, ironic twist of things,

1164
00:47:17,658 --> 00:47:20,583
I have seen at least half a dozen artists

1165
00:47:20,583 --> 00:47:23,696
trying to be the next Sterling Hundley.

1166
00:47:23,696 --> 00:47:25,097
They try to mimic the style.

1167
00:47:25,097 --> 00:47:29,019
And it just comes off as a
cheap Sterling Hundley knockoff.

1168
00:47:30,719 --> 00:47:32,730
So the important lesson to
take away from all this talk

1169
00:47:32,730 --> 00:47:36,143
about style is to be yourself.

1170
00:47:36,143 --> 00:47:38,866
I know it sounds kinda corny
to be yourself and all that

1171
00:47:38,866 --> 00:47:41,121
in a self-help kinda way.

1172
00:47:41,121 --> 00:47:43,132
But it's very important in art

1173
00:47:43,132 --> 00:47:47,785
to really focus on being
yourself, on your personality.

1174
00:47:47,785 --> 00:47:51,543
Because your personality really
comes through in your work.

1175
00:47:51,543 --> 00:47:55,119
And so the one thing that you
can do better than anyone else

1176
00:47:55,119 --> 00:47:56,643
is be you.

1177
00:47:56,643 --> 00:47:58,695
And again I know how cheesy this sounds,

1178
00:47:58,695 --> 00:47:59,650
but bear with me.

1179
00:47:59,650 --> 00:48:02,190
It's so true.

1180
00:48:02,190 --> 00:48:04,465
Because the way that
you approach problems,

1181
00:48:04,465 --> 00:48:06,476
the way that you solve problems

1182
00:48:06,476 --> 00:48:09,544
is really what makes you
and your work unique.

1183
00:48:09,544 --> 00:48:13,303
Your thoughts, opinions,
approaches, experiences

1184
00:48:13,303 --> 00:48:14,989
and ways of seeing things

1185
00:48:14,989 --> 00:48:17,123
are completely unique to you.

1186
00:48:17,123 --> 00:48:19,256
And so you need to capitalize on that.

1187
00:48:19,256 --> 00:48:22,182
It is your most valuable asset.

1188
00:48:22,182 --> 00:48:23,766
So rather than spending all day

1189
00:48:23,766 --> 00:48:26,184
trying to steal somebody else's style,

1190
00:48:26,184 --> 00:48:27,383
focus on yourself.

1191
00:48:27,383 --> 00:48:30,776
Focus on cultivating yourself as a person.

1192
00:48:30,776 --> 00:48:33,071
Focus on getting out there
and experiencing art,

1193
00:48:33,071 --> 00:48:34,598
experiencing life,

1194
00:48:34,598 --> 00:48:37,523
and trying to let that
all influence your art.

1195
00:48:37,523 --> 00:48:38,498
Because when you do that,

1196
00:48:38,498 --> 00:48:40,510
when you develop yourself as a person,

1197
00:48:40,510 --> 00:48:41,891
and you're focused on doing

1198
00:48:41,891 --> 00:48:44,106
the best work you possibly can,

1199
00:48:44,106 --> 00:48:47,865
you will have a great style.

1200
00:48:47,865 --> 00:48:49,002
All right, let's get down

1201
00:48:49,002 --> 00:48:51,501
to some of the specifics
of what to include

1202
00:48:51,501 --> 00:48:52,923
and what not to include

1203
00:48:52,923 --> 00:48:55,179
in your actual portfolio.

1204
00:48:55,179 --> 00:48:56,520
The first thing I'm gonna talk about

1205
00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:59,973
is what not to include for
an illustration portfolio

1206
00:48:59,973 --> 00:49:02,107
or a concept art portfolio.

1207
00:49:02,107 --> 00:49:04,321
If you're a graphic designer
and you're listening to this,

1208
00:49:04,321 --> 00:49:06,333
go ahead and skip this little bit.

1209
00:49:06,333 --> 00:49:09,380
But if you are a concept
artist or an illustrator,

1210
00:49:09,380 --> 00:49:11,778
these are some things
you should never have

1211
00:49:11,778 --> 00:49:14,134
in a professional portfolio.

1212
00:49:14,134 --> 00:49:16,735
And first is figure drawings.

1213
00:49:16,735 --> 00:49:19,153
Second is still lives.

1214
00:49:19,153 --> 00:49:21,611
And lastly, really anything that looks

1215
00:49:21,611 --> 00:49:24,232
too much like a school assignment.

1216
00:49:24,232 --> 00:49:26,386
If it looks like a perspective assignment,

1217
00:49:26,386 --> 00:49:29,281
you probably don't want it in there.

1218
00:49:29,281 --> 00:49:31,252
And the reason for this is that

1219
00:49:31,252 --> 00:49:33,589
it's gonna scream to every art director

1220
00:49:33,589 --> 00:49:36,514
you show it to that you
are not a professional.

1221
00:49:36,514 --> 00:49:38,444
That you're just a student.

1222
00:49:38,444 --> 00:49:40,052
And that is not the image you want to be

1223
00:49:40,052 --> 00:49:42,368
portraying to people
who are gonna hire you.

1224
00:49:42,368 --> 00:49:44,400
You wanna look as professional as you can.

1225
00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:45,700
Even if you are a student,

1226
00:49:45,700 --> 00:49:48,666
you don't wanna look like a student.

1227
00:49:48,666 --> 00:49:51,246
And this is a mistake
that I see all the time.

1228
00:49:51,246 --> 00:49:52,506
And that's the reason I'm mentioning it

1229
00:49:52,506 --> 00:49:54,192
right off the bat here.

1230
00:49:54,192 --> 00:49:55,858
But let's get into some more general tips

1231
00:49:55,858 --> 00:49:57,118
of what you should be showing

1232
00:49:57,118 --> 00:49:59,251
in your portfolio.

1233
00:49:59,251 --> 00:50:01,344
The most important piece
of advice I can give you

1234
00:50:01,344 --> 00:50:05,379
on portfolios is to show the
kind of work you want to do.

1235
00:50:05,379 --> 00:50:08,325
Don't show necessarily
what your best work is.

1236
00:50:08,325 --> 00:50:10,783
If you're great at doing
portraits, for instance,

1237
00:50:10,783 --> 00:50:13,180
but you actually wanna do landscapes,

1238
00:50:13,180 --> 00:50:14,928
if all you do is show portraits,

1239
00:50:14,928 --> 00:50:17,955
then all the work that you're
gonna get is portraits.

1240
00:50:17,955 --> 00:50:20,454
If you wanna do landscapes,
show landscapes.

1241
00:50:20,454 --> 00:50:22,628
If you wanna show logos,

1242
00:50:22,628 --> 00:50:24,822
odds are you're gonna get logo design.

1243
00:50:24,822 --> 00:50:25,919
If you show web design,

1244
00:50:25,919 --> 00:50:28,418
you're not gonna get as much print design.

1245
00:50:28,418 --> 00:50:30,653
Really focus on what you want to do.

1246
00:50:30,653 --> 00:50:33,599
And show only that kind of work.

1247
00:50:33,599 --> 00:50:35,285
Now of the work that you're showing,

1248
00:50:35,285 --> 00:50:38,963
you only wanna include
your absolute best work.

1249
00:50:38,963 --> 00:50:40,161
This is the place

1250
00:50:40,161 --> 00:50:42,335
where you show your prime examples

1251
00:50:42,335 --> 00:50:44,570
of how well you can do this work.

1252
00:50:44,570 --> 00:50:45,992
This is not your sketchbook.

1253
00:50:45,992 --> 00:50:47,577
This is not your dumping ground

1254
00:50:47,577 --> 00:50:49,263
for everything you've ever done.

1255
00:50:49,263 --> 00:50:51,356
This is not the place
to show your progression

1256
00:50:51,356 --> 00:50:53,245
through your career.

1257
00:50:53,245 --> 00:50:54,485
This is the place to show

1258
00:50:54,485 --> 00:50:56,456
a really, really small selection

1259
00:50:56,456 --> 00:50:59,706
of your absolute best work.

1260
00:50:59,706 --> 00:51:01,575
It's often said about art directors

1261
00:51:01,575 --> 00:51:03,099
that they will always judge you

1262
00:51:03,099 --> 00:51:04,928
by your worst piece.

1263
00:51:04,928 --> 00:51:06,533
They're not gonna judge you
by your best piece in there.

1264
00:51:06,533 --> 00:51:08,991
They're not gonna judge
you by the average of it.

1265
00:51:08,991 --> 00:51:11,307
They're gonna judge
you by the worst piece.

1266
00:51:11,307 --> 00:51:13,400
Because in their minds, your worst piece

1267
00:51:13,400 --> 00:51:17,077
is what you're gonna make
up for them on a bad day.

1268
00:51:17,077 --> 00:51:19,801
And they need to know that on a bad day,

1269
00:51:19,801 --> 00:51:22,664
if that's the work
they're gettin' from you,

1270
00:51:22,664 --> 00:51:24,209
that they're gonna be okay with that.

1271
00:51:24,209 --> 00:51:26,382
And if your worst piece
is good enough for them,

1272
00:51:26,382 --> 00:51:28,089
they're probably gonna give you work.

1273
00:51:28,089 --> 00:51:30,791
If only your best pieces
are good enough for them,

1274
00:51:30,791 --> 00:51:33,087
they probably won't hire you.

1275
00:51:33,087 --> 00:51:35,444
So really try to weed out those bad pieces

1276
00:51:35,444 --> 00:51:37,455
because they're gonna
really bring you down,

1277
00:51:37,455 --> 00:51:40,868
even if you've got some
really stellar ones in there.

1278
00:51:40,868 --> 00:51:42,920
Now each field is gonna
be a little different

1279
00:51:42,920 --> 00:51:44,363
in what you're gonna put into it

1280
00:51:44,363 --> 00:51:46,740
and how many pieces
you're gonna put into it.

1281
00:51:46,740 --> 00:51:48,426
So let's talk about some of the specifics

1282
00:51:48,426 --> 00:51:50,925
for each of the different industries.

1283
00:51:50,925 --> 00:51:52,693
Let's start out with illustration.

1284
00:51:52,693 --> 00:51:55,415
Now for an illustration
portfolio, I would say

1285
00:51:55,415 --> 00:51:59,418
on average, it's good to
put in somewhere between

1286
00:51:59,418 --> 00:52:02,323
six to 12 pieces.

1287
00:52:02,323 --> 00:52:05,858
If you only have six solid
pieces, and for instance you have

1288
00:52:05,858 --> 00:52:09,759
one so-so piece, just go for six pieces.

1289
00:52:09,759 --> 00:52:13,457
Fewer is definitely better in portfolios.

1290
00:52:13,457 --> 00:52:15,082
In general for illustration,

1291
00:52:15,082 --> 00:52:17,561
you only wanna show finished work.

1292
00:52:17,561 --> 00:52:20,609
They're usually not too
interested in seeing the sketches.

1293
00:52:20,609 --> 00:52:22,925
I'll occasionally have them
off to the side or somethin'

1294
00:52:22,925 --> 00:52:25,058
so that they can sort of see the process.

1295
00:52:25,058 --> 00:52:26,521
So an art director will know

1296
00:52:26,521 --> 00:52:28,532
kinda what you're getting into.

1297
00:52:28,532 --> 00:52:32,108
But in general, only
show your finished work.

1298
00:52:32,108 --> 00:52:33,429
Now within the field of illustration,

1299
00:52:33,429 --> 00:52:35,237
there's plenty of sub-fields.

1300
00:52:35,237 --> 00:52:36,964
For instance, editorial.

1301
00:52:36,964 --> 00:52:38,691
If you're going into editorial,

1302
00:52:38,691 --> 00:52:40,986
show that you can solve problems.

1303
00:52:40,986 --> 00:52:43,485
Show that you're actually
thinking a little bit.

1304
00:52:43,485 --> 00:52:45,944
Editorial is often more than just

1305
00:52:45,944 --> 00:52:48,036
showing a scene or something.

1306
00:52:48,036 --> 00:52:51,694
It's often coming up with a
good solution to a problem,

1307
00:52:51,694 --> 00:52:54,457
coming with a good image for an article,

1308
00:52:54,457 --> 00:52:57,789
trying to express ideas visually.

1309
00:52:57,789 --> 00:52:58,723
If you want a great example

1310
00:52:58,723 --> 00:53:00,674
of an editorial illustrator,

1311
00:53:00,674 --> 00:53:01,913
I mentioned him earlier.

1312
00:53:01,913 --> 00:53:05,875
But Sterling Hundley, a
fantastic problem solver.

1313
00:53:05,875 --> 00:53:09,755
Go check out his portfolio and
see how he's solving problems

1314
00:53:09,755 --> 00:53:12,214
with each of his images.

1315
00:53:12,214 --> 00:53:14,184
A good general tip for editorial

1316
00:53:14,184 --> 00:53:16,603
is to have some celebrity portraits.

1317
00:53:16,603 --> 00:53:17,970
They can be a great way for you

1318
00:53:17,970 --> 00:53:19,444
to get your foot in the door.

1319
00:53:19,444 --> 00:53:22,199
A lot of magazines will
be interested in seeing

1320
00:53:22,199 --> 00:53:24,149
if you can actually portray a celebrity

1321
00:53:24,149 --> 00:53:27,583
because it's such a commonly
used thing in magazines.

1322
00:53:27,583 --> 00:53:28,985
So throw a few of those in there

1323
00:53:28,985 --> 00:53:30,874
and show that you can get a good likeness,

1324
00:53:30,874 --> 00:53:35,039
and it's stylish, and you're
not ripping off a photo.

1325
00:53:35,039 --> 00:53:37,579
All right, let's talk about
concept art for a little bit.

1326
00:53:37,579 --> 00:53:39,590
With concept art, you
actually do wanna show

1327
00:53:39,590 --> 00:53:40,890
some of the process.

1328
00:53:40,890 --> 00:53:43,918
Since concepting is so much about process,

1329
00:53:43,918 --> 00:53:46,112
you're really gonna wanna
show your entire progression

1330
00:53:46,112 --> 00:53:49,439
from really rough sketches,
thumbnails and stuff like that,

1331
00:53:49,439 --> 00:53:52,178
all the way up to full color renders.

1332
00:53:52,178 --> 00:53:54,088
Companies are gonna wanna see all of that,

1333
00:53:54,088 --> 00:53:57,339
because they're often gonna
hire you for all of that.

1334
00:53:57,339 --> 00:53:58,415
You're also gonna wanna show

1335
00:53:58,415 --> 00:54:00,711
a lot of iterations of the same thing.

1336
00:54:00,711 --> 00:54:01,686
You're not just gonna wanna show

1337
00:54:01,686 --> 00:54:03,942
one thumbnail of a
character, for instance.

1338
00:54:03,942 --> 00:54:06,725
You're gonna wanna show 20
thumbnails of that character.

1339
00:54:06,725 --> 00:54:08,554
Now you don't wanna get your portfolio

1340
00:54:08,554 --> 00:54:10,362
to be too overloaded with this stuff,

1341
00:54:10,362 --> 00:54:13,165
but try to show enough
that they get the idea

1342
00:54:13,165 --> 00:54:17,371
that you can produce a lot
of ideas somewhat quickly.

1343
00:54:17,371 --> 00:54:21,253
Now in general in concept art,
companies will look for you

1344
00:54:21,253 --> 00:54:24,523
to have two of the three
major fields covered

1345
00:54:24,523 --> 00:54:26,229
in your portfolio.

1346
00:54:26,229 --> 00:54:28,566
Sometimes you can get away with just one

1347
00:54:28,566 --> 00:54:31,044
if you're really, really good.

1348
00:54:31,044 --> 00:54:33,950
And sometimes you kinda want all three

1349
00:54:33,950 --> 00:54:36,754
if you're less so good,

1350
00:54:36,754 --> 00:54:39,354
if you're kinda more average.

1351
00:54:39,354 --> 00:54:40,898
And the three different fields are:

1352
00:54:40,898 --> 00:54:45,573
characters/creature design,
environments, be they interior,

1353
00:54:45,573 --> 00:54:48,763
exterior, natural, or architecture.

1354
00:54:48,763 --> 00:54:50,857
They all kinda fall into one category.

1355
00:54:50,857 --> 00:54:54,553
And then last, it's gonna
be vehicles, props, weapons,

1356
00:54:54,553 --> 00:54:55,915
sorta industrial design.

1357
00:54:55,915 --> 00:54:58,190
That sort of extra stuff.

1358
00:54:58,190 --> 00:54:59,856
So if you're shooting for concept art,

1359
00:54:59,856 --> 00:55:02,518
try to have two of those three.

1360
00:55:02,518 --> 00:55:06,134
And if you can have that, and
they're both really solid,

1361
00:55:06,134 --> 00:55:07,212
you're gonna have a great shot

1362
00:55:07,212 --> 00:55:09,263
at getting concept art work.

1363
00:55:09,263 --> 00:55:12,128
Another great thing, if you're
looking to do concepting,

1364
00:55:12,128 --> 00:55:14,647
and you wanna go in-house, is
to actually have a little bit

1365
00:55:14,647 --> 00:55:16,517
of 3-D work as well.

1366
00:55:16,517 --> 00:55:18,446
A lot of companies are
gonna love to see that

1367
00:55:18,446 --> 00:55:20,965
because if they run out of concept work

1368
00:55:20,965 --> 00:55:23,424
for one of their concept artists,

1369
00:55:23,424 --> 00:55:24,643
they're gonna love to actually

1370
00:55:24,643 --> 00:55:26,492
put you on some 3-D work.

1371
00:55:26,492 --> 00:55:29,154
This is less of an issue with freelancing,

1372
00:55:29,154 --> 00:55:30,779
but I thought I'd still
mention it for anyone

1373
00:55:30,779 --> 00:55:34,497
interested in doing in-house
gig with concept art.

1374
00:55:34,497 --> 00:55:36,833
Now those are the two
fields that I mainly know

1375
00:55:36,833 --> 00:55:39,039
and I have experience with.

1376
00:55:39,039 --> 00:55:40,827
But there are obviously
plenty of other fields

1377
00:55:40,827 --> 00:55:43,549
that I simply don't have
the experience with.

1378
00:55:43,549 --> 00:55:44,809
For instance photography.

1379
00:55:44,809 --> 00:55:47,349
I just don't have the experience with it.

1380
00:55:47,349 --> 00:55:48,750
But the thing for you to do,

1381
00:55:48,750 --> 00:55:51,432
and even if you're going into
illustration or concept art,

1382
00:55:51,432 --> 00:55:53,850
is to look what is out there.

1383
00:55:53,850 --> 00:55:56,654
Look at all the good portfolios
of the really high end

1384
00:55:56,654 --> 00:56:00,839
professionals that are
industry working right now.

1385
00:56:00,839 --> 00:56:02,505
I mentioned research earlier on,

1386
00:56:02,505 --> 00:56:04,334
and here it comes into play again.

1387
00:56:04,334 --> 00:56:07,056
You need to get online,
do a lot of research,

1388
00:56:07,056 --> 00:56:09,352
and check out a lot of different work.

1389
00:56:09,352 --> 00:56:11,302
You need to get a feel for

1390
00:56:11,302 --> 00:56:14,431
what the standard is in
whatever industry you're in.

1391
00:56:14,431 --> 00:56:15,853
Check out some of the big players.

1392
00:56:15,853 --> 00:56:18,109
See how they're puttin'
together their portfolios.

1393
00:56:18,109 --> 00:56:20,161
See how much work
they're putting in there.

1394
00:56:20,161 --> 00:56:22,050
And try to mimic that.

1395
00:56:22,050 --> 00:56:23,736
Don't mimic their work obviously.

1396
00:56:23,736 --> 00:56:25,222
But mimic how they're putting together

1397
00:56:25,222 --> 00:56:26,908
their portfolio.

1398
00:56:26,908 --> 00:56:29,021
Now selecting pieces for your portfolio

1399
00:56:29,021 --> 00:56:30,626
is somethin' you're gonna
have to be dealing with

1400
00:56:30,626 --> 00:56:32,658
your entire freelancing career.

1401
00:56:32,658 --> 00:56:35,461
And it's often a very personal decision.

1402
00:56:35,461 --> 00:56:37,981
I found if you ask 10 different artists

1403
00:56:37,981 --> 00:56:39,626
what you should put in your portfolio,

1404
00:56:39,626 --> 00:56:41,516
and show 'em a bunch of different pieces,

1405
00:56:41,516 --> 00:56:44,299
they're all gonna come
back with different pieces.

1406
00:56:44,299 --> 00:56:46,148
So in the end you really need to find out

1407
00:56:46,148 --> 00:56:48,038
what you wanna put in there.

1408
00:56:48,038 --> 00:56:50,638
And again you wanna show
the work you want to do.

1409
00:56:50,638 --> 00:56:52,792
And only you really feel that.

1410
00:56:52,792 --> 00:56:55,677
So show that work, the
work that you think is best

1411
00:56:55,677 --> 00:56:57,688
and most solid.

1412
00:56:57,688 --> 00:57:00,167
Now I will say, if
everyone is telling you,

1413
00:57:00,167 --> 00:57:01,833
man that one piece is awful.

1414
00:57:01,833 --> 00:57:03,580
Take it out.

1415
00:57:03,580 --> 00:57:06,729
For instance I was at a
convention one time, at a table.

1416
00:57:06,729 --> 00:57:09,005
And I believe I had
eight pieces on my table.

1417
00:57:09,005 --> 00:57:10,610
I was giving away prints.

1418
00:57:10,610 --> 00:57:12,520
I'll talk about that later.

1419
00:57:12,520 --> 00:57:15,831
But a great artist, fantastic illustrator,

1420
00:57:15,831 --> 00:57:18,391
top of the industry,
came over to my table,

1421
00:57:18,391 --> 00:57:19,369
and he said,

1422
00:57:19,369 --> 00:57:23,026
"Wow your work looks great,
except for that one piece.

1423
00:57:23,026 --> 00:57:25,139
You should really take
that off your table."

1424
00:57:25,139 --> 00:57:28,177
And naturally, since this
was an amazing illustrator,

1425
00:57:28,177 --> 00:57:30,229
I immediately took it off my table

1426
00:57:30,229 --> 00:57:31,834
and was probably better for it.

1427
00:57:31,834 --> 00:57:34,638
'Cause honestly, it was
definitely the worst piece.

1428
00:57:34,638 --> 00:57:36,609
And so removing that worst piece

1429
00:57:36,609 --> 00:57:38,498
helped my table out a lot.

1430
00:57:38,498 --> 00:57:42,176
It gave me a better image
to show off to the world.

1431
00:57:42,176 --> 00:57:44,776
All right, let's talk about
branding for a little while.

1432
00:57:44,776 --> 00:57:46,381
Now the first thing you need to realize

1433
00:57:46,381 --> 00:57:49,531
is that you are the brand.

1434
00:57:49,531 --> 00:57:52,192
You as an individual are the brand.

1435
00:57:52,192 --> 00:57:54,447
Not a big company, not an organization,

1436
00:57:54,447 --> 00:57:57,657
not an affiliation, you
yourself as a person

1437
00:57:57,657 --> 00:57:59,567
are your brand.

1438
00:57:59,567 --> 00:58:01,782
And probably the first
thing you need to settle on

1439
00:58:01,782 --> 00:58:05,511
is what to call yourself,
which is a bit of an odd thing

1440
00:58:05,511 --> 00:58:06,629
to think about.

1441
00:58:06,629 --> 00:58:08,335
But I actually spent a lot of time

1442
00:58:08,335 --> 00:58:09,696
before I started freelancing

1443
00:58:09,696 --> 00:58:12,561
trying to come up with
what to call myself.

1444
00:58:12,561 --> 00:58:14,999
Now obviously my name is Noah Bradley.

1445
00:58:14,999 --> 00:58:16,340
But I had to decide

1446
00:58:16,340 --> 00:58:18,758
how I'm gonna say Noah Bradley.

1447
00:58:18,758 --> 00:58:23,492
For instance, I could have
gone with N H Bradley.

1448
00:58:23,492 --> 00:58:25,239
And I considered for quite a while,

1449
00:58:25,239 --> 00:58:30,239
you know, do I get nhbradley.com
and nhbradley@gmail.com?

1450
00:58:30,603 --> 00:58:35,357
Or do I go for Noah Bradley?
Or do I go for Noah H Bradley?

1451
00:58:35,357 --> 00:58:36,820
I had a lot of options.

1452
00:58:36,820 --> 00:58:38,750
And I actually spent a fair bit of time

1453
00:58:38,750 --> 00:58:41,960
trying to come up with what
was the easiest, best way

1454
00:58:41,960 --> 00:58:44,134
to get my name across.

1455
00:58:44,134 --> 00:58:47,444
Now in the end I decided
on just Noah Bradley.

1456
00:58:47,444 --> 00:58:50,139
And there are a lot of
reasons behind this.

1457
00:58:50,139 --> 00:58:53,308
For one thing, it's fairly easy to say.

1458
00:58:53,308 --> 00:58:55,706
Most people don't mess up my name.

1459
00:58:55,706 --> 00:58:57,940
Although, funny fact, a lot of people

1460
00:58:57,940 --> 00:59:01,943
actually will mistake "Noah" for "Miller."

1461
00:59:01,943 --> 00:59:03,589
My dad actually shares my name,

1462
00:59:03,589 --> 00:59:06,169
and he has gotten called Miller Bradley

1463
00:59:06,169 --> 00:59:08,404
his whole life.

1464
00:59:08,404 --> 00:59:10,070
We never really understood why.

1465
00:59:10,070 --> 00:59:12,162
But in general, it's a
pretty easy name to say.

1466
00:59:12,162 --> 00:59:14,986
It's a pretty easy name to spell as well.

1467
00:59:14,986 --> 00:59:17,790
Nobody really messes up
the spelling of my name.

1468
00:59:17,790 --> 00:59:20,675
And both of those things
are extremely handy.

1469
00:59:20,675 --> 00:59:23,885
When you introduce yourself,
and somebody gets your name,

1470
00:59:23,885 --> 00:59:27,197
if they can just go online
and Google your name

1471
00:59:27,197 --> 00:59:29,737
and be able to spell
it well the first time,

1472
00:59:29,737 --> 00:59:32,256
that is gonna help you so much.

1473
00:59:32,256 --> 00:59:34,511
Now I'm not saying you should
go out and change your name

1474
00:59:34,511 --> 00:59:36,665
now to something more easily recognizable.

1475
00:59:36,665 --> 00:59:39,814
But if you do have an
insanely difficult name

1476
00:59:39,814 --> 00:59:43,004
that's really hard to spell
or really hard to pronounce,

1477
00:59:43,004 --> 00:59:45,238
you might consider it.

1478
00:59:45,238 --> 00:59:47,189
Not saying that's a good idea.

1479
00:59:47,189 --> 00:59:50,379
But I'm not necessarily
saying that's a bad idea.

1480
00:59:50,379 --> 00:59:52,167
Of course, as you get more established,

1481
00:59:52,167 --> 00:59:54,198
having a more unique name can be

1482
00:59:54,198 --> 00:59:57,388
kind of cool and special.

1483
00:59:57,388 --> 00:59:59,420
But when you're starting out at least,

1484
00:59:59,420 --> 01:00:00,822
it can be a lot more difficult

1485
01:00:00,822 --> 01:00:03,483
to get your name across.

1486
01:00:03,483 --> 01:00:05,637
So just try to give it some thought.

1487
01:00:05,637 --> 01:00:07,831
But I guess the point
I'm trying to get at here

1488
01:00:07,831 --> 01:00:10,086
is that I would recommend every artist,

1489
01:00:10,086 --> 01:00:13,784
every designer to start
using their real name

1490
01:00:13,784 --> 01:00:15,186
on all these sites.

1491
01:00:15,186 --> 01:00:16,669
Now whether you're
spelling it with initials

1492
01:00:16,669 --> 01:00:18,761
or whether you're using your full name,

1493
01:00:18,761 --> 01:00:20,814
or whether you're
shortening one of your names

1494
01:00:20,814 --> 01:00:22,500
to like a nickname of it,

1495
01:00:22,500 --> 01:00:24,227
you wanna be using your real name

1496
01:00:24,227 --> 01:00:27,112
for all your accounts on every site.

1497
01:00:27,112 --> 01:00:30,444
I recommend anyone to do this right now.

1498
01:00:30,444 --> 01:00:31,968
Now we're not in the 90s anymore,

1499
01:00:31,968 --> 01:00:33,694
and we're not teenagers anymore.

1500
01:00:33,694 --> 01:00:37,209
So you don't have any excuse
to use your cool user name

1501
01:00:37,209 --> 01:00:39,932
that has whatever your
favorite musician is

1502
01:00:39,932 --> 01:00:41,923
or your favorite video game is,

1503
01:00:41,923 --> 01:00:44,239
and like a number or something like that.

1504
01:00:44,239 --> 01:00:46,332
That is not the time for this.

1505
01:00:46,332 --> 01:00:50,984
Now is the time to have a
professional looking name.

1506
01:00:50,984 --> 01:00:53,260
And the absolute easiest way to do that

1507
01:00:53,260 --> 01:00:55,181
is to use your real name.

1508
01:00:55,181 --> 01:00:58,330
And there are several advantages
to using your real name.

1509
01:00:58,330 --> 01:01:01,378
First of course just being that
you look more professional.

1510
01:01:01,378 --> 01:01:02,516
You seem professional

1511
01:01:02,516 --> 01:01:04,507
if you're willing to
put out your real name

1512
01:01:04,507 --> 01:01:06,579
so everyone can see it.

1513
01:01:06,579 --> 01:01:09,606
And secondly it will
make you easier to find.

1514
01:01:09,606 --> 01:01:11,760
If people can Google your name

1515
01:01:11,760 --> 01:01:14,584
and find all your different sites,

1516
01:01:14,584 --> 01:01:16,433
that's a lot better.

1517
01:01:16,433 --> 01:01:18,769
And lastly, hopefully
you'll be able to get

1518
01:01:18,769 --> 01:01:20,821
your own domain name.

1519
01:01:20,821 --> 01:01:23,117
And I haven't really
talked about this yet,

1520
01:01:23,117 --> 01:01:25,720
but it's worth mentioning now.

1521
01:01:25,720 --> 01:01:29,275
If you can, go look up your name .com.

1522
01:01:29,275 --> 01:01:31,144
And see if it's available.

1523
01:01:31,144 --> 01:01:32,851
If it is, buy it right away.

1524
01:01:32,851 --> 01:01:36,020
Whatever name you've decided
on as your banding name,

1525
01:01:36,020 --> 01:01:38,479
try to get that .com.

1526
01:01:38,479 --> 01:01:41,405
It's gonna be your central portfolio.

1527
01:01:41,405 --> 01:01:43,477
It's where you're gonna
tell everyone to go.

1528
01:01:43,477 --> 01:01:46,382
And it's the absolute easiest way.

1529
01:01:46,382 --> 01:01:50,608
I really don't recommend
using .net or .org.

1530
01:01:50,608 --> 01:01:54,671
They're still not accepted
as being that professional.

1531
01:01:54,671 --> 01:01:56,947
If you can, get a .com.

1532
01:01:56,947 --> 01:01:59,788
What a lot of people will do,
for instance, if their name

1533
01:01:59,788 --> 01:02:04,788
is not available, will be
they will do johnsmithart.com,

1534
01:02:05,755 --> 01:02:09,318
or johnsmithillustration,
johnsmithdesign.com.

1535
01:02:09,318 --> 01:02:11,959
Try to come up with something
short, simple, sweet,

1536
01:02:11,959 --> 01:02:14,661
and professional sounding
for your domain name.

1537
01:02:14,661 --> 01:02:16,286
And buy it as soon as possible.

1538
01:02:16,286 --> 01:02:19,254
And use it for the rest of your life.

1539
01:02:19,254 --> 01:02:21,447
As I mentioned, my dad shares my name.

1540
01:02:21,447 --> 01:02:24,921
And he was actually the one
who purchased noahbradley.com.

1541
01:02:24,921 --> 01:02:27,745
And I sort of stole it from him.

1542
01:02:27,745 --> 01:02:30,224
And I will never give that thing up now,

1543
01:02:30,224 --> 01:02:32,195
because that is where
I tell everyone to go.

1544
01:02:32,195 --> 01:02:34,104
It's where I host my portfolio.

1545
01:02:34,104 --> 01:02:36,686
And I will always have a website there.

1546
01:02:36,686 --> 01:02:39,712
It's extremely easy to
tell people where it's at.

1547
01:02:39,712 --> 01:02:42,780
I just introduce myself as Noah Bradley.

1548
01:02:42,780 --> 01:02:45,922
And if they ask where to find
my work, noahbradley.com.

1549
01:02:45,922 --> 01:02:49,736
If they ask where to email
me, noahbradley@gmail.com.

1550
01:02:49,736 --> 01:02:52,247
It's very simple. There's
no special characters.

1551
01:02:52,247 --> 01:02:54,299
There's no capitalization needed.

1552
01:02:54,299 --> 01:02:55,905
There's no numbers needed.

1553
01:02:55,905 --> 01:02:57,631
There's no weird spelling needed.

1554
01:02:57,631 --> 01:03:00,841
It's very easy. It's very simple.

1555
01:03:00,841 --> 01:03:03,299
Now let's talk about
logos for a second here.

1556
01:03:03,299 --> 01:03:08,074
Logos are not entirely necessary
for an artist or designer,

1557
01:03:08,074 --> 01:03:09,841
but they don't hurt.

1558
01:03:09,841 --> 01:03:12,422
A lot of artists and designers
will enjoy making logos.

1559
01:03:12,422 --> 01:03:14,128
So they often have a really good time

1560
01:03:14,128 --> 01:03:15,835
making one for themselves.

1561
01:03:15,835 --> 01:03:18,781
Although it's commonly known
that it's most difficult

1562
01:03:18,781 --> 01:03:20,447
to do design for yourself.

1563
01:03:20,447 --> 01:03:22,905
Because you have infinite options,

1564
01:03:22,905 --> 01:03:24,774
and so you tend to overthink it.

1565
01:03:24,774 --> 01:03:26,664
But besides that point,

1566
01:03:26,664 --> 01:03:29,346
if you want to, go ahead
and make a nice logo.

1567
01:03:29,346 --> 01:03:30,869
If you don't really know how,

1568
01:03:30,869 --> 01:03:33,287
or you're not sure you could
make a really good one,

1569
01:03:33,287 --> 01:03:35,767
don't worry too much about it.

1570
01:03:35,767 --> 01:03:37,047
And the reason I say that is that

1571
01:03:37,047 --> 01:03:40,723
honestly most people don't
really recognize my logo,

1572
01:03:40,723 --> 01:03:42,958
even though I have one that I spent

1573
01:03:42,958 --> 01:03:44,583
a fair bit of time designing.

1574
01:03:44,583 --> 01:03:46,148
Most people will recognize my work

1575
01:03:46,148 --> 01:03:47,468
long before then.

1576
01:03:47,468 --> 01:03:49,744
And that goes for most artists.

1577
01:03:49,744 --> 01:03:52,061
Though I will say, if you
wanna be a logo designer,

1578
01:03:52,061 --> 01:03:54,437
and you don't have a logo for yourself,

1579
01:03:54,437 --> 01:03:55,961
it's gonna look a little bit odd.

1580
01:03:55,961 --> 01:03:57,749
So go ahead and make one for yourself.

1581
01:03:57,749 --> 01:03:59,435
It won't take you that long.

1582
01:03:59,435 --> 01:04:01,467
And as far as specifics go on logos,

1583
01:04:01,467 --> 01:04:03,256
one thing a lot of artists will do

1584
01:04:03,256 --> 01:04:06,566
is actually do a nice type
treatment of their name

1585
01:04:06,566 --> 01:04:08,862
that they decided in the branding stage.

1586
01:04:08,862 --> 01:04:11,605
And they can use that in a lot of ways,

1587
01:04:11,605 --> 01:04:14,429
but the nice thing about
using a type treatment

1588
01:04:14,429 --> 01:04:16,034
where you can actually read it,

1589
01:04:16,034 --> 01:04:18,513
is that you can actually
put that on your artwork

1590
01:04:18,513 --> 01:04:20,566
as your signature of sorts.

1591
01:04:20,566 --> 01:04:24,812
And that is a nice little way
to tie everything together.

1592
01:04:24,812 --> 01:04:27,798
All right, now on to
the portfolio website.

1593
01:04:27,798 --> 01:04:29,017
Your portfolio website

1594
01:04:29,017 --> 01:04:31,861
is the center of your
freelancing universe.

1595
01:04:31,861 --> 01:04:34,746
This is where everyone's
gonna see your work.

1596
01:04:34,746 --> 01:04:37,043
This is where you're gonna get hired from.

1597
01:04:37,043 --> 01:04:39,886
It's all about your portfolio website.

1598
01:04:39,886 --> 01:04:42,324
Naturally it's all about
the work that you put on it,

1599
01:04:42,324 --> 01:04:44,498
but it doesn't hurt if the website itself

1600
01:04:44,498 --> 01:04:46,379
is actually kinda nice.

1601
01:04:46,379 --> 01:04:48,730
Now I don't necessarily mean
that the web design itself

1602
01:04:48,730 --> 01:04:52,408
needs to be gorgeous and
creative and innovative.

1603
01:04:52,408 --> 01:04:54,987
If you're a web designer, maybe it does.

1604
01:04:54,987 --> 01:04:57,364
But in general for a portfolio,

1605
01:04:57,364 --> 01:05:00,574
the highest purpose you can go for

1606
01:05:00,574 --> 01:05:01,915
is that it is simple,

1607
01:05:01,915 --> 01:05:05,227
it is easy, and it is
extremely functional.

1608
01:05:05,227 --> 01:05:07,442
The more the design can get out of the way

1609
01:05:07,442 --> 01:05:09,859
of your work, the better.

1610
01:05:09,859 --> 01:05:12,785
Now this is one case where
researching will often

1611
01:05:12,785 --> 01:05:14,857
get you into a bit of trouble.

1612
01:05:14,857 --> 01:05:17,214
Because even a lot of the
great artists out there

1613
01:05:17,214 --> 01:05:20,038
that are producing fantastic work

1614
01:05:20,038 --> 01:05:23,228
have really hideous websites.

1615
01:05:23,228 --> 01:05:24,752
It drives me crazy.

1616
01:05:24,752 --> 01:05:28,429
I have a bit of a
background in web design.

1617
01:05:28,429 --> 01:05:30,176
And even though I may not be

1618
01:05:30,176 --> 01:05:31,924
the greatest designer in the world,

1619
01:05:31,924 --> 01:05:34,585
I'm at least not absolutely terrible.

1620
01:05:34,585 --> 01:05:36,657
And so I'm often browsing sites

1621
01:05:36,657 --> 01:05:40,457
of illustrators and concept artists.

1622
01:05:40,457 --> 01:05:41,838
And I find that their websites

1623
01:05:41,838 --> 01:05:43,911
are just atrocious.

1624
01:05:43,911 --> 01:05:46,227
And it's not so much that
the designs are ugly,

1625
01:05:46,227 --> 01:05:48,644
because they can sometimes do a decent job

1626
01:05:48,644 --> 01:05:50,371
of making them pretty enough.

1627
01:05:50,371 --> 01:05:53,053
But they are just not functional at all.

1628
01:05:53,053 --> 01:05:54,983
It makes it into a miserable experience

1629
01:05:54,983 --> 01:05:57,320
just trying to look at some of their work.

1630
01:05:57,320 --> 01:05:58,966
It's gotten so bad in fact,

1631
01:05:58,966 --> 01:06:00,835
that if I see an artist that I really like

1632
01:06:00,835 --> 01:06:02,521
and I wanna see more of their work,

1633
01:06:02,521 --> 01:06:04,309
I'll often go to their blog

1634
01:06:04,309 --> 01:06:06,869
long before I'll ever
go to their portfolio.

1635
01:06:06,869 --> 01:06:08,596
Because their portfolio
is probably gonna be

1636
01:06:08,596 --> 01:06:11,603
miserable to navigate,
have tiny little images,

1637
01:06:11,603 --> 01:06:14,041
and just be a lousy experience in general.

1638
01:06:14,041 --> 01:06:15,483
If I go to their blog,

1639
01:06:15,483 --> 01:06:18,104
they're often using a
really basic template.

1640
01:06:18,104 --> 01:06:20,168
And it's extremely easy to browse.

1641
01:06:20,168 --> 01:06:21,935
The images are large.

1642
01:06:21,935 --> 01:06:23,967
It's a great way to look
at all their images.

1643
01:06:23,967 --> 01:06:26,344
And it's really sad that people just

1644
01:06:26,344 --> 01:06:29,310
do such a horrible job
on their portfolios.

1645
01:06:29,310 --> 01:06:31,647
And I don't really know why it is.

1646
01:06:31,647 --> 01:06:34,572
But you, since you're
listening to this right now,

1647
01:06:34,572 --> 01:06:36,523
are not going to make that mistake.

1648
01:06:36,523 --> 01:06:38,717
You are not going to make an ugly website.

1649
01:06:38,717 --> 01:06:40,505
Please do not make an ugly,

1650
01:06:40,505 --> 01:06:43,166
completely non-functional website.

1651
01:06:43,166 --> 01:06:45,178
Do me a favor.

1652
01:06:45,178 --> 01:06:47,027
And do yourself a favor too.

1653
01:06:47,027 --> 01:06:49,180
Because, think of it as the art director.

1654
01:06:49,180 --> 01:06:52,370
Art directors are often busy, stressed,

1655
01:06:52,370 --> 01:06:54,117
have too much to do.

1656
01:06:54,117 --> 01:06:56,393
And are they gonna wanna
look through a website

1657
01:06:56,393 --> 01:06:58,953
that is making it extremely
difficult for them?

1658
01:06:58,953 --> 01:07:00,456
Or are they gonna wanna
look through a website

1659
01:07:00,456 --> 01:07:03,768
of art that makes it
extremely easy for them?

1660
01:07:03,768 --> 01:07:06,023
It's a completely seamless operation

1661
01:07:06,023 --> 01:07:07,852
trying to get to their art.

1662
01:07:07,852 --> 01:07:09,721
So try to make their lives easier

1663
01:07:09,721 --> 01:07:13,236
and have an extremely
simple, functional website.

1664
01:07:13,236 --> 01:07:15,714
Leave the creativity for your art.

1665
01:07:15,714 --> 01:07:19,087
Let the design be functional.

1666
01:07:19,087 --> 01:07:21,505
Now there are two things you need to have

1667
01:07:21,505 --> 01:07:22,825
on your site.

1668
01:07:22,825 --> 01:07:24,207
There are only two things.

1669
01:07:24,207 --> 01:07:25,040
That's it.

1670
01:07:25,040 --> 01:07:27,031
You don't need anything else.

1671
01:07:27,031 --> 01:07:28,778
One: you need your work.

1672
01:07:28,778 --> 01:07:31,379
Whatever that is, whether it's
illustration, concept art,

1673
01:07:31,379 --> 01:07:34,487
graphic design, you need
to show off your work.

1674
01:07:34,487 --> 01:07:37,839
And secondly you need to
have your contact info.

1675
01:07:37,839 --> 01:07:41,862
And both of these need to be
easy to find, easy to see,

1676
01:07:41,862 --> 01:07:45,702
and plainly shown on every single page.

1677
01:07:45,702 --> 01:07:49,583
Have your contact info
on every single page.

1678
01:07:49,583 --> 01:07:50,761
I'm gonna say that again.

1679
01:07:50,761 --> 01:07:52,793
Every single page.

1680
01:07:52,793 --> 01:07:56,267
If your email is not on every
single page of your website,

1681
01:07:56,267 --> 01:07:58,421
you're kinda messin' up here.

1682
01:07:58,421 --> 01:08:01,915
Art directors are often
extremely busy people.

1683
01:08:01,915 --> 01:08:03,520
And if you can save a couple minutes

1684
01:08:03,520 --> 01:08:05,531
looking for your contact info,

1685
01:08:05,531 --> 01:08:08,701
you're gonna make them a lot happier.

1686
01:08:08,701 --> 01:08:11,525
Now what sort of contact
info do you put on there?

1687
01:08:11,525 --> 01:08:13,882
It's really changed in recent years.

1688
01:08:13,882 --> 01:08:15,527
Most people can get by with

1689
01:08:15,527 --> 01:08:17,844
just having an email address on there.

1690
01:08:17,844 --> 01:08:20,546
If you want, you can also
include a phone number.

1691
01:08:20,546 --> 01:08:22,963
It somewhat depends on
what industry you're in.

1692
01:08:22,963 --> 01:08:26,031
I have my phone number on
my resume for instance,

1693
01:08:26,031 --> 01:08:29,871
but honestly, only
probably 10% of the clients

1694
01:08:29,871 --> 01:08:34,036
I've ever worked with have I
ever talked to on the phone.

1695
01:08:34,036 --> 01:08:36,352
And personally I try to avoid it if I can.

1696
01:08:36,352 --> 01:08:39,319
Some people though, will
have their phone number.

1697
01:08:39,319 --> 01:08:40,701
Now it used to be that you'd also include

1698
01:08:40,701 --> 01:08:42,569
your address on there.

1699
01:08:42,569 --> 01:08:44,134
This isn't really the case anymore with

1700
01:08:44,134 --> 01:08:47,222
I'd say 99% of people.

1701
01:08:47,222 --> 01:08:50,310
If you really want, you can
put your address on there.

1702
01:08:50,310 --> 01:08:53,012
But honestly I don't see why you would.

1703
01:08:53,012 --> 01:08:55,897
You're not really gonna have
people stopping by your house.

1704
01:08:55,897 --> 01:08:58,498
At least I hope not.

1705
01:08:58,498 --> 01:09:01,281
Now all the specifics of
web design are a little bit

1706
01:09:01,281 --> 01:09:03,516
outside the scope of this video.

1707
01:09:03,516 --> 01:09:05,505
Honestly it would take hours to get into

1708
01:09:05,505 --> 01:09:08,634
all the exact details of it.

1709
01:09:08,634 --> 01:09:10,930
But in general, if you've got your work,

1710
01:09:10,930 --> 01:09:12,900
you've got your contact
info, and you make it

1711
01:09:12,900 --> 01:09:16,395
absolutely easy as possible to browse,

1712
01:09:16,395 --> 01:09:18,163
you're gonna be off on the right track.

1713
01:09:18,163 --> 01:09:19,341
Now if you want some more details

1714
01:09:19,341 --> 01:09:21,251
I have written an old blog post

1715
01:09:21,251 --> 01:09:23,425
that I think is really good.

1716
01:09:23,425 --> 01:09:26,330
It's called "I Hate Your Portfolio."

1717
01:09:26,330 --> 01:09:28,402
And if you Google that,
you can probably find it.

1718
01:09:28,402 --> 01:09:31,328
Also, if you go into the
resource page, which again is:

1719
01:09:31,328 --> 01:09:34,285
TheArtofFreelancing.com/Resources

1720
01:09:34,285 --> 01:09:36,845
I've got a link to it there.

1721
01:09:36,845 --> 01:09:37,983
Go ahead and read that,

1722
01:09:37,983 --> 01:09:40,014
and you can get ten more tips

1723
01:09:40,014 --> 01:09:42,838
on ways that you can not drive me crazy

1724
01:09:42,838 --> 01:09:44,565
with your website design.

1725
01:09:44,565 --> 01:09:47,654
And with that, we have
wrapped up part one.

1726
01:09:47,654 --> 01:09:50,112
So going into part two,
we're gonna talk about

1727
01:09:50,112 --> 01:09:53,220
breaking in.

1728
01:09:53,220 --> 01:09:55,455
A lot of people can make it this far.

1729
01:09:55,455 --> 01:09:56,841
They can do the basic ground work

1730
01:09:56,841 --> 01:09:59,056
we covered in part one.

1731
01:09:59,056 --> 01:10:02,489
They can put together
some really solid work.

1732
01:10:02,489 --> 01:10:04,988
They can focus on a niche even.

1733
01:10:04,988 --> 01:10:07,934
They can start to develop a logo, a name.

1734
01:10:07,934 --> 01:10:09,478
And they can even put
together a really nice

1735
01:10:09,478 --> 01:10:11,429
portfolio online.

1736
01:10:11,429 --> 01:10:13,521
but then they just stop.

1737
01:10:13,521 --> 01:10:17,117
They expect that magically
work is gonna start coming in.

1738
01:10:17,117 --> 01:10:19,230
They sit around and wait
for that email to show up

1739
01:10:19,230 --> 01:10:22,176
in their inbox, and surprise, surprise,

1740
01:10:22,176 --> 01:10:25,061
it really never does.

1741
01:10:25,061 --> 01:10:26,788
Now I know far too many people

1742
01:10:26,788 --> 01:10:28,597
who are either in this situation

1743
01:10:28,597 --> 01:10:31,037
or have gone through it before.

1744
01:10:31,037 --> 01:10:32,988
Now this is a case where I really do blame

1745
01:10:32,988 --> 01:10:35,670
art schools for a lot of this.

1746
01:10:35,670 --> 01:10:38,412
Art schools vastly under-prepare

1747
01:10:38,412 --> 01:10:40,607
their students for breaking in

1748
01:10:40,607 --> 01:10:42,049
to the actual industries.

1749
01:10:42,049 --> 01:10:43,471
They might get them this far.

1750
01:10:43,471 --> 01:10:45,015
They might help them produce those

1751
01:10:45,015 --> 01:10:48,225
fundamental skills to
produce really solid work.

1752
01:10:48,225 --> 01:10:50,643
They might get them to
a professional level.

1753
01:10:50,643 --> 01:10:54,056
They might even teach them
how to make their own website.

1754
01:10:54,056 --> 01:10:56,129
They might get them that far.

1755
01:10:56,129 --> 01:10:59,054
But then they just leave
them hanging for the rest.

1756
01:10:59,054 --> 01:11:00,578
So many people seem to assume

1757
01:11:00,578 --> 01:11:02,732
that once they get to become professional,

1758
01:11:02,732 --> 01:11:03,931
the heavens will part

1759
01:11:03,931 --> 01:11:07,242
and their career will
be easy from then on.

1760
01:11:07,242 --> 01:11:09,233
But this really isn't how it works.

1761
01:11:09,233 --> 01:11:10,513
Getting your skills up to par

1762
01:11:10,513 --> 01:11:12,382
is only part of the equation.

1763
01:11:12,382 --> 01:11:14,922
And honestly, just a little
side note about art schools.

1764
01:11:14,922 --> 01:11:18,601
I really think that every art
program, every design program

1765
01:11:18,601 --> 01:11:20,755
should have at least a semester or two

1766
01:11:20,755 --> 01:11:23,051
just on marketing yourself.

1767
01:11:23,051 --> 01:11:24,067
And I think part of the reason

1768
01:11:24,067 --> 01:11:26,119
this is glossed over so often

1769
01:11:26,119 --> 01:11:27,805
is that the instructors

1770
01:11:27,805 --> 01:11:30,202
teaching all these art and design programs

1771
01:11:30,202 --> 01:11:33,778
are very removed from
the current industry.

1772
01:11:33,778 --> 01:11:35,404
They're pretty well established.

1773
01:11:35,404 --> 01:11:37,964
So they don't have to market
themselves as radically

1774
01:11:37,964 --> 01:11:39,650
as a newcomer would.

1775
01:11:39,650 --> 01:11:42,474
And the field is so different these days

1776
01:11:42,474 --> 01:11:44,079
that they probably honestly don't know

1777
01:11:44,079 --> 01:11:46,029
all the marketing techniques

1778
01:11:46,029 --> 01:11:48,285
that are being used today.

1779
01:11:48,285 --> 01:11:50,174
So in art school, most of the advice

1780
01:11:50,174 --> 01:11:51,393
you're probably gonna get

1781
01:11:51,393 --> 01:11:54,705
is that you need to get
your work out there.

1782
01:11:54,705 --> 01:11:56,208
And they tell you that.

1783
01:11:56,208 --> 01:11:58,118
And that's all they tell you.

1784
01:11:58,118 --> 01:11:59,886
And while that's true,

1785
01:11:59,886 --> 01:12:03,116
it doesn't tell you anything
about how you actually

1786
01:12:03,116 --> 01:12:04,498
go about doing this.

1787
01:12:04,498 --> 01:12:07,118
It doesn't tell you any of the specifics.

1788
01:12:07,118 --> 01:12:08,216
And the thing about marketing

1789
01:12:08,216 --> 01:12:10,085
that a lot of people don't realize

1790
01:12:10,085 --> 01:12:13,112
is that it's just like
painting or designing

1791
01:12:13,112 --> 01:12:15,469
in that they are technical skills

1792
01:12:15,469 --> 01:12:17,175
that you can learn.

1793
01:12:17,175 --> 01:12:19,817
And so you can actually
learn to market yourself.

1794
01:12:19,817 --> 01:12:22,864
You can actually practice
and develop these skills.

1795
01:12:22,864 --> 01:12:24,652
And that's what we're
gonna be talking about

1796
01:12:24,652 --> 01:12:27,110
for this next hour or so.

1797
01:12:27,110 --> 01:12:28,797
Now everything I'm gonna be talking about

1798
01:12:28,797 --> 01:12:31,092
in this section, I have personally tried

1799
01:12:31,092 --> 01:12:33,002
and experimented with.

1800
01:12:33,002 --> 01:12:34,770
I've done a lot of reading,

1801
01:12:34,770 --> 01:12:36,151
a lot of research,

1802
01:12:36,151 --> 01:12:38,183
and a lot of personal experimentation

1803
01:12:38,183 --> 01:12:40,662
to see what works, what doesn't work.

1804
01:12:40,662 --> 01:12:43,100
What are good ideas,
what are horrible ideas,

1805
01:12:43,100 --> 01:12:47,062
and hopefully I can
share some of that advice

1806
01:12:47,062 --> 01:12:50,028
and save you some of the
trouble that I went through.

1807
01:12:50,028 --> 01:12:51,714
Now most people have no idea

1808
01:12:51,714 --> 01:12:54,904
how much time I actually
spend marketing myself.

1809
01:12:54,904 --> 01:12:57,545
And I will say it is a very high number.

1810
01:12:57,545 --> 01:13:00,329
I spend hours and hours every week

1811
01:13:00,329 --> 01:13:03,295
on developing my marketing and branding.

1812
01:13:03,295 --> 01:13:05,453
And I found this has helped immensely

1813
01:13:05,453 --> 01:13:08,135
in my own personal career.

1814
01:13:08,135 --> 01:13:10,167
Now part of the reason
that I spent so much time

1815
01:13:10,167 --> 01:13:12,117
on this stuff, is that
I didn't really know

1816
01:13:12,117 --> 01:13:13,377
what I was doing.

1817
01:13:13,377 --> 01:13:15,632
There really weren't any
good resources out there

1818
01:13:15,632 --> 01:13:18,314
that told you exactly how to market,

1819
01:13:18,314 --> 01:13:21,199
where to market, what
to do, what not to do.

1820
01:13:21,199 --> 01:13:23,271
Nothing like this video here.

1821
01:13:23,271 --> 01:13:24,938
That's why I'm doing this.

1822
01:13:24,938 --> 01:13:27,314
And so I naturally spent
a little bit more time

1823
01:13:27,314 --> 01:13:29,915
than you probably really need to.

1824
01:13:29,915 --> 01:13:33,270
But you do need to realize
that it does take time.

1825
01:13:33,270 --> 01:13:34,803
And you do need to spend

1826
01:13:34,803 --> 01:13:37,627
a significant amount of time every week

1827
01:13:37,627 --> 01:13:39,313
on marketing yourself.

1828
01:13:39,313 --> 01:13:40,857
Now what exactly you're doing

1829
01:13:40,857 --> 01:13:42,706
is gonna depend week to week.

1830
01:13:42,706 --> 01:13:44,087
But you do need to devote

1831
01:13:44,087 --> 01:13:46,424
a certain amount of time every week

1832
01:13:46,424 --> 01:13:48,395
to doing some marketing for yourself

1833
01:13:48,395 --> 01:13:52,072
to developing your image,
to developing your brand.

1834
01:13:52,072 --> 01:13:56,013
And this is gonna seem really
repulsive to a lot of artists.

1835
01:13:56,013 --> 01:14:00,280
A lot of artists, again, have
that image of the artist.

1836
01:14:00,280 --> 01:14:02,860
Of the artist sitting around
creating beautiful works

1837
01:14:02,860 --> 01:14:05,359
in their studio alone
without the interference

1838
01:14:05,359 --> 01:14:06,945
of the outside world.

1839
01:14:06,945 --> 01:14:08,874
And when you start
talking about marketing,

1840
01:14:08,874 --> 01:14:13,283
you start to get really
really commercial sounding.

1841
01:14:13,283 --> 01:14:17,143
You really start to
sound fake and not real.

1842
01:14:17,143 --> 01:14:18,769
And you don't wanna get into that.

1843
01:14:18,769 --> 01:14:21,064
Because that's really not
what you're shooting for

1844
01:14:21,064 --> 01:14:22,852
in marketing anyway.

1845
01:14:22,852 --> 01:14:24,248
What you're shooting to market

1846
01:14:24,248 --> 01:14:26,442
is yourself as a person.

1847
01:14:26,442 --> 01:14:27,661
That's your brand.

1848
01:14:27,661 --> 01:14:29,693
You as a person.

1849
01:14:29,693 --> 01:14:31,379
So actually when you market,

1850
01:14:31,379 --> 01:14:34,610
you're not really looking
to cover up yourself.

1851
01:14:34,610 --> 01:14:37,779
You're actually looking to be
very truthful about yourself.

1852
01:14:37,779 --> 01:14:39,750
Because that's what
you're lookin' to market.

1853
01:14:39,750 --> 01:14:43,183
So you don't need to worry about
trying to tell lies online,

1854
01:14:43,183 --> 01:14:45,947
and try to act like something you're not.

1855
01:14:45,947 --> 01:14:48,425
Because you really don't wanna
do that in the first place.

1856
01:14:48,425 --> 01:14:50,477
You're really lookin' to convey an image

1857
01:14:50,477 --> 01:14:53,322
of who you are as a person.

1858
01:14:53,322 --> 01:14:56,410
And naturally your work
is tied directly into

1859
01:14:56,410 --> 01:14:59,518
who you are as a person.

1860
01:14:59,518 --> 01:15:01,631
Now you are welcome to spend your days

1861
01:15:01,631 --> 01:15:04,476
painting or designing
and not worrying at all

1862
01:15:04,476 --> 01:15:06,040
about marketing.

1863
01:15:06,040 --> 01:15:09,717
I don't recommend it unless
you wanna starve again.

1864
01:15:09,717 --> 01:15:11,871
It's not a good idea.

1865
01:15:11,871 --> 01:15:13,517
You're gonna need to spend a lot of time

1866
01:15:13,517 --> 01:15:15,264
on the business side of freelancing

1867
01:15:15,264 --> 01:15:17,479
if you honestly wanna make it.

1868
01:15:17,479 --> 01:15:20,364
Exactly how much time you wanna spend

1869
01:15:20,364 --> 01:15:22,253
really depends on the person.

1870
01:15:22,253 --> 01:15:25,585
But I would say a good
general rule of thumb

1871
01:15:25,585 --> 01:15:29,323
is that perhaps even as high as 25%

1872
01:15:29,323 --> 01:15:31,314
of your working hours each week

1873
01:15:31,314 --> 01:15:33,224
should be spent on marketing.

1874
01:15:33,224 --> 01:15:35,256
Which is really, really high,

1875
01:15:35,256 --> 01:15:38,507
but you're gonna see
how quickly it pays off.

1876
01:15:38,507 --> 01:15:39,543
Now let's talk a little bit about

1877
01:15:39,543 --> 01:15:41,473
the goal of marketing.

1878
01:15:41,473 --> 01:15:44,236
Why are you bothering to do all this?

1879
01:15:44,236 --> 01:15:46,755
And we can sum it up very quickly.

1880
01:15:46,755 --> 01:15:50,230
The goal of marketing
for an artist or designer

1881
01:15:50,230 --> 01:15:53,765
is to get your work seen
by the right people.

1882
01:15:53,765 --> 01:15:55,878
Now who those right people are

1883
01:15:55,878 --> 01:15:57,991
depends of course on
what you're shooting for

1884
01:15:57,991 --> 01:15:59,433
with your career.

1885
01:15:59,433 --> 01:16:01,503
But for the most part, we'll generalize

1886
01:16:01,503 --> 01:16:03,853
and say you're shooting for art directors.

1887
01:16:03,853 --> 01:16:05,153
There's also the case of marketing

1888
01:16:05,153 --> 01:16:06,718
to try to build a fan base,

1889
01:16:06,718 --> 01:16:08,628
which is perfectly legitimate.

1890
01:16:08,628 --> 01:16:10,964
And we'll try to cover
that more in the future.

1891
01:16:10,964 --> 01:16:14,642
But for now let's focus on
trying to get art directors.

1892
01:16:14,642 --> 01:16:17,648
And more specifically, art
directors in the industry

1893
01:16:17,648 --> 01:16:19,193
you want to go into.

1894
01:16:19,193 --> 01:16:21,143
Art directors you wanna work for.

1895
01:16:21,143 --> 01:16:25,308
Those are the right people
that need to see your work.

1896
01:16:25,308 --> 01:16:27,848
Now for an art director to give you work,

1897
01:16:27,848 --> 01:16:30,712
they need to know basically three things.

1898
01:16:30,712 --> 01:16:34,085
Number one: they need
to know that you exist.

1899
01:16:34,085 --> 01:16:36,889
If you're just an artist
sitting in your room

1900
01:16:36,889 --> 01:16:38,575
and you're doing amazing work,

1901
01:16:38,575 --> 01:16:40,891
but you never show it to anyone,

1902
01:16:40,891 --> 01:16:42,496
you're never gonna get hired

1903
01:16:42,496 --> 01:16:44,609
because nobody knows who you are.

1904
01:16:44,609 --> 01:16:46,052
So you need to get known.

1905
01:16:46,052 --> 01:16:47,211
You need to let these people

1906
01:16:47,211 --> 01:16:49,465
know that you exist.

1907
01:16:49,465 --> 01:16:52,106
And this is really what marketing is for.

1908
01:16:52,106 --> 01:16:53,508
Marketing lets people know

1909
01:16:53,508 --> 01:16:55,316
that you exist.

1910
01:16:55,316 --> 01:16:57,389
Now the second thing an
art director needs to know

1911
01:16:57,389 --> 01:17:00,355
before they give you work is
that you're producing work

1912
01:17:00,355 --> 01:17:03,179
that fits what they're looking for.

1913
01:17:03,179 --> 01:17:05,007
That you're producing
work that's appropriate

1914
01:17:05,007 --> 01:17:08,421
for their company that they're
commissioning work for.

1915
01:17:08,421 --> 01:17:09,843
And a lot of this we already covered

1916
01:17:09,843 --> 01:17:13,114
in the previous section,
in portfolio building.

1917
01:17:13,114 --> 01:17:15,572
So if you missed any of
that, go back to that.

1918
01:17:15,572 --> 01:17:19,311
And learn a little bit more
about building your portfolio.

1919
01:17:19,311 --> 01:17:21,587
Now the third thing
that people need to know

1920
01:17:21,587 --> 01:17:24,288
is that you're professional
and trustworthy,

1921
01:17:24,288 --> 01:17:27,905
and will deliver a good product on time.

1922
01:17:27,905 --> 01:17:29,611
Now this is really the hardest one

1923
01:17:29,611 --> 01:17:32,476
for a new person breaking
into the industry

1924
01:17:32,476 --> 01:17:34,244
to get across to their client.

1925
01:17:34,244 --> 01:17:36,539
Because you really have no basis

1926
01:17:36,539 --> 01:17:38,632
to justify yourself on.

1927
01:17:38,632 --> 01:17:40,562
You don't really have a track record

1928
01:17:40,562 --> 01:17:42,797
showing that you can work with a client

1929
01:17:42,797 --> 01:17:46,793
and produce good products on time.

1930
01:17:46,793 --> 01:17:49,412
This is gonna get easier as time goes on.

1931
01:17:49,412 --> 01:17:52,967
But in the beginning it is
gonna be a little tricky.

1932
01:17:52,967 --> 01:17:55,405
And that's why it's a little harder

1933
01:17:55,405 --> 01:17:58,717
trying to get work when you
haven't gotten work before.

1934
01:17:58,717 --> 01:18:01,277
So don't worry too much about this one.

1935
01:18:01,277 --> 01:18:04,771
but in general I'd say just focus on

1936
01:18:04,771 --> 01:18:07,738
trying get your branding and
how you come across online

1937
01:18:07,738 --> 01:18:11,456
and in emails to be as
professional as possible.

1938
01:18:11,456 --> 01:18:13,691
The more professional you act online,

1939
01:18:13,691 --> 01:18:16,637
the more likely you're
gonna be seen as trustworthy

1940
01:18:16,637 --> 01:18:20,517
and professional, and
someone they can rely on

1941
01:18:20,517 --> 01:18:24,194
to actually produce what you
say you're gonna produce.

1942
01:18:24,194 --> 01:18:26,267
Now an issue a lot of people raise

1943
01:18:26,267 --> 01:18:27,709
when you talk about marketing,

1944
01:18:27,709 --> 01:18:30,290
is that they don't wanna spend money.

1945
01:18:30,290 --> 01:18:32,585
They really have an
issue with spending money

1946
01:18:32,585 --> 01:18:35,186
on themselves to market themselves.

1947
01:18:35,186 --> 01:18:38,762
And honestly, get over it.

1948
01:18:38,762 --> 01:18:41,586
You need to spend money
to market yourself.

1949
01:18:41,586 --> 01:18:43,719
It's not like you're gonna
be spending a lot of money.

1950
01:18:43,719 --> 01:18:46,381
It's not like you're taking
out thousand dollar ads

1951
01:18:46,381 --> 01:18:48,981
in magazines and stuff
to promote yourself.

1952
01:18:48,981 --> 01:18:51,460
Though you could if you wanted to.

1953
01:18:51,460 --> 01:18:53,756
You're talking about a lot cheaper things.

1954
01:18:53,756 --> 01:18:56,133
Most of the stuff that I'm
gonna be talking about in here

1955
01:18:56,133 --> 01:18:58,124
is pretty affordable.

1956
01:18:58,124 --> 01:19:01,009
Now I have no problem
spending money on marketing.

1957
01:19:01,009 --> 01:19:02,898
But there are a lot of very affordable,

1958
01:19:02,898 --> 01:19:05,357
very effective options.

1959
01:19:05,357 --> 01:19:08,181
So try not to let money become an issue

1960
01:19:08,181 --> 01:19:09,664
when it comes to marketing.

1961
01:19:09,664 --> 01:19:11,655
There's an old quote that goes:

1962
01:19:11,655 --> 01:19:15,089
"half the money I spend
on advertising is wasted,

1963
01:19:15,089 --> 01:19:17,405
the trouble is, I don't know which half."

1964
01:19:17,405 --> 01:19:18,989
And that's an extremely important lesson.

1965
01:19:18,989 --> 01:19:22,301
I learned it years ago,
and I've held true to it.

1966
01:19:22,301 --> 01:19:25,247
You need to spend a good amount of money

1967
01:19:25,247 --> 01:19:27,838
on advertising, because
if you try to skimp

1968
01:19:27,838 --> 01:19:31,089
on advertising, you're
only gonna be skimping

1969
01:19:31,089 --> 01:19:33,080
on your own career.

1970
01:19:33,080 --> 01:19:37,074
Now again, I'm not justifying
crazy, stupid, extravagant

1971
01:19:37,074 --> 01:19:40,406
advertising that is not effective.

1972
01:19:40,406 --> 01:19:42,783
If you do a radical, expensive ad

1973
01:19:42,783 --> 01:19:46,541
that gets you really, really
good high paying work,

1974
01:19:46,541 --> 01:19:48,431
then maybe it pays off.

1975
01:19:48,431 --> 01:19:50,971
But if you do something cheap

1976
01:19:50,971 --> 01:19:54,181
that's not very good, and
ends up getting you no work,

1977
01:19:54,181 --> 01:19:56,355
that's just wasted money.

1978
01:19:56,355 --> 01:19:59,750
So really you're shooting for
more effective advertising

1979
01:19:59,750 --> 01:20:02,655
than anything, but just
don't be afraid if it costs

1980
01:20:02,655 --> 01:20:04,484
a little bit of money.

1981
01:20:04,484 --> 01:20:06,251
All right, so the first
thing we need to cover

1982
01:20:06,251 --> 01:20:08,710
is how to find art directors.

1983
01:20:08,710 --> 01:20:10,905
Before they can know who you are,

1984
01:20:10,905 --> 01:20:13,098
you need to know who they are.

1985
01:20:13,098 --> 01:20:15,069
Now the first thing
everyone needs to do is

1986
01:20:15,069 --> 01:20:16,511
start a list.

1987
01:20:16,511 --> 01:20:21,511
Right now, start a list of
names and how to contact

1988
01:20:21,895 --> 01:20:24,780
and the name of the company for instance

1989
01:20:24,780 --> 01:20:28,225
of all the art directors that
you would like to work for.

1990
01:20:28,225 --> 01:20:30,643
And you need to start
this list right away.

1991
01:20:30,643 --> 01:20:31,903
And what this list looks like

1992
01:20:31,903 --> 01:20:33,630
depends on who you are.

1993
01:20:33,630 --> 01:20:37,266
You can write it on the back
of a receipt if you want to.

1994
01:20:37,266 --> 01:20:40,172
Or you can make an elaborate
spreadsheet if you want to.

1995
01:20:40,172 --> 01:20:42,142
I'm more of the latter, but I know

1996
01:20:42,142 --> 01:20:44,235
that a lot of people
might go for the former.

1997
01:20:44,235 --> 01:20:45,393
It's really up to you.

1998
01:20:45,393 --> 01:20:46,998
You just need to start making a list

1999
01:20:46,998 --> 01:20:49,944
of these art directors
that you wanna work for.

2000
01:20:49,944 --> 01:20:52,403
Now you're gonna wanna keep
this list fairly updated.

2001
01:20:52,403 --> 01:20:54,150
This is the list that's
gonna stay with you

2002
01:20:54,150 --> 01:20:56,832
for your entire freelancing career.

2003
01:20:56,832 --> 01:21:00,082
So try to make it a pretty nice list.

2004
01:21:00,082 --> 01:21:02,236
As you develop your
career, and as you start

2005
01:21:02,236 --> 01:21:04,991
working for these clients,
you can remove their name

2006
01:21:04,991 --> 01:21:07,144
if you want, or you can categorize them

2007
01:21:07,144 --> 01:21:09,806
as ones you're already working for or not.

2008
01:21:09,806 --> 01:21:11,898
And then you're gonna
wanna add new art directors

2009
01:21:11,898 --> 01:21:13,808
that you wanna start working for.

2010
01:21:13,808 --> 01:21:15,718
I know I've got plenty of names on my list

2011
01:21:15,718 --> 01:21:17,912
that I would love to work for.

2012
01:21:17,912 --> 01:21:19,924
And I'm just working towards that goal.

2013
01:21:19,924 --> 01:21:21,082
But having them on a list

2014
01:21:21,082 --> 01:21:23,073
gives you a nice visualization

2015
01:21:23,073 --> 01:21:26,080
of where you're going with your work.

2016
01:21:26,080 --> 01:21:28,619
A lot of artists want to make art.

2017
01:21:28,619 --> 01:21:31,362
But you need to differentiate yourself.

2018
01:21:31,362 --> 01:21:32,926
you need to be different by figuring out

2019
01:21:32,926 --> 01:21:35,791
exactly who it is you want to work for.

2020
01:21:35,791 --> 01:21:38,128
Once you differentiate yourself like this,

2021
01:21:38,128 --> 01:21:40,850
you are ten steps away from everybody else

2022
01:21:40,850 --> 01:21:42,638
graduating art school.

2023
01:21:42,638 --> 01:21:44,995
So how on earth do you find these people?

2024
01:21:44,995 --> 01:21:48,144
Well, if you wanna work
in a specific industry,

2025
01:21:48,144 --> 01:21:49,200
you can start to find out

2026
01:21:49,200 --> 01:21:52,085
what the companies are in that industry.

2027
01:21:52,085 --> 01:21:54,828
If you look on Wikipedia, and
the industry is big enough,

2028
01:21:54,828 --> 01:21:57,144
you might be able to find
a listing of all the,

2029
01:21:57,144 --> 01:21:59,379
for instance, fantasy publishers.

2030
01:21:59,379 --> 01:22:01,167
You can find a listing of all these,

2031
01:22:01,167 --> 01:22:03,178
and then you can start
to go to their website.

2032
01:22:03,178 --> 01:22:06,734
Search their site. See what
information they have on there.

2033
01:22:06,734 --> 01:22:09,863
A lot of these sites will
actually have submission policies.

2034
01:22:09,863 --> 01:22:13,540
So copy that information
down, put it on the list,

2035
01:22:13,540 --> 01:22:16,242
and go on to the next one.

2036
01:22:16,242 --> 01:22:19,676
Now another great way to find
out good clients to work for

2037
01:22:19,676 --> 01:22:22,825
is to find out who everybody
else is working for.

2038
01:22:22,825 --> 01:22:24,897
So you've already done
the research I hope,

2039
01:22:24,897 --> 01:22:26,279
and checked out some of the portfolios

2040
01:22:26,279 --> 01:22:27,925
of really great people.

2041
01:22:27,925 --> 01:22:30,728
Now check out their
resumes or client list,

2042
01:22:30,728 --> 01:22:32,699
and see who they're working for.

2043
01:22:32,699 --> 01:22:35,157
Now usually if you're
lookin' at a high end artist,

2044
01:22:35,157 --> 01:22:37,697
you're gonna be looking
at high end clients.

2045
01:22:37,697 --> 01:22:40,582
So try to look at some new
guys just starting out,

2046
01:22:40,582 --> 01:22:43,508
and they'll often have some
of the more beginner focused

2047
01:22:43,508 --> 01:22:45,580
clients that you might
be able to work for.

2048
01:22:45,580 --> 01:22:48,021
So check that out and see if
you can find a few clients

2049
01:22:48,021 --> 01:22:50,317
for your list on there.

2050
01:22:50,317 --> 01:22:53,120
Another great resource is to
look at the latest annual.

2051
01:22:53,120 --> 01:22:55,579
For instance, in the fantasy
and science fiction world,

2052
01:22:55,579 --> 01:22:57,692
that would be Spectrum.

2053
01:22:57,692 --> 01:23:01,145
If you are in the more
traditional, editorial illustration

2054
01:23:01,145 --> 01:23:03,746
field, you might look at
The Society of Illustrators.

2055
01:23:03,746 --> 01:23:04,538
Look through there.

2056
01:23:04,538 --> 01:23:07,667
A lot of those pieces will
have the client listed on them.

2057
01:23:07,667 --> 01:23:09,394
Try to build up a good list

2058
01:23:09,394 --> 01:23:10,959
of clients you'd like to work for.

2059
01:23:10,959 --> 01:23:12,868
The nice thing about
looking in those annuals

2060
01:23:12,868 --> 01:23:14,819
is that you can start looking for work

2061
01:23:14,819 --> 01:23:17,623
that might mimic what you wanna be doing.

2062
01:23:17,623 --> 01:23:20,061
And then there's the client to go with it.

2063
01:23:20,061 --> 01:23:21,869
This is a great way to do research.

2064
01:23:21,869 --> 01:23:23,597
I did this a ton.

2065
01:23:23,597 --> 01:23:25,526
It's also a great way to find artists.

2066
01:23:25,526 --> 01:23:28,797
So annuals: pick up the
last few years of them.

2067
01:23:28,797 --> 01:23:30,585
Whatever industry you're in.

2068
01:23:30,585 --> 01:23:32,596
And read through those things.

2069
01:23:32,596 --> 01:23:33,978
Do your research.

2070
01:23:33,978 --> 01:23:36,782
They are great resources.

2071
01:23:36,782 --> 01:23:39,138
All right, now once
you've got this list down

2072
01:23:39,138 --> 01:23:40,601
and it's a pretty good length,

2073
01:23:40,601 --> 01:23:43,059
you know, try to get like
20 or 30 names on there

2074
01:23:43,059 --> 01:23:44,482
if you can.

2075
01:23:44,482 --> 01:23:47,428
It's time to do the
first stage of marketing,

2076
01:23:47,428 --> 01:23:50,699
which is contacting these
art directors directly.

2077
01:23:50,699 --> 01:23:53,223
Trying to start emailing them if you can.

2078
01:23:53,223 --> 01:23:55,769
If you can get their email address, great.

2079
01:23:55,769 --> 01:23:58,207
If you can get their
company submission email,

2080
01:23:58,207 --> 01:23:59,792
that's pretty good.

2081
01:23:59,792 --> 01:24:01,864
If you can't get either of those,

2082
01:24:01,864 --> 01:24:04,505
we'll have to market
to them some other way.

2083
01:24:04,505 --> 01:24:06,903
But for the ones that
you do have the email,

2084
01:24:06,903 --> 01:24:09,850
it's time to start
sending your work to them.

2085
01:24:09,850 --> 01:24:12,185
Now what does this email look like?

2086
01:24:12,185 --> 01:24:14,319
First, try to be nice.

2087
01:24:14,319 --> 01:24:17,305
Try to be as nice and
cordial and professional

2088
01:24:17,305 --> 01:24:19,174
as you possibly can.

2089
01:24:19,174 --> 01:24:20,637
Spell things correctly.

2090
01:24:20,637 --> 01:24:23,217
Spell the art director's name correctly.

2091
01:24:23,217 --> 01:24:26,590
I may have screwed up
on that one one time.

2092
01:24:26,590 --> 01:24:30,085
Be brief as possible.

2093
01:24:30,085 --> 01:24:33,295
Don't go into a long-winded expose

2094
01:24:33,295 --> 01:24:35,387
about your entire life and career.

2095
01:24:35,387 --> 01:24:36,972
They don't care.

2096
01:24:36,972 --> 01:24:39,430
Honestly, they're probably
not even gonna read

2097
01:24:39,430 --> 01:24:41,259
whatever little you write.

2098
01:24:41,259 --> 01:24:43,006
They're only gonna scan
through your email,

2099
01:24:43,006 --> 01:24:45,790
look for a link to your
portfolio, and click on it.

2100
01:24:45,790 --> 01:24:49,406
If they have time, they
might go back and read it.

2101
01:24:49,406 --> 01:24:51,844
But only if they like the work they see.

2102
01:24:51,844 --> 01:24:53,551
So be brief in your email.

2103
01:24:53,551 --> 01:24:58,224
Be sure to actually include
your contact info in the email.

2104
01:24:58,224 --> 01:25:01,576
Don't rely on them just being
able to reply to the email.

2105
01:25:01,576 --> 01:25:04,542
Actually have your email address in there.

2106
01:25:04,542 --> 01:25:08,971
And lastly be sure you have
a link to your portfolio.

2107
01:25:08,971 --> 01:25:10,637
Nothing is more embarrassing
than sending out

2108
01:25:10,637 --> 01:25:12,548
a nice, little, sweet cover letter

2109
01:25:12,548 --> 01:25:15,838
and completely forgetting
to link to your portfolio.

2110
01:25:15,838 --> 01:25:18,073
So link to your portfolio, be really nice.

2111
01:25:18,073 --> 01:25:21,785
Say: hello, I'd love to
work for you some time.

2112
01:25:21,785 --> 01:25:23,173
Here's my portfolio.

2113
01:25:23,173 --> 01:25:24,219
Thanks.

2114
01:25:24,219 --> 01:25:26,006
Look forward to hearing
back from you soon.

2115
01:25:26,006 --> 01:25:28,932
Don't actually expect to
hear back from them soon,

2116
01:25:28,932 --> 01:25:31,858
but it's nice to write that anyways.

2117
01:25:31,858 --> 01:25:33,930
Now this is the first
step most people will take

2118
01:25:33,930 --> 01:25:35,048
in their own marketing.

2119
01:25:35,048 --> 01:25:36,449
This is the first step I took

2120
01:25:36,449 --> 01:25:38,684
when I was starting my career.

2121
01:25:38,684 --> 01:25:41,630
I found out a list of
companies I'd like to work for.

2122
01:25:41,630 --> 01:25:42,991
I found out who the art directors were.

2123
01:25:42,991 --> 01:25:44,881
I got their email addresses.

2124
01:25:44,881 --> 01:25:47,116
And I sent off these quick little emails

2125
01:25:47,116 --> 01:25:50,245
to a few art directors with my portfolio.

2126
01:25:50,245 --> 01:25:53,617
And I didn't hear anything,
absolutely nothing.

2127
01:25:53,617 --> 01:25:56,666
Not even a nice little response
saying they got the email.

2128
01:25:56,666 --> 01:25:58,940
And that is perfectly normal.

2129
01:25:58,940 --> 01:26:01,378
And I didn't hear anything for months.

2130
01:26:01,378 --> 01:26:03,349
It was probably three or
four months before I heard

2131
01:26:03,349 --> 01:26:05,462
a single word from these people.

2132
01:26:05,462 --> 01:26:07,047
And I was lucky enough that I got,

2133
01:26:07,047 --> 01:26:09,647
from two of the companies
I sent emails to,

2134
01:26:09,647 --> 01:26:12,532
I got nice little emails
back a few months later,

2135
01:26:12,532 --> 01:26:14,686
saying: hello, we'd love to work with you.

2136
01:26:14,686 --> 01:26:15,885
Are you available?

2137
01:26:15,885 --> 01:26:18,831
And that's kinda how
my freelancing started.

2138
01:26:18,831 --> 01:26:21,167
So this is a perfectly viable option

2139
01:26:21,167 --> 01:26:22,528
to get a lot of work.

2140
01:26:22,528 --> 01:26:24,804
And I still do it to this day.

2141
01:26:24,804 --> 01:26:26,937
I still will come up
with new art directors

2142
01:26:26,937 --> 01:26:28,217
that I wanna work for.

2143
01:26:28,217 --> 01:26:29,599
I'll get their email address,

2144
01:26:29,599 --> 01:26:31,468
and I'll send them a quick little email

2145
01:26:31,468 --> 01:26:33,906
saying, hey I'd love to
work with you some time.

2146
01:26:33,906 --> 01:26:35,287
Check out my work.

2147
01:26:35,287 --> 01:26:37,177
So this is a great thing to do,

2148
01:26:37,177 --> 01:26:39,737
and something you need
to do somewhat regularly

2149
01:26:39,737 --> 01:26:41,322
throughout your career.

2150
01:26:41,322 --> 01:26:44,613
Now how often you do
this somewhat depends.

2151
01:26:44,613 --> 01:26:48,148
But in general, if you
wait at least a few months

2152
01:26:48,148 --> 01:26:50,769
between each email to
the same art director,

2153
01:26:50,769 --> 01:26:53,166
that wouldn't be a bad idea.

2154
01:26:53,166 --> 01:26:56,336
You definitely do not
wanna pester these people.

2155
01:26:56,336 --> 01:27:00,094
You don't wanna send
them new stuff every day.

2156
01:27:00,094 --> 01:27:02,445
That's just gonna drive them crazy.

2157
01:27:02,445 --> 01:27:04,070
And the most important thing though,

2158
01:27:04,070 --> 01:27:07,443
is that you don't wanna send
them the same stuff every time.

2159
01:27:07,443 --> 01:27:09,576
If they didn't like it the first time,

2160
01:27:09,576 --> 01:27:13,477
they're not magically going
to like it the second time.

2161
01:27:13,477 --> 01:27:17,500
Or the third time, or the
fourth time, or the 20th time.

2162
01:27:17,500 --> 01:27:19,145
Don't send the same stuff.

2163
01:27:19,145 --> 01:27:22,599
Once you have significantly
improved, new work,

2164
01:27:22,599 --> 01:27:24,042
then you can send your work.

2165
01:27:24,042 --> 01:27:26,603
If that takes you six months
rather than three months,

2166
01:27:26,603 --> 01:27:27,922
that's fine.

2167
01:27:27,922 --> 01:27:29,141
Wait the six months.

2168
01:27:29,141 --> 01:27:32,270
Produce the whole new
portfolio of solid, new pieces.

2169
01:27:32,270 --> 01:27:33,672
And send that off to them.

2170
01:27:33,672 --> 01:27:36,537
Tell them: hey I've been
working on some new stuff.

2171
01:27:36,537 --> 01:27:38,386
Love for you to take a look at it.

2172
01:27:38,386 --> 01:27:40,255
Here's my portfolio.

2173
01:27:40,255 --> 01:27:42,571
And include the link.
Don't forget the link.

2174
01:27:42,571 --> 01:27:45,314
Don't ever forget the link.

2175
01:27:45,314 --> 01:27:47,244
All right, now let's talk
about something a little more

2176
01:27:47,244 --> 01:27:51,084
old school than sending out
emails to art directors.

2177
01:27:51,084 --> 01:27:53,887
And that's sending out mailers,

2178
01:27:53,887 --> 01:27:57,730
traditional postcards or
packets or books or whatnot.

2179
01:27:57,730 --> 01:28:00,554
But sending out a real, physical mailing

2180
01:28:00,554 --> 01:28:02,769
to a real physical address.

2181
01:28:02,769 --> 01:28:05,369
And this is a bit old
fashioned these days,

2182
01:28:05,369 --> 01:28:08,376
so some people just don't
bother with it anymore.

2183
01:28:08,376 --> 01:28:10,268
But I've actually found
it's surprisingly useful

2184
01:28:10,268 --> 01:28:13,112
these days because it is so old fashioned.

2185
01:28:13,112 --> 01:28:16,261
It's a little bit unexpected
in certain fields.

2186
01:28:16,261 --> 01:28:18,263
In fact, I've actually had a decent amount

2187
01:28:18,263 --> 01:28:19,929
of success with them.

2188
01:28:19,929 --> 01:28:21,981
My first Magic the Gathering card,

2189
01:28:21,981 --> 01:28:24,602
which is a somewhat respected job to get

2190
01:28:24,602 --> 01:28:26,309
in my field

2191
01:28:26,309 --> 01:28:28,056
was actually in part because

2192
01:28:28,056 --> 01:28:30,088
of a postcard I sent out.

2193
01:28:30,088 --> 01:28:32,383
I had already met the art director before.

2194
01:28:32,383 --> 01:28:33,928
And he had already seen my work.

2195
01:28:33,928 --> 01:28:37,300
But he hadn't ever
contacted me with any jobs.

2196
01:28:37,300 --> 01:28:39,535
And then I sent him a postcard being like,

2197
01:28:39,535 --> 01:28:40,957
hey I'd love to work with you

2198
01:28:40,957 --> 01:28:42,197
and sent him a nice, new image

2199
01:28:42,197 --> 01:28:44,350
he hadn't probably seen before.

2200
01:28:44,350 --> 01:28:47,540
And I think a week or two
after he probably got it,

2201
01:28:47,540 --> 01:28:50,913
I got an email saying: would
you like to work together?

2202
01:28:50,913 --> 01:28:54,224
So postcards actually
can be very effective

2203
01:28:54,224 --> 01:28:57,434
even though they're a
little bit old school.

2204
01:28:57,434 --> 01:28:59,730
So since I've had a little
bit of success with these,

2205
01:28:59,730 --> 01:29:02,128
I actually do them regularly now.

2206
01:29:02,128 --> 01:29:05,114
Just like I don't send
out emails to clients

2207
01:29:05,114 --> 01:29:06,475
every day though,

2208
01:29:06,475 --> 01:29:09,157
I also don't send out mailers every day.

2209
01:29:09,157 --> 01:29:10,315
I try to plan them out

2210
01:29:10,315 --> 01:29:13,810
for once every six months or so.

2211
01:29:13,810 --> 01:29:15,455
Three months if you've got a lot of work

2212
01:29:15,455 --> 01:29:17,487
coming out, and you really feel like

2213
01:29:17,487 --> 01:29:19,113
gettin' your name out there.

2214
01:29:19,113 --> 01:29:20,108
But every six months

2215
01:29:20,108 --> 01:29:23,603
is a good time frame to do them in.

2216
01:29:23,603 --> 01:29:24,903
Now mailers are the reason

2217
01:29:24,903 --> 01:29:26,630
that when you're developing
your mailing list,

2218
01:29:26,630 --> 01:29:28,946
you're also including the physical address

2219
01:29:28,946 --> 01:29:30,246
and not just the email address

2220
01:29:30,246 --> 01:29:32,115
of the clients you wanna work for.

2221
01:29:32,115 --> 01:29:32,887
That way when you're ready

2222
01:29:32,887 --> 01:29:33,944
to send out your mailer,

2223
01:29:33,944 --> 01:29:36,809
you're done printing and
designing them and all that,

2224
01:29:36,809 --> 01:29:40,039
you can just put in all the
addresses from your list

2225
01:29:40,039 --> 01:29:42,091
and send them off.

2226
01:29:42,091 --> 01:29:44,976
Now ideally, you'll also have
the name of the art director

2227
01:29:44,976 --> 01:29:46,845
that you're trying to get work from.

2228
01:29:46,845 --> 01:29:49,568
In some cases though, you
won't actually have that name.

2229
01:29:49,568 --> 01:29:51,681
Sometimes it won't be publicly available

2230
01:29:51,681 --> 01:29:54,078
and you just can't get it.

2231
01:29:54,078 --> 01:29:55,358
In that case,

2232
01:29:55,358 --> 01:29:57,415
you can put attention:
art director at the top

2233
01:29:57,415 --> 01:29:58,715
of the address,

2234
01:29:58,715 --> 01:30:01,499
and it will usually get to them.

2235
01:30:01,499 --> 01:30:03,104
Sometimes it won't,

2236
01:30:03,104 --> 01:30:06,232
but in general it will usually
get to an art director.

2237
01:30:06,232 --> 01:30:07,553
And it's somewhat effective.

2238
01:30:07,553 --> 01:30:08,813
It's not ideal.

2239
01:30:08,813 --> 01:30:12,734
But in a worst case scenario it does work.

2240
01:30:12,734 --> 01:30:14,054
So let's talk a little bit about

2241
01:30:14,054 --> 01:30:16,675
actually making the mailers themselves.

2242
01:30:16,675 --> 01:30:18,666
Now mailers are a case
where you really can

2243
01:30:18,666 --> 01:30:20,312
get creative with them.

2244
01:30:20,312 --> 01:30:23,319
When we're talking about
your portfolio website,

2245
01:30:23,319 --> 01:30:25,493
you wanted it to be functional.

2246
01:30:25,493 --> 01:30:27,789
With a postcard, you
can actually try to get

2247
01:30:27,789 --> 01:30:29,942
a little more creative.

2248
01:30:29,942 --> 01:30:32,523
Now how you get creative depends on you.

2249
01:30:32,523 --> 01:30:35,022
It depends on you coming
up with the ideas.

2250
01:30:35,022 --> 01:30:37,825
But you can think about
the materials you use.

2251
01:30:37,825 --> 01:30:40,223
You can think about the size that you use.

2252
01:30:40,223 --> 01:30:41,970
you can even hand-make these things

2253
01:30:41,970 --> 01:30:43,534
if you want to.

2254
01:30:43,534 --> 01:30:45,424
Some people can get
really creative with them.

2255
01:30:45,424 --> 01:30:48,878
And this is a case where
it actually does matter.

2256
01:30:48,878 --> 01:30:50,767
Because a lot of companies

2257
01:30:50,767 --> 01:30:54,810
will get a whole pile
of postcards every day.

2258
01:30:54,810 --> 01:30:57,289
And if your postcard is
pretty boring, standard,

2259
01:30:57,289 --> 01:30:58,853
same size, same material

2260
01:30:58,853 --> 01:31:00,499
as all the others, it's gonna have

2261
01:31:00,499 --> 01:31:03,201
a really easy time blending in.

2262
01:31:03,201 --> 01:31:05,213
But if yours is somehow different,

2263
01:31:05,213 --> 01:31:06,118
it's somehow special,

2264
01:31:06,118 --> 01:31:08,353
somehow hand-made for instance,

2265
01:31:08,353 --> 01:31:10,376
it's gonna stick out a little bit.

2266
01:31:10,376 --> 01:31:11,615
And it's gonna stick out,

2267
01:31:11,615 --> 01:31:12,875
and that way the art director

2268
01:31:12,875 --> 01:31:14,216
is actually gonna pay attention

2269
01:31:14,216 --> 01:31:15,882
to your work a little bit.

2270
01:31:15,882 --> 01:31:17,223
And when they pay attention to your work,

2271
01:31:17,223 --> 01:31:19,478
and theoretically your
work is good enough,

2272
01:31:19,478 --> 01:31:22,383
then you're gonna get
that email in your inbox.

2273
01:31:22,383 --> 01:31:24,191
So really try to get creative here.

2274
01:31:24,191 --> 01:31:25,735
And if you're really stuck for ideas

2275
01:31:25,735 --> 01:31:29,108
or have no idea what are
the possibilities in this,

2276
01:31:29,108 --> 01:31:31,831
try doing some searches
for some creative mailers

2277
01:31:31,831 --> 01:31:33,172
that people have done.

2278
01:31:33,172 --> 01:31:35,632
Designers have done all
sorts of crazy things

2279
01:31:35,632 --> 01:31:38,291
that are really cool and really creative.

2280
01:31:38,291 --> 01:31:39,999
So do a little bit of research

2281
01:31:39,999 --> 01:31:43,371
and see what else has already been done.

2282
01:31:43,371 --> 01:31:45,727
Now a thing I like to
do with my own postcards

2283
01:31:45,727 --> 01:31:48,226
is to somehow personalize them.

2284
01:31:48,226 --> 01:31:50,075
Now if you're hand-making each of these,

2285
01:31:50,075 --> 01:31:52,777
they're already gonna be
a little bit personal.

2286
01:31:52,777 --> 01:31:55,459
Odds are, they're gonna look handmade,

2287
01:31:55,459 --> 01:31:57,125
and the art director's gonna know

2288
01:31:57,125 --> 01:31:59,624
that you spent a
significant amount of time

2289
01:31:59,624 --> 01:32:03,322
actually making that
one individual mailer.

2290
01:32:03,322 --> 01:32:05,923
But even when I print out
fairly standard mailers,

2291
01:32:05,923 --> 01:32:08,645
I make sure to personalize them somehow.

2292
01:32:08,645 --> 01:32:10,840
Usually on the back of a
postcard, for instance,

2293
01:32:10,840 --> 01:32:13,176
I will actually hand
write a quick little note

2294
01:32:13,176 --> 01:32:14,618
to an art director.

2295
01:32:14,618 --> 01:32:16,061
And there's something nice about that.

2296
01:32:16,061 --> 01:32:17,036
There's something nice about

2297
01:32:17,036 --> 01:32:20,002
a hand-written and signed

2298
01:32:20,002 --> 01:32:22,989
note directly to that person

2299
01:32:22,989 --> 01:32:24,940
that makes it feel a
little bit more special

2300
01:32:24,940 --> 01:32:28,251
than the cold, hard, just,
oh I sent 800 of these

2301
01:32:28,251 --> 01:32:31,582
to every company that ever existed.

2302
01:32:31,582 --> 01:32:34,662
And you wanna have that
little personal touch.

2303
01:32:34,662 --> 01:32:36,674
They're really gonna
start to appreciate that.

2304
01:32:36,674 --> 01:32:38,136
They're gonna notice it.

2305
01:32:38,136 --> 01:32:39,712
And they're gonna differentiate you

2306
01:32:39,712 --> 01:32:41,785
from the other pile of postcards

2307
01:32:41,785 --> 01:32:44,365
they surely have sitting on their desk.

2308
01:32:44,365 --> 01:32:45,727
Now what this note looks like

2309
01:32:45,727 --> 01:32:47,189
depends on the person.

2310
01:32:47,189 --> 01:32:50,480
I do try to legitimately
make them personal.

2311
01:32:50,480 --> 01:32:52,329
If I've met them before,

2312
01:32:52,329 --> 01:32:54,259
I'll try to somehow bring that up.

2313
01:32:54,259 --> 01:32:55,986
For instance I met them at a convention,

2314
01:32:55,986 --> 01:33:00,517
I'll mention: it was great
seeing you at xyz convention.

2315
01:33:00,517 --> 01:33:03,036
If you know a friend who works for them

2316
01:33:03,036 --> 01:33:06,918
and recommended you, go ahead
and drop that name in there.

2317
01:33:06,918 --> 01:33:09,314
Just a quick little one line note,

2318
01:33:09,314 --> 01:33:12,260
and sign your name and send it off.

2319
01:33:12,260 --> 01:33:13,520
It's a nice little touch

2320
01:33:13,520 --> 01:33:15,186
that a lot of people forget to do.

2321
01:33:15,186 --> 01:33:18,254
But I think it adds a
lot to a good mailer.

2322
01:33:18,254 --> 01:33:20,468
Now where to get them printed?

2323
01:33:20,468 --> 01:33:22,581
If you're gonna be hand-making them,

2324
01:33:22,581 --> 01:33:24,979
you're in a whole different ballpark.

2325
01:33:24,979 --> 01:33:28,047
Good luck. Hopefully you
know how to hand-make things.

2326
01:33:28,047 --> 01:33:30,993
Hopefully art school treated
you well enough in that regard.

2327
01:33:30,993 --> 01:33:33,248
But if you're like me, and
you don't necessarily have

2328
01:33:33,248 --> 01:33:36,591
the craftsy approach to things,
and you probably can't do

2329
01:33:36,591 --> 01:33:38,563
a good job of hand-making them,

2330
01:33:38,563 --> 01:33:42,198
there's nothing wrong with
mass producing a nice,

2331
01:33:42,198 --> 01:33:44,149
printed postcard.

2332
01:33:44,149 --> 01:33:45,774
Now where you get them printed.

2333
01:33:45,774 --> 01:33:48,701
Online print sites, in recent years,

2334
01:33:48,701 --> 01:33:50,650
have really gotten good.

2335
01:33:50,650 --> 01:33:52,763
The prices are excellent.

2336
01:33:52,763 --> 01:33:55,649
And the turnaround times are really good.

2337
01:33:55,649 --> 01:33:58,371
And honestly, in my
experience, the quality

2338
01:33:58,371 --> 01:34:00,118
is fantastic.

2339
01:34:00,118 --> 01:34:03,409
Now you can go to a local
printer if you want.

2340
01:34:03,409 --> 01:34:05,136
They have done a very good job.

2341
01:34:05,136 --> 01:34:07,655
I have gotten prints from
local printers myself.

2342
01:34:07,655 --> 01:34:10,459
But personally, I'm a little bit lazy.

2343
01:34:10,459 --> 01:34:13,080
And if I don't have to leave
the house to do something,

2344
01:34:13,080 --> 01:34:15,132
I probably won't.

2345
01:34:15,132 --> 01:34:17,001
So if you're looking for
a good online printer

2346
01:34:17,001 --> 01:34:18,606
like the ones I would use,

2347
01:34:18,606 --> 01:34:20,882
you can again go to the resource page.

2348
01:34:20,882 --> 01:34:25,209
And I have gone into detail of
all of my favorite printers.

2349
01:34:25,209 --> 01:34:27,586
Again, the resource page is at:

2350
01:34:27,586 --> 01:34:31,508
TheArtofFreelancing.com/Resources

2351
01:34:31,508 --> 01:34:33,316
And some of the names you'll see on there

2352
01:34:33,316 --> 01:34:37,298
are UPrinting, or
Overnight Prints, or MOO.

2353
01:34:37,298 --> 01:34:39,614
Those are all good sites that I've used.

2354
01:34:39,614 --> 01:34:42,235
I talk a little bit about my
specifics for each of those

2355
01:34:42,235 --> 01:34:43,962
on the resource page.

2356
01:34:43,962 --> 01:34:44,876
So go check that out

2357
01:34:44,876 --> 01:34:46,766
for some more information.

2358
01:34:46,766 --> 01:34:49,183
Now let's talk about conventions.

2359
01:34:49,183 --> 01:34:52,346
Conventions personally have been a huge,

2360
01:34:52,346 --> 01:34:55,475
huge component of my own personal success.

2361
01:34:55,475 --> 01:34:57,466
I would not be where I am today

2362
01:34:57,466 --> 01:34:59,477
were it not for conventions.

2363
01:34:59,477 --> 01:35:02,545
So I really have conventions
to thank for so much

2364
01:35:02,545 --> 01:35:05,186
which is why I try to tell everyone

2365
01:35:05,186 --> 01:35:06,791
that really wants to be a freelancer

2366
01:35:06,791 --> 01:35:08,254
and wants to work in the industry

2367
01:35:08,254 --> 01:35:10,326
to go to conventions.

2368
01:35:10,326 --> 01:35:12,196
Make the effort, do the research,

2369
01:35:12,196 --> 01:35:14,593
and go to conventions.

2370
01:35:14,593 --> 01:35:15,995
The connections I made,

2371
01:35:15,995 --> 01:35:18,717
the art directors I introduced myself to,

2372
01:35:18,717 --> 01:35:20,647
and all the insider knowledge I've gotten

2373
01:35:20,647 --> 01:35:23,715
from conventions are all extremely crucial

2374
01:35:23,715 --> 01:35:25,585
to my success.

2375
01:35:25,585 --> 01:35:27,149
When I attended my first convention,

2376
01:35:27,149 --> 01:35:29,465
I was in my junior year of college.

2377
01:35:29,465 --> 01:35:32,391
Now in my junior year
I was not freelancing.

2378
01:35:32,391 --> 01:35:34,524
I was not super experienced.

2379
01:35:34,524 --> 01:35:37,186
I didn't really know what I wanted to do.

2380
01:35:37,186 --> 01:35:39,637
I just kinda went because
I thought it would be

2381
01:35:39,637 --> 01:35:41,466
a good idea.

2382
01:35:41,466 --> 01:35:43,823
It seemed like a lot of
money to me at the time.

2383
01:35:43,823 --> 01:35:45,245
But I made the effort.

2384
01:35:45,245 --> 01:35:48,577
I think I skipped a couple
classes to be able to go.

2385
01:35:48,577 --> 01:35:50,852
And I went up there.

2386
01:35:50,852 --> 01:35:53,473
And it was honestly one of the best things

2387
01:35:53,473 --> 01:35:56,013
I could have possibly done for my career.

2388
01:35:56,013 --> 01:35:58,654
And going to that convention that one time

2389
01:35:58,654 --> 01:36:02,331
has helped me for years since then.

2390
01:36:02,331 --> 01:36:04,688
And I can even emphasize
how clueless I was

2391
01:36:04,688 --> 01:36:06,192
at this first convention.

2392
01:36:06,192 --> 01:36:08,386
I had a terrible portfolio.

2393
01:36:08,386 --> 01:36:10,966
I didn't know what I was doing.

2394
01:36:10,966 --> 01:36:13,160
My work was awful.

2395
01:36:13,160 --> 01:36:16,167
It was all over the place, so scattered,

2396
01:36:16,167 --> 01:36:17,915
no focus at all.

2397
01:36:17,915 --> 01:36:19,032
But I went up there.

2398
01:36:19,032 --> 01:36:20,840
I learned a lot.

2399
01:36:20,840 --> 01:36:22,283
Even though I might have been kind of shy

2400
01:36:22,283 --> 01:36:23,583
and a little bit awkward,

2401
01:36:23,583 --> 01:36:24,965
I still met people.

2402
01:36:24,965 --> 01:36:28,502
I still got connections. I
still managed to network.

2403
01:36:28,502 --> 01:36:31,489
And it has helped me again and again.

2404
01:36:31,489 --> 01:36:33,704
And the connections I have today

2405
01:36:33,704 --> 01:36:36,325
are due in large part
to that first convention

2406
01:36:36,325 --> 01:36:38,620
that I went to years ago.

2407
01:36:38,620 --> 01:36:40,388
Let me give you a concrete example

2408
01:36:40,388 --> 01:36:42,846
of just how conventions have helped me.

2409
01:36:42,846 --> 01:36:44,329
When I was at my first convention

2410
01:36:44,329 --> 01:36:46,219
I happened to run in to someone

2411
01:36:46,219 --> 01:36:48,047
that I knew from an online forum.

2412
01:36:48,047 --> 01:36:50,193
Again going back to doing the research,

2413
01:36:50,193 --> 01:36:53,464
getting online, getting into
those insider communities.

2414
01:36:53,464 --> 01:36:55,069
So I happened to run in to this guy.

2415
01:36:55,069 --> 01:36:57,791
He introduced me to a few other people.

2416
01:36:57,791 --> 01:37:00,109
We stayed in contact after that.

2417
01:37:00,109 --> 01:37:01,713
And through them, since
they were kind of already

2418
01:37:01,713 --> 01:37:04,182
working in the industry,

2419
01:37:04,182 --> 01:37:05,644
I was able to get a couple names

2420
01:37:05,644 --> 01:37:07,656
of art directors and companies

2421
01:37:07,656 --> 01:37:09,180
that I could send my work to.

2422
01:37:09,180 --> 01:37:11,313
And so that's how I got
my first email addresses

2423
01:37:11,313 --> 01:37:14,245
to send work to, which
led to my first clients

2424
01:37:14,245 --> 01:37:16,717
which led to me freelancing.

2425
01:37:16,717 --> 01:37:20,557
So really, conventions
are what got me started.

2426
01:37:20,557 --> 01:37:21,979
Now that first convention that I went to

2427
01:37:21,979 --> 01:37:24,499
for those who are curious, is a LuxCon,

2428
01:37:24,499 --> 01:37:26,108
which is a small fantasy and

2429
01:37:26,108 --> 01:37:28,424
science fiction illustration convention.

2430
01:37:28,424 --> 01:37:30,233
And that was what I wanted to go into.

2431
01:37:30,233 --> 01:37:32,304
And I knew it was pretty close by.

2432
01:37:32,304 --> 01:37:34,702
It was pretty cheap to
attend for students.

2433
01:37:34,702 --> 01:37:37,302
And it seemed like a really
good one to start with.

2434
01:37:37,302 --> 01:37:39,354
And it was absolutely perfect.

2435
01:37:39,354 --> 01:37:40,776
I've gone every year since

2436
01:37:40,776 --> 01:37:43,783
and plan to go for every
year they continue to do it.

2437
01:37:43,783 --> 01:37:45,971
If you're interested in
this industry, I would say

2438
01:37:45,971 --> 01:37:48,185
definitely go to it.

2439
01:37:48,185 --> 01:37:49,384
There are several others.

2440
01:37:49,384 --> 01:37:51,944
I'll link to them on
the resource page again.

2441
01:37:51,944 --> 01:37:55,784
But LuxCon is definitely
at the top of my list.

2442
01:37:55,784 --> 01:37:57,511
Now the main hindrance that seems to keep

2443
01:37:57,511 --> 01:38:00,010
people from going to
conventions themselves

2444
01:38:00,010 --> 01:38:02,732
is they can't seem to justify the cost.

2445
01:38:02,732 --> 01:38:05,820
'Cause it can often
cost hundreds of dollars

2446
01:38:05,820 --> 01:38:08,319
if not more than a thousand dollars

2447
01:38:08,319 --> 01:38:10,534
to just attend one convention.

2448
01:38:10,534 --> 01:38:11,773
And that can seem like a lot of money

2449
01:38:11,773 --> 01:38:13,114
when you're first starting out.

2450
01:38:13,114 --> 01:38:15,796
And to be fair, it kind
of is a lot of money.

2451
01:38:15,796 --> 01:38:17,604
But you have to be able to justify it

2452
01:38:17,604 --> 01:38:19,290
as a business expense.

2453
01:38:19,290 --> 01:38:20,855
Because it really is.

2454
01:38:20,855 --> 01:38:24,106
Because if you're spending say 500 dollars

2455
01:38:24,106 --> 01:38:25,589
to attend a convention,

2456
01:38:25,589 --> 01:38:27,641
but you end up getting 2000 dollars

2457
01:38:27,641 --> 01:38:29,591
worth of work out of it,

2458
01:38:29,591 --> 01:38:31,502
it pays off in the end.

2459
01:38:31,502 --> 01:38:33,106
Because not only do you have new clients,

2460
01:38:33,106 --> 01:38:36,113
but now you have more
clients for your client list

2461
01:38:36,113 --> 01:38:38,043
which makes you look
better to other people

2462
01:38:38,043 --> 01:38:39,425
that might hire you,

2463
01:38:39,425 --> 01:38:41,436
and gets your career rolling.

2464
01:38:41,436 --> 01:38:44,138
Not to mention all the
networking you do with your peers

2465
01:38:44,138 --> 01:38:46,353
which is also invaluable.

2466
01:38:46,353 --> 01:38:48,506
So really try to justify that cost

2467
01:38:48,506 --> 01:38:50,355
as a real business expense.

2468
01:38:50,355 --> 01:38:52,671
You're spending money on yourself.

2469
01:38:52,671 --> 01:38:55,922
And since you yourself
are your own business,

2470
01:38:55,922 --> 01:38:58,441
spending money on it
is just an investment.

2471
01:38:58,441 --> 01:38:59,924
You're investing in yourself.

2472
01:38:59,924 --> 01:39:01,895
You're investing in your career.

2473
01:39:01,895 --> 01:39:04,740
So settle down, save up some money,

2474
01:39:04,740 --> 01:39:07,259
and try to attend a
really good convention.

2475
01:39:07,259 --> 01:39:08,661
There are cheap conventions.

2476
01:39:08,661 --> 01:39:10,672
There are probably
conventions close by to you

2477
01:39:10,672 --> 01:39:12,379
that you can go to.

2478
01:39:12,379 --> 01:39:14,410
Or you can splurge and go to some of

2479
01:39:14,410 --> 01:39:15,589
the more expensive conventions

2480
01:39:15,589 --> 01:39:19,063
like San Diego Comic-Con.

2481
01:39:19,063 --> 01:39:21,217
The bigger ones do have advantages

2482
01:39:21,217 --> 01:39:23,126
that the smaller ones don't.

2483
01:39:23,126 --> 01:39:25,178
But if you're just trying to get started,

2484
01:39:25,178 --> 01:39:26,763
just trying to get your foot in the door,

2485
01:39:26,763 --> 01:39:28,002
sometimes a small one

2486
01:39:28,002 --> 01:39:29,770
can be a nice way to get a feel

2487
01:39:29,770 --> 01:39:31,822
for how conventions are.

2488
01:39:31,822 --> 01:39:33,935
I know when I attended
my first convention,

2489
01:39:33,935 --> 01:39:36,373
and I didn't have any
idea what I was doing,

2490
01:39:36,373 --> 01:39:38,588
it was good to have that first convention

2491
01:39:38,588 --> 01:39:40,924
as sort of a trial run.

2492
01:39:40,924 --> 01:39:44,094
I knew I wouldn't get any
work directly from it,

2493
01:39:44,094 --> 01:39:45,780
but I knew I would learn a lot.

2494
01:39:45,780 --> 01:39:49,396
I would get direction on where
I needed to go with my work.

2495
01:39:49,396 --> 01:39:51,509
And that is exactly what happened.

2496
01:39:51,509 --> 01:39:54,435
So try to treat your
first convention you go to

2497
01:39:54,435 --> 01:39:56,243
sort of as a trial run.

2498
01:39:56,243 --> 01:39:58,701
Don't expect to be the best person ever,

2499
01:39:58,701 --> 01:40:01,119
getting all the work from
all the best clients.

2500
01:40:01,119 --> 01:40:03,131
Just try to treat it as a fun event

2501
01:40:03,131 --> 01:40:05,142
that you're going to as work,

2502
01:40:05,142 --> 01:40:06,625
something that's gonna better your career.

2503
01:40:06,625 --> 01:40:09,185
It's gonna give you more
knowledge about the industry.

2504
01:40:09,185 --> 01:40:10,903
And it's gonna introduce
you to some of the people

2505
01:40:10,903 --> 01:40:12,853
in that industry.

2506
01:40:12,853 --> 01:40:13,889
Now one of the advantages of

2507
01:40:13,889 --> 01:40:15,535
going to the smaller conventions

2508
01:40:15,535 --> 01:40:17,668
is that you're gonna have
a lot more one on one time

2509
01:40:17,668 --> 01:40:19,781
with the artists that are there.

2510
01:40:19,781 --> 01:40:23,377
Since they won't be dealing
with quite as many fans

2511
01:40:23,377 --> 01:40:25,389
or hordes of people,

2512
01:40:25,389 --> 01:40:26,303
they're gonna have a lot more time

2513
01:40:26,303 --> 01:40:27,644
to just sit around and chat.

2514
01:40:27,644 --> 01:40:29,188
Which can be a lot of fun and also

2515
01:40:29,188 --> 01:40:31,402
extremely informative.

2516
01:40:31,402 --> 01:40:33,353
All right, now that I've
hopefully convinced you

2517
01:40:33,353 --> 01:40:36,055
that going to conventions
is extremely useful

2518
01:40:36,055 --> 01:40:37,335
for your career,

2519
01:40:37,335 --> 01:40:40,891
now you need to find one or find several.

2520
01:40:40,891 --> 01:40:42,678
And the first thing you need to do

2521
01:40:42,678 --> 01:40:46,092
is just go online, and again
going back to your resources

2522
01:40:46,092 --> 01:40:48,286
of the online forums and blogs.

2523
01:40:48,286 --> 01:40:50,480
Try to find out what the
major conventions are

2524
01:40:50,480 --> 01:40:52,045
in your industry.

2525
01:40:52,045 --> 01:40:55,620
Now I have a lot of experience
with the illustration ones.

2526
01:40:55,620 --> 01:40:58,465
I don't have a lot of
experience with the design ones.

2527
01:40:58,465 --> 01:41:00,761
For instance, some good illustration ones

2528
01:41:00,761 --> 01:41:02,813
that are general would be something like

2529
01:41:02,813 --> 01:41:06,429
San Diego Comic-Con and
all the other Comic-Cons

2530
01:41:06,429 --> 01:41:08,522
that are across the nation.

2531
01:41:08,522 --> 01:41:11,847
Say one for concept art, you
can start going to some of the

2532
01:41:11,847 --> 01:41:14,184
video game conventions.

2533
01:41:14,184 --> 01:41:16,032
More expensive ones would include

2534
01:41:16,032 --> 01:41:18,796
the Game Developers Convention,

2535
01:41:18,796 --> 01:41:20,908
some of the slightly cheaper ones

2536
01:41:20,908 --> 01:41:23,570
would be something like
the Penny Arcade Expo.

2537
01:41:23,570 --> 01:41:25,967
They have a lot of industry
professionals there.

2538
01:41:25,967 --> 01:41:27,613
So you need to just get online

2539
01:41:27,613 --> 01:41:29,787
and start researching conventions.

2540
01:41:29,787 --> 01:41:30,701
Find out where they are.

2541
01:41:30,701 --> 01:41:32,164
Find out how much they cost.

2542
01:41:32,164 --> 01:41:33,627
Find out when you need to register.

2543
01:41:33,627 --> 01:41:37,182
And start making plans to
attend your first convention.

2544
01:41:37,182 --> 01:41:40,307
Now I would say give yourself

2545
01:41:40,307 --> 01:41:42,791
three to six months so that
you have time to prepare,

2546
01:41:42,791 --> 01:41:45,833
reserve your hotel, deal
with all the logistics of it.

2547
01:41:45,833 --> 01:41:49,435
And then plan to go to
your first convention.

2548
01:41:49,435 --> 01:41:51,458
Now when you're planning to
go to your first convention,

2549
01:41:51,458 --> 01:41:54,607
one thing that's good to
establish is what your goal is.

2550
01:41:54,607 --> 01:41:56,313
Why exactly are you going?

2551
01:41:56,313 --> 01:41:59,341
And this really depends on
your personal situation.

2552
01:41:59,341 --> 01:42:00,925
You might be going to the convention

2553
01:42:00,925 --> 01:42:02,856
just to get a feel for the industry.

2554
01:42:02,856 --> 01:42:04,257
And that's perfectly fine.

2555
01:42:04,257 --> 01:42:05,926
It's a perfectly good goal.

2556
01:42:05,926 --> 01:42:08,161
In that case, you're
not gonna be focused on

2557
01:42:08,161 --> 01:42:09,989
what other people might be doing

2558
01:42:09,989 --> 01:42:11,655
if their goal is different.

2559
01:42:11,655 --> 01:42:13,199
For instance, some people might be going

2560
01:42:13,199 --> 01:42:14,784
just to get work.

2561
01:42:14,784 --> 01:42:15,739
That's their goal.

2562
01:42:15,739 --> 01:42:17,283
Their goal is to meet art directors,

2563
01:42:17,283 --> 01:42:18,665
put their work in front of them,

2564
01:42:18,665 --> 01:42:20,270
and try to get work.

2565
01:42:20,270 --> 01:42:22,667
Some people might just be
trying to make connections

2566
01:42:22,667 --> 01:42:24,475
with other people, in
which case they'll probably

2567
01:42:24,475 --> 01:42:27,462
spend their time schmoozing
with people all the time.

2568
01:42:27,462 --> 01:42:30,062
And some people might be
trying to actually sell prints

2569
01:42:30,062 --> 01:42:33,720
or something, make sales
of original or printed art.

2570
01:42:33,720 --> 01:42:35,142
And so having your goal

2571
01:42:35,142 --> 01:42:37,335
really helps to define
your entire behavior

2572
01:42:37,335 --> 01:42:41,004
throughout the convention as
well as the lead-up to it.

2573
01:42:41,004 --> 01:42:42,589
Now one decision you're gonna need to make

2574
01:42:42,589 --> 01:42:43,950
when you go to a convention

2575
01:42:43,950 --> 01:42:46,551
is whether or not you
wanna get a table, or booth

2576
01:42:46,551 --> 01:42:49,009
or whatever they have at
that particular convention.

2577
01:42:49,009 --> 01:42:51,813
And there are pros and cons to both sides

2578
01:42:51,813 --> 01:42:53,072
of this issue.

2579
01:42:53,072 --> 01:42:54,637
And it really comes down to what

2580
01:42:54,637 --> 01:42:56,811
you established as your goal.

2581
01:42:56,811 --> 01:42:59,939
Now if your goal is to get
seen by a lot of people,

2582
01:42:59,939 --> 01:43:01,930
then it's great to get a table.

2583
01:43:01,930 --> 01:43:04,226
The downside of having a table

2584
01:43:04,226 --> 01:43:07,050
is it is often very expensive to have one.

2585
01:43:07,050 --> 01:43:09,387
And at the same time
you're also stuck there.

2586
01:43:09,387 --> 01:43:10,586
So you can't roam.

2587
01:43:10,586 --> 01:43:12,719
You can't go over and hang out with people

2588
01:43:12,719 --> 01:43:14,100
at their tables.

2589
01:43:14,100 --> 01:43:17,046
So it kinda restricts you in some ways.

2590
01:43:17,046 --> 01:43:19,789
So I would recommend for
your first convention

2591
01:43:19,789 --> 01:43:21,699
to not get a table,

2592
01:43:21,699 --> 01:43:24,645
to go in there and try to
figure out what things are like,

2593
01:43:24,645 --> 01:43:26,453
figure out how things work,

2594
01:43:26,453 --> 01:43:29,480
and not have to worry about
maintaining a table and stuff.

2595
01:43:29,480 --> 01:43:31,492
I think you're gonna have a lot more fun,

2596
01:43:31,492 --> 01:43:33,381
and you're also gonna
be a lot more effective

2597
01:43:33,381 --> 01:43:35,535
if you don't bother yourself with a table

2598
01:43:35,535 --> 01:43:37,831
or a booth the first time.

2599
01:43:37,831 --> 01:43:39,761
Now let's talk about a few general tips

2600
01:43:39,761 --> 01:43:41,264
once you're at the convention

2601
01:43:41,264 --> 01:43:43,560
on how you should act,
and what you should do.

2602
01:43:43,560 --> 01:43:47,014
And the first thing you
should try to be is sociable.

2603
01:43:47,014 --> 01:43:49,432
You should try to talk to
as many people as you can.

2604
01:43:49,432 --> 01:43:52,337
Even if you don't think they
will necessarily be useful

2605
01:43:52,337 --> 01:43:55,506
to your career, talking to
people can introduce you

2606
01:43:55,506 --> 01:43:58,270
to other people who can
introduce you to other people.

2607
01:43:58,270 --> 01:44:00,586
So starting that networking process

2608
01:44:00,586 --> 01:44:04,080
is extremely easy when
you're at a convention.

2609
01:44:04,080 --> 01:44:05,848
Because odds are everyone around you

2610
01:44:05,848 --> 01:44:09,130
is either in the industry, or
wants to be in the industry,

2611
01:44:09,130 --> 01:44:12,421
or maybe is just a fan and
is crazy about the industry.

2612
01:44:12,421 --> 01:44:14,920
So either way you look at
it, the people around you

2613
01:44:14,920 --> 01:44:16,830
are the people you want to know.

2614
01:44:16,830 --> 01:44:20,101
So start talking. I know
it can be kinda difficult.

2615
01:44:20,101 --> 01:44:22,438
I can be personally very shy.

2616
01:44:22,438 --> 01:44:26,521
And I have to sometimes force
myself to talk to people.

2617
01:44:26,521 --> 01:44:27,801
But it will pay off.

2618
01:44:27,801 --> 01:44:29,122
And it is a good thing.

2619
01:44:29,122 --> 01:44:31,276
And just think of it as practice.

2620
01:44:31,276 --> 01:44:33,680
Just force yourself to
start talkin' to people.

2621
01:44:33,680 --> 01:44:36,734
It's very easy to go up
to an artist at a table,

2622
01:44:36,734 --> 01:44:38,278
start looking at their work,

2623
01:44:38,278 --> 01:44:40,025
and make a few comments.

2624
01:44:40,025 --> 01:44:41,712
Start a little small talk,

2625
01:44:41,712 --> 01:44:43,967
and start to get to know those people.

2626
01:44:43,967 --> 01:44:47,421
And just keep doing this and
doing this and doing this.

2627
01:44:47,421 --> 01:44:50,407
And you start to relax and
get to know these people.

2628
01:44:50,407 --> 01:44:52,886
And this is really what networking is.

2629
01:44:52,886 --> 01:44:54,816
You often hear instructors and whatnot

2630
01:44:54,816 --> 01:44:56,685
talk about networking.

2631
01:44:56,685 --> 01:44:59,591
And this is one great
way to start networking,

2632
01:44:59,591 --> 01:45:01,378
is just talking to people.

2633
01:45:01,378 --> 01:45:03,248
Don't have any expectation that:

2634
01:45:03,248 --> 01:45:05,015
oh my God this person has to get me a job,

2635
01:45:05,015 --> 01:45:07,131
or this person has to tell
me every little detail

2636
01:45:07,131 --> 01:45:09,914
about the art directors and
give me a recommendation.

2637
01:45:09,914 --> 01:45:11,397
Don't worry about any of that.

2638
01:45:11,397 --> 01:45:14,323
Don't have any expectations
of the people you meet.

2639
01:45:14,323 --> 01:45:19,323
Just go, be a nice person, be
very polite, and start talking

2640
01:45:19,382 --> 01:45:21,536
to people; get to know them.

2641
01:45:21,536 --> 01:45:23,262
Now one rule you should always follow

2642
01:45:23,262 --> 01:45:24,217
when you're at a convention

2643
01:45:24,217 --> 01:45:27,021
is to always carry your work with you.

2644
01:45:27,021 --> 01:45:29,662
Always carry some sort of portfolio

2645
01:45:29,662 --> 01:45:32,060
or business card or postcard with you

2646
01:45:32,060 --> 01:45:34,782
wherever you go at all hours.

2647
01:45:34,782 --> 01:45:36,469
Doesn't matter if you're
just going out to dinner or

2648
01:45:36,469 --> 01:45:39,455
just going to get breakfast
before the convention.

2649
01:45:39,455 --> 01:45:40,593
Have your work with you.

2650
01:45:40,593 --> 01:45:43,254
You never know who you're gonna run in to.

2651
01:45:43,254 --> 01:45:45,042
And they might ask to see your work.

2652
01:45:45,042 --> 01:45:47,115
So always keep it with you.

2653
01:45:47,115 --> 01:45:49,126
And there are a few rules I like to say

2654
01:45:49,126 --> 01:45:51,117
about the portfolio itself.

2655
01:45:51,117 --> 01:45:52,722
And the first rule I like to say

2656
01:45:52,722 --> 01:45:54,247
is to keep your portfolio

2657
01:45:54,247 --> 01:45:56,192
in some sort of manageable format.

2658
01:45:56,192 --> 01:45:58,711
You have to realize conventions
are often very crowded,

2659
01:45:58,711 --> 01:46:03,296
very busy, very noisy, and if
you're carrying around a huge

2660
01:46:03,296 --> 01:46:06,099
or clumsy or fragile portfolio,

2661
01:46:06,099 --> 01:46:08,050
you are just asking for trouble.

2662
01:46:08,050 --> 01:46:11,646
So try to have something
small and manageable,

2663
01:46:11,646 --> 01:46:14,937
and easy to open up without
putting it on a table even.

2664
01:46:14,937 --> 01:46:17,619
Often there's not any
table space to put it on.

2665
01:46:17,619 --> 01:46:21,154
So if you can just have the
person hold it in their hands

2666
01:46:21,154 --> 01:46:24,507
and easily flip through
it, that is much better.

2667
01:46:24,507 --> 01:46:26,559
This is one that a lot of people forget.

2668
01:46:26,559 --> 01:46:29,017
Put your name on your portfolio.

2669
01:46:29,017 --> 01:46:31,475
And there are several
reasons you wanna do this.

2670
01:46:31,475 --> 01:46:33,771
One of course is in case you lose it

2671
01:46:33,771 --> 01:46:35,254
somebody can actually find you.

2672
01:46:35,254 --> 01:46:37,834
But another one, and
one that a lot of people

2673
01:46:37,834 --> 01:46:40,902
don't even realize is that
if you introduced yourself

2674
01:46:40,902 --> 01:46:43,097
to someone, and you've
handed your portfolio

2675
01:46:43,097 --> 01:46:45,799
over to them for them
to take a look at it,

2676
01:46:45,799 --> 01:46:48,034
and your name isn't in there,

2677
01:46:48,034 --> 01:46:49,781
there's a very good chance

2678
01:46:49,781 --> 01:46:52,300
that they have already
forgotten your name.

2679
01:46:52,300 --> 01:46:54,169
But if they all the sudden open it,

2680
01:46:54,169 --> 01:46:56,445
see that they really,
really like your work,

2681
01:46:56,445 --> 01:46:59,188
and want to get to know you better,

2682
01:46:59,188 --> 01:47:01,240
or maybe start to hire you even,

2683
01:47:01,240 --> 01:47:02,967
then they're gonna wanna know your name.

2684
01:47:02,967 --> 01:47:04,511
And if your name isn't in there,

2685
01:47:04,511 --> 01:47:06,380
they're gonna have to ask you your name.

2686
01:47:06,380 --> 01:47:08,107
And that is really awkward.

2687
01:47:08,107 --> 01:47:09,834
And it's an easy situation to avoid

2688
01:47:09,834 --> 01:47:13,308
by just putting your
name on your portfolio.

2689
01:47:13,308 --> 01:47:16,701
Secondly, do not bring original work.

2690
01:47:16,701 --> 01:47:19,200
If you're an illustrator,
and you work traditionally,

2691
01:47:19,200 --> 01:47:22,430
be that pencils, oils,
watercolors, whatever,

2692
01:47:22,430 --> 01:47:24,299
do not bring the originals.

2693
01:47:24,299 --> 01:47:26,900
Never ever ever ever ever.

2694
01:47:26,900 --> 01:47:29,094
Art directors do not wanna see them.

2695
01:47:29,094 --> 01:47:31,024
They don't care that much.

2696
01:47:31,024 --> 01:47:34,174
I mean, sure they can
appreciate original work,

2697
01:47:34,174 --> 01:47:37,241
but it is just inappropriate
in a convention setting.

2698
01:47:37,241 --> 01:47:39,090
It's just it's too risky.

2699
01:47:39,090 --> 01:47:42,036
There's too much likelihood
of them damaging your work.

2700
01:47:42,036 --> 01:47:43,377
It's often clumsy.

2701
01:47:43,377 --> 01:47:46,506
The work is often different
sizes so it doesn't look right.

2702
01:47:46,506 --> 01:47:49,107
And it just in general
doesn't feel professional.

2703
01:47:49,107 --> 01:47:51,362
So always get prints of your work.

2704
01:47:51,362 --> 01:47:53,962
Do not bring the original pieces.

2705
01:47:53,962 --> 01:47:55,506
Now you do have several options

2706
01:47:55,506 --> 01:47:58,574
on what you are gonna
use for your portfolio.

2707
01:47:58,574 --> 01:48:01,967
And the most common one
you'll see everyone using

2708
01:48:01,967 --> 01:48:04,832
is that black kinda plastic book

2709
01:48:04,832 --> 01:48:07,758
with the glossy plastic sleeves in it.

2710
01:48:07,758 --> 01:48:09,424
And that's perfectly fine.

2711
01:48:09,424 --> 01:48:13,710
It works. But it's not
really anything special.

2712
01:48:13,710 --> 01:48:16,291
This isn't really your ideal portfolio.

2713
01:48:16,291 --> 01:48:18,424
But it does work.

2714
01:48:18,424 --> 01:48:19,623
And the nice thing about these

2715
01:48:19,623 --> 01:48:21,472
is that they're very cheap.

2716
01:48:21,472 --> 01:48:24,296
And it's also easy to rearrange your work.

2717
01:48:24,296 --> 01:48:27,363
You'll often find while you're
showing your work around

2718
01:48:27,363 --> 01:48:30,574
to either other artists or art directors,

2719
01:48:30,574 --> 01:48:32,829
that they will point out a piece or two

2720
01:48:32,829 --> 01:48:35,653
that should either be taken
out or moved to the back

2721
01:48:35,653 --> 01:48:38,700
or moved to the front,
et cetera, et cetera.

2722
01:48:38,700 --> 01:48:41,565
And having the ability to
easily rearrange your work

2723
01:48:41,565 --> 01:48:44,714
is actually really useful at a convention.

2724
01:48:44,714 --> 01:48:46,827
The problem with these books is

2725
01:48:46,827 --> 01:48:49,103
the plastic sleeves themselves.

2726
01:48:49,103 --> 01:48:53,715
If you get the no-glare ones,
the matte ones or whatever,

2727
01:48:53,715 --> 01:48:56,965
they often really kill
the color of all your work

2728
01:48:56,965 --> 01:48:58,509
which is not really ideal.

2729
01:48:58,509 --> 01:48:59,891
And if you get the glossy ones,

2730
01:48:59,891 --> 01:49:01,760
while the color's great,

2731
01:49:01,760 --> 01:49:04,218
the glare is often terrible.

2732
01:49:04,218 --> 01:49:05,173
And you have to realize

2733
01:49:05,173 --> 01:49:06,595
a lot of convention halls

2734
01:49:06,595 --> 01:49:08,708
and portfolio review rooms

2735
01:49:08,708 --> 01:49:10,597
often have horrible lighting,

2736
01:49:10,597 --> 01:49:12,385
and so it's gonna be just really difficult

2737
01:49:12,385 --> 01:49:15,331
for someone to actually get
a good look at your work.

2738
01:49:15,331 --> 01:49:18,298
So it's one of the killer aspects

2739
01:49:18,298 --> 01:49:20,411
of these plastic portfolios.

2740
01:49:20,411 --> 01:49:21,914
And there's really no way around it

2741
01:49:21,914 --> 01:49:25,652
without switching to one
of the other alternatives.

2742
01:49:25,652 --> 01:49:27,075
And the second alternative

2743
01:49:27,075 --> 01:49:29,634
is some sort of bound print book.

2744
01:49:29,634 --> 01:49:31,179
It doesn't have sleeves in it.

2745
01:49:31,179 --> 01:49:32,824
It's actually bound together,

2746
01:49:32,824 --> 01:49:34,673
often with screws or other sort of

2747
01:49:34,673 --> 01:49:36,806
binding things on the side.

2748
01:49:36,806 --> 01:49:38,594
But it's actual pieces of paper

2749
01:49:38,594 --> 01:49:42,129
rather than pieces of paper in a sleeve.

2750
01:49:42,129 --> 01:49:43,389
So you don't have to have any of those

2751
01:49:43,389 --> 01:49:44,852
problems with the sleeve.

2752
01:49:44,852 --> 01:49:46,152
Now one of the bad things is

2753
01:49:46,152 --> 01:49:48,782
that these are often much
more difficult to rearrange.

2754
01:49:48,782 --> 01:49:50,246
You're not gonna easily be able

2755
01:49:50,246 --> 01:49:53,476
to pop one of these pieces out
and move it to another place.

2756
01:49:53,476 --> 01:49:56,199
They're often a lot sturdier than that.

2757
01:49:56,199 --> 01:49:59,104
But you're also gonna have
a lot nicer print quality.

2758
01:49:59,104 --> 01:50:01,725
You're gonna allow people
to appreciate your work

2759
01:50:01,725 --> 01:50:03,208
much easier.

2760
01:50:03,208 --> 01:50:06,296
Now the third alternative,
and the one I've used lately,

2761
01:50:06,296 --> 01:50:09,100
is to get your books actually printed.

2762
01:50:09,100 --> 01:50:12,310
Sites like Lulu or Blurb or whatnot,

2763
01:50:12,310 --> 01:50:14,504
I've included links on
the resource page again

2764
01:50:14,504 --> 01:50:15,764
so check that out.

2765
01:50:15,764 --> 01:50:18,873
I've got details on which places I like

2766
01:50:18,873 --> 01:50:20,701
and which places I don't like.

2767
01:50:20,701 --> 01:50:23,850
And I've actually found
these to be a great tool

2768
01:50:23,850 --> 01:50:25,455
for your portfolio.

2769
01:50:25,455 --> 01:50:29,112
They have the pros of being
really high quality prints.

2770
01:50:29,112 --> 01:50:30,392
They're very easy to flip through.

2771
01:50:30,392 --> 01:50:32,587
They're very professional looking.

2772
01:50:32,587 --> 01:50:35,370
They're a great image to portray.

2773
01:50:35,370 --> 01:50:38,072
The cons are that you cannot rearrange

2774
01:50:38,072 --> 01:50:40,388
your images at all unless you cut it up

2775
01:50:40,388 --> 01:50:42,197
and paste it and whatnot,

2776
01:50:42,197 --> 01:50:43,111
which you don't really wanna be doing

2777
01:50:43,111 --> 01:50:44,919
in the middle of a convention.

2778
01:50:44,919 --> 01:50:46,727
You also can't take out any images

2779
01:50:46,727 --> 01:50:49,247
if you find that one's really terrible.

2780
01:50:49,247 --> 01:50:51,563
And they're also very expensive.

2781
01:50:51,563 --> 01:50:53,371
It's not uncommon

2782
01:50:53,371 --> 01:50:56,134
for a small little portfolio book

2783
01:50:56,134 --> 01:50:59,039
to be fifty dollars a pop.

2784
01:50:59,039 --> 01:51:00,319
Which if you get a few of them printed,

2785
01:51:00,319 --> 01:51:02,026
that's a lot of money.

2786
01:51:02,026 --> 01:51:03,407
But they are very nice.

2787
01:51:03,407 --> 01:51:05,764
I've had good success with them.

2788
01:51:05,764 --> 01:51:07,532
And again on the resource page

2789
01:51:07,532 --> 01:51:08,527
you can find some details

2790
01:51:08,527 --> 01:51:11,270
of which places I would
recommend to get them printed

2791
01:51:11,270 --> 01:51:13,454
as well as a few other tips on that.

2792
01:51:13,454 --> 01:51:15,324
Now the last option we're gonna talk about

2793
01:51:15,324 --> 01:51:18,141
for portfolios, and while
there are many others

2794
01:51:18,141 --> 01:51:20,068
we're not gonna get into
because I'm just covering

2795
01:51:20,068 --> 01:51:24,071
the most popular ones, and
in some ways the best ones

2796
01:51:24,071 --> 01:51:27,525
is the iPad or other tablet device.

2797
01:51:27,525 --> 01:51:30,470
And honestly, this is
where I see things going

2798
01:51:30,470 --> 01:51:33,985
as soon to become the new standard.

2799
01:51:33,985 --> 01:51:35,854
They are very expensive.

2800
01:51:35,854 --> 01:51:37,764
They cost hundreds of dollars usually

2801
01:51:37,764 --> 01:51:39,329
to get a good tablet.

2802
01:51:39,329 --> 01:51:41,645
But they are fantastic ways

2803
01:51:41,645 --> 01:51:43,351
to show off your work.

2804
01:51:43,351 --> 01:51:46,683
They're a good enough size these days.

2805
01:51:46,683 --> 01:51:48,634
Part of the problem people had

2806
01:51:48,634 --> 01:51:50,991
with iPhone portfolios, 'cause some people

2807
01:51:50,991 --> 01:51:52,474
actually tried to do that,

2808
01:51:52,474 --> 01:51:55,623
is that the work is just
too tiny to appreciate.

2809
01:51:55,623 --> 01:51:57,939
But the screens are actually
very large these days.

2810
01:51:57,939 --> 01:51:59,666
The screens are often very nice,

2811
01:51:59,666 --> 01:52:02,002
really high definition screens.

2812
01:52:02,002 --> 01:52:04,075
The colors are often very good.

2813
01:52:04,075 --> 01:52:05,294
One of the problems you're gonna have

2814
01:52:05,294 --> 01:52:07,630
with all the other options here,

2815
01:52:07,630 --> 01:52:08,585
is that you're gonna need to be able

2816
01:52:08,585 --> 01:52:10,698
to get good prints of your work.

2817
01:52:10,698 --> 01:52:12,039
And getting good prints of your work

2818
01:52:12,039 --> 01:52:13,908
is often very complicated.

2819
01:52:13,908 --> 01:52:17,078
Because trying to deal with
all the color profiles,

2820
01:52:17,078 --> 01:52:19,780
and getting your printer
to print just right

2821
01:52:19,780 --> 01:52:22,563
is a real pain and something that

2822
01:52:22,563 --> 01:52:24,412
I would have to go into for quite a while

2823
01:52:24,412 --> 01:52:26,261
to explain.

2824
01:52:26,261 --> 01:52:28,313
But suffice it to say,
you are gonna have a pain

2825
01:52:28,313 --> 01:52:30,243
trying to get the colors
you see on the screen

2826
01:52:30,243 --> 01:52:32,173
onto a printed page.

2827
01:52:32,173 --> 01:52:34,103
The nice thing about
of course using an iPad

2828
01:52:34,103 --> 01:52:36,421
or other tablet is that
it's still a screen.

2829
01:52:36,421 --> 01:52:39,021
So you're gonna have great colors on it.

2830
01:52:39,021 --> 01:52:41,723
And lastly, they're really
simple to use these days.

2831
01:52:41,723 --> 01:52:43,349
You're not gonna have somebody,

2832
01:52:43,349 --> 01:52:46,881
it's not the same as
using a laptop per se.

2833
01:52:48,368 --> 01:52:50,847
It's very easy to use a tablet.

2834
01:52:50,847 --> 01:52:52,391
All you have to do is flick it across

2835
01:52:52,391 --> 01:52:53,102
and there you go.

2836
01:52:53,102 --> 01:52:54,463
You get to the next image.

2837
01:52:54,463 --> 01:52:56,454
So they're not really
gonna complicate people.

2838
01:52:56,454 --> 01:52:58,405
You're not gonna have this
really complicated interface

2839
01:52:58,405 --> 01:53:00,132
to deal with it.

2840
01:53:00,132 --> 01:53:02,448
And really this is where
I see things going.

2841
01:53:02,448 --> 01:53:04,541
I see most people will probably have

2842
01:53:04,541 --> 01:53:08,685
iPads or other tablets as
their primary portfolio.

2843
01:53:08,685 --> 01:53:11,509
This is what I'm planning
to do in the near future.

2844
01:53:11,509 --> 01:53:13,724
They are again very expensive.

2845
01:53:13,724 --> 01:53:16,507
But you can write it off
as a business expense.

2846
01:53:16,507 --> 01:53:19,424
So it's not a complete loss.

2847
01:53:19,424 --> 01:53:21,516
And of course they will last a long time

2848
01:53:21,516 --> 01:53:24,462
and you can actually
use it for other things

2849
01:53:24,462 --> 01:53:26,880
besides showing off your work.

2850
01:53:26,880 --> 01:53:28,363
All right, let's talk a little bit

2851
01:53:28,363 --> 01:53:30,375
about portfolio reviews.

2852
01:53:30,375 --> 01:53:32,975
Now I don't actually know
that these happen too often

2853
01:53:32,975 --> 01:53:36,166
in say, a design convention.

2854
01:53:36,166 --> 01:53:39,294
But they do happen a lot
at comic conventions,

2855
01:53:39,294 --> 01:53:43,427
at illustration conventions,
and concept art conventions.

2856
01:53:43,427 --> 01:53:45,157
So I'm gonna talk about them for a bit.

2857
01:53:45,157 --> 01:53:46,720
And I think all of this advice

2858
01:53:46,720 --> 01:53:49,402
will also apply to the designers here.

2859
01:53:49,402 --> 01:53:52,409
Because this advice would
apply if you were going to meet

2860
01:53:52,409 --> 01:53:54,705
with a potential client or employer.

2861
01:53:54,705 --> 01:53:56,838
It's all pretty much the same advice.

2862
01:53:56,838 --> 01:53:59,297
So let's get started with this.

2863
01:53:59,297 --> 01:54:00,435
The first thing you wanna do

2864
01:54:00,435 --> 01:54:02,466
is do your research.

2865
01:54:02,466 --> 01:54:04,031
This is so important.

2866
01:54:04,031 --> 01:54:06,286
This is absolutely
crucial before you go into

2867
01:54:06,286 --> 01:54:09,983
any portfolio review, any
interview, anything like this,

2868
01:54:09,983 --> 01:54:13,701
any client meeting, do your research.

2869
01:54:13,701 --> 01:54:15,896
Do not walk in there blind.

2870
01:54:15,896 --> 01:54:17,196
You wanna walk in there

2871
01:54:17,196 --> 01:54:19,878
with already having researched everything

2872
01:54:19,878 --> 01:54:21,503
about the person you're meeting with,

2873
01:54:21,503 --> 01:54:24,043
as well as the company
they're working for.

2874
01:54:24,043 --> 01:54:25,871
You wanna walk in there
with an understanding

2875
01:54:25,871 --> 01:54:28,411
of what they do, what their company does,

2876
01:54:28,411 --> 01:54:29,631
where they're based.

2877
01:54:29,631 --> 01:54:32,211
You wanna see the sort of work
that they're commissioning.

2878
01:54:32,211 --> 01:54:34,404
You wanna know everything you possibly can

2879
01:54:34,404 --> 01:54:37,269
about this company and about
this person you're meeting with

2880
01:54:37,269 --> 01:54:40,053
before you ever step into the room.

2881
01:54:40,053 --> 01:54:43,019
This will put you ahead of
everyone else walking in there

2882
01:54:43,019 --> 01:54:45,396
who just decided to show up that day

2883
01:54:45,396 --> 01:54:47,326
and get a portfolio review.

2884
01:54:47,326 --> 01:54:50,272
So do your research, get
online ahead of time,

2885
01:54:50,272 --> 01:54:52,588
and do your research.

2886
01:54:52,588 --> 01:54:55,087
The internet makes this so easy for you.

2887
01:54:55,087 --> 01:54:57,850
For instance, if I'm going
to meet with an art director,

2888
01:54:57,850 --> 01:54:59,394
I will look online.

2889
01:54:59,394 --> 01:55:01,507
I will find out who they're working for.

2890
01:55:01,507 --> 01:55:04,331
And I will find out the
sort of books they've been

2891
01:55:04,331 --> 01:55:05,652
commissioning lately.

2892
01:55:05,652 --> 01:55:07,602
I'll check to see if they have a blog.

2893
01:55:07,602 --> 01:55:09,350
I'll read through some
of their recent posts

2894
01:55:09,350 --> 01:55:11,402
to get an idea of what their opinions are,

2895
01:55:11,402 --> 01:55:14,104
what some of their likes and dislikes are.

2896
01:55:14,104 --> 01:55:15,709
I'll check to see if
they have a Twitter feed,

2897
01:55:15,709 --> 01:55:18,086
to see the sort of
stuff they're following.

2898
01:55:18,086 --> 01:55:20,280
I'll do a little bit of stalking/research

2899
01:55:20,280 --> 01:55:21,580
on these people.

2900
01:55:21,580 --> 01:55:23,307
That way when I walk into that room,

2901
01:55:23,307 --> 01:55:24,648
I have a little bit of understanding

2902
01:55:24,648 --> 01:55:25,928
of who this person is.

2903
01:55:25,928 --> 01:55:27,411
I have a little bit of an understanding

2904
01:55:27,411 --> 01:55:29,890
of how to deal with them.

2905
01:55:29,890 --> 01:55:31,231
Now when you walk into the room,

2906
01:55:31,231 --> 01:55:32,694
realize that you are meeting with

2907
01:55:32,694 --> 01:55:34,604
a potential employer.

2908
01:55:34,604 --> 01:55:36,290
If you're going to a portfolio review,

2909
01:55:36,290 --> 01:55:39,297
treat it like a professional interview.

2910
01:55:39,297 --> 01:55:40,313
So you wanna give off

2911
01:55:40,313 --> 01:55:42,568
a really good first impression.

2912
01:55:42,568 --> 01:55:45,697
Because ideally you should be working

2913
01:55:45,697 --> 01:55:47,993
for this person some day soon.

2914
01:55:47,993 --> 01:55:50,390
So try to give off that good, professional

2915
01:55:50,390 --> 01:55:52,158
first impression.

2916
01:55:52,158 --> 01:55:53,702
Because during this first meeting,

2917
01:55:53,702 --> 01:55:56,058
not only will they be
taking a look at your work,

2918
01:55:56,058 --> 01:55:57,095
they'll also be taking a look at

2919
01:55:57,095 --> 01:55:58,842
what kind of person you are.

2920
01:55:58,842 --> 01:56:00,711
Are you gonna be a really
good person to work with?

2921
01:56:00,711 --> 01:56:03,230
Or are you gonna be a really
miserable person to work with?

2922
01:56:03,230 --> 01:56:06,075
Now miserable people that are terrible

2923
01:56:06,075 --> 01:56:08,675
and annoying and mean and everything

2924
01:56:08,675 --> 01:56:10,057
do get hired.

2925
01:56:10,057 --> 01:56:12,779
They definitely get work
if they're good enough.

2926
01:56:12,779 --> 01:56:14,831
But do you really wanna be that person?

2927
01:56:14,831 --> 01:56:16,314
Or do you wanna be the guy

2928
01:56:16,314 --> 01:56:18,773
who's really a joy to work with?

2929
01:56:18,773 --> 01:56:20,317
They are so glad when they hire you

2930
01:56:20,317 --> 01:56:21,984
because they know the entire process

2931
01:56:21,984 --> 01:56:23,710
is gonna be seamless.

2932
01:56:23,710 --> 01:56:25,437
It's gonna be enjoyable for both parties

2933
01:56:25,437 --> 01:56:27,408
and you're gonna end up
with a great product.

2934
01:56:27,408 --> 01:56:28,667
That's what you wanna go for.

2935
01:56:28,667 --> 01:56:31,227
So that's also the image you
wanna portray to that person

2936
01:56:31,227 --> 01:56:33,056
when you walk into the room.

2937
01:56:33,056 --> 01:56:34,356
So you wanna try to be professional.

2938
01:56:34,356 --> 01:56:36,876
You wanna be nice; you wanna be friendly.

2939
01:56:36,876 --> 01:56:39,273
You wanna seem like a good human being.

2940
01:56:39,273 --> 01:56:40,573
Another thing you wanna get across

2941
01:56:40,573 --> 01:56:42,666
is that you're very
serious about this meeting.

2942
01:56:42,666 --> 01:56:45,571
If you walk in there half-heartedly
like you just decided

2943
01:56:45,571 --> 01:56:47,582
to that day, just: oh why not?

2944
01:56:47,582 --> 01:56:50,691
I'll go for a portfolio
review. I don't really care.

2945
01:56:50,691 --> 01:56:51,930
You don't really wanna do that.

2946
01:56:51,930 --> 01:56:53,577
You wanna take their time seriously.

2947
01:56:53,577 --> 01:56:55,079
These are very busy people.

2948
01:56:55,079 --> 01:56:57,152
They're often not getting paid exactly

2949
01:56:57,152 --> 01:56:59,154
to do portfolio reviews.

2950
01:56:59,154 --> 01:57:01,878
So they have to slog
through a lot of amateurs,

2951
01:57:01,878 --> 01:57:04,560
a lot of student work,
and they're often not

2952
01:57:04,560 --> 01:57:06,647
gonna see too many people
who are very serious

2953
01:57:06,647 --> 01:57:07,824
about this.

2954
01:57:07,824 --> 01:57:10,487
So you wanna be on of those serious people

2955
01:57:10,487 --> 01:57:13,128
who's gonna walk in there
and be very professional

2956
01:57:13,128 --> 01:57:14,651
about the entire situation.

2957
01:57:14,651 --> 01:57:18,512
And take their time as something precious.

2958
01:57:18,512 --> 01:57:22,128
And along that note, be on time.

2959
01:57:22,128 --> 01:57:25,195
Do not be late for your
own portfolio review.

2960
01:57:25,195 --> 01:57:26,964
And when I say be on time,

2961
01:57:26,964 --> 01:57:29,645
what I really mean is be early.

2962
01:57:29,645 --> 01:57:31,860
This will depend on the situation,

2963
01:57:31,860 --> 01:57:35,131
but often you will not
get your portfolio review

2964
01:57:35,131 --> 01:57:36,106
if you're late.

2965
01:57:36,106 --> 01:57:38,157
You're not gonna get another shot at this.

2966
01:57:38,157 --> 01:57:39,763
So show up early.

2967
01:57:39,763 --> 01:57:43,238
Be professional. Again, be professional.

2968
01:57:43,238 --> 01:57:46,020
So show up early, and sit there and wait.

2969
01:57:46,020 --> 01:57:48,641
It doesn't matter if you
have to wait thirty minutes

2970
01:57:48,641 --> 01:57:50,612
if it means you're gonna be on time.

2971
01:57:50,612 --> 01:57:52,238
If you're somebody who's chronically late,

2972
01:57:52,238 --> 01:57:54,248
show up even earlier.

2973
01:57:54,248 --> 01:57:56,606
Now another thing is to dress cleanly.

2974
01:57:56,606 --> 01:57:57,641
Sometimes you're gonna be

2975
01:57:57,641 --> 01:58:01,523
at a comic convention and
everyone will wear costumes.

2976
01:58:01,523 --> 01:58:03,391
And those are great. Those are fun.

2977
01:58:03,391 --> 01:58:05,260
But on the day of your portfolio review,

2978
01:58:05,260 --> 01:58:06,602
when you walk in there,

2979
01:58:06,602 --> 01:58:08,674
be dressed as a human being.

2980
01:58:08,674 --> 01:58:10,060
I know you might wanna be dressed

2981
01:58:10,060 --> 01:58:11,989
as a Vulcan or whatnot.

2982
01:58:11,989 --> 01:58:14,447
But go in there dressed as a human being.

2983
01:58:14,447 --> 01:58:15,727
It's not that hard.

2984
01:58:15,727 --> 01:58:16,865
And you don't need to go overboard.

2985
01:58:16,865 --> 01:58:18,451
You don't need to wear a suit and tie

2986
01:58:18,451 --> 01:58:21,376
to your portfolio review
unless you really want to.

2987
01:58:21,376 --> 01:58:23,753
You just have to try to look
a little bit professional.

2988
01:58:23,753 --> 01:58:25,033
You have to look clean cut.

2989
01:58:25,033 --> 01:58:27,247
You're just trying to avoid looking like

2990
01:58:27,247 --> 01:58:29,055
you rolled out of bed that morning

2991
01:58:29,055 --> 01:58:32,165
or that you put on your Klingon costume.

2992
01:58:32,165 --> 01:58:33,505
You're trying to look like somebody

2993
01:58:33,505 --> 01:58:35,861
who's going in there for a job interview.

2994
01:58:35,861 --> 01:58:37,223
And it doesn't have to be the most formal

2995
01:58:37,223 --> 01:58:38,727
job interview in the world.

2996
01:58:38,727 --> 01:58:40,799
But it is a job interview.

2997
01:58:40,799 --> 01:58:42,546
So by looking professional,

2998
01:58:42,546 --> 01:58:43,521
you will give the impression

2999
01:58:43,521 --> 01:58:45,817
that you are professional.

3000
01:58:45,817 --> 01:58:46,975
Now the first thing you wanna do

3001
01:58:46,975 --> 01:58:47,930
when you walk into the room

3002
01:58:47,930 --> 01:58:50,756
and you see the person,
is introduce yourself.

3003
01:58:50,756 --> 01:58:54,860
And this is actually
surprisingly forgotten a lot.

3004
01:58:54,860 --> 01:58:56,994
For some reason, the
adrenaline of the moment

3005
01:58:56,994 --> 01:58:59,818
or whatever, or the worry
that you're gonna have

3006
01:58:59,818 --> 01:59:01,463
a terrible portfolio review

3007
01:59:01,463 --> 01:59:04,551
somehow blocks out that
ability to introduce yourself.

3008
01:59:04,551 --> 01:59:06,197
So the first thing you wanna do

3009
01:59:06,197 --> 01:59:09,164
is tell them your name,
and shake their hand.

3010
01:59:09,164 --> 01:59:11,073
It doesn't have to be
anything complicated.

3011
01:59:11,073 --> 01:59:12,617
Just get your name across.

3012
01:59:12,617 --> 01:59:14,365
It's gonna be very awkward for them

3013
01:59:14,365 --> 01:59:16,599
if they don't know who you are.

3014
01:59:16,599 --> 01:59:18,631
So try to get your name across early.

3015
01:59:18,631 --> 01:59:21,862
And give them a nice firm
handshake for good measure.

3016
01:59:21,862 --> 01:59:24,787
Now if you don't even have
your name on your portfolio,

3017
01:59:24,787 --> 01:59:26,860
and you also forget to introduce yourself,

3018
01:59:26,860 --> 01:59:29,603
they're gonna have no idea who you are.

3019
01:59:29,603 --> 01:59:30,923
And it's gonna make it
really weird for them

3020
01:59:30,923 --> 01:59:33,808
when they ask you 10 minutes
into the portfolio review:

3021
01:59:33,808 --> 01:59:35,271
what's your name?

3022
01:59:35,271 --> 01:59:37,343
So try to avoid that awkward situation.

3023
01:59:37,343 --> 01:59:40,431
And introduce yourself right off the bat.

3024
01:59:40,431 --> 01:59:42,829
Now along the lines of
preparing an introduction

3025
01:59:42,829 --> 01:59:45,196
is actually preparing
an opening statement.

3026
01:59:45,196 --> 01:59:48,224
Something a little more
than just your name,

3027
01:59:48,224 --> 01:59:51,393
but not exactly a full
history of your entire career.

3028
01:59:51,393 --> 01:59:53,689
'Cause they don't really care about that.

3029
01:59:53,689 --> 01:59:55,477
So it's good to actually write up

3030
01:59:55,477 --> 01:59:57,265
or just have in your mind

3031
01:59:57,265 --> 01:59:58,992
a good general statement

3032
01:59:58,992 --> 02:00:00,699
for when you're introducing yourself

3033
02:00:00,699 --> 02:00:04,128
to a potential art director or client.

3034
02:00:04,128 --> 02:00:06,570
It's good to have a way
to sum up what you do

3035
02:00:06,570 --> 02:00:09,191
in a very concise way.

3036
02:00:09,191 --> 02:00:11,629
And part of the key to having
a good opening statement,

3037
02:00:11,629 --> 02:00:12,909
is knowing what you're looking for

3038
02:00:12,909 --> 02:00:14,311
in a portfolio review.

3039
02:00:14,311 --> 02:00:15,794
If you're looking for critiques,

3040
02:00:15,794 --> 02:00:17,744
it's good to ask for critiques.

3041
02:00:17,744 --> 02:00:19,044
If you're looking for work,

3042
02:00:19,044 --> 02:00:20,844
tell them you wanna work for them.

3043
02:00:20,844 --> 02:00:24,054
If you give this expectation
right off the bat,

3044
02:00:24,054 --> 02:00:26,147
they're gonna be able to
steer the portfolio review

3045
02:00:26,147 --> 02:00:29,215
in a direction that's more
useful to both of you.

3046
02:00:29,215 --> 02:00:31,877
If you go in there and
you ask for critiques,

3047
02:00:31,877 --> 02:00:33,969
they're going to give you critiques.

3048
02:00:33,969 --> 02:00:35,820
If you go in there and you
actually want critiques

3049
02:00:35,820 --> 02:00:37,752
but you never tell them that,

3050
02:00:37,752 --> 02:00:39,782
they're gonna assume probably

3051
02:00:39,782 --> 02:00:42,099
that you're going in
there looking for work.

3052
02:00:42,099 --> 02:00:45,147
If your work is something
completely off base,

3053
02:00:45,147 --> 02:00:47,118
then the entire thing is gonna be focused

3054
02:00:47,118 --> 02:00:50,997
on how to get your work
closer to what they do.

3055
02:00:50,997 --> 02:00:54,573
Not necessarily on critiquing
what it is that you do.

3056
02:00:54,573 --> 02:00:56,870
So try and set that
expectation for the review

3057
02:00:56,870 --> 02:00:57,865
right off the bat.

3058
02:00:57,865 --> 02:01:01,462
And odds are everything's gonna
go a lot smoother for you.

3059
02:01:01,462 --> 02:01:02,781
So in this opening statement

3060
02:01:02,781 --> 02:01:04,224
you wanna tell them who you are.

3061
02:01:04,224 --> 02:01:06,113
You wanna tell them what you do,

3062
02:01:06,113 --> 02:01:08,226
and you wanna tell them
what you're looking for

3063
02:01:08,226 --> 02:01:10,848
in ideally under 10 seconds.

3064
02:01:10,848 --> 02:01:12,229
So let me give you an example

3065
02:01:12,229 --> 02:01:13,774
of what I would use.

3066
02:01:13,774 --> 02:01:16,395
I'd say: hello, I'm Noah Bradley.

3067
02:01:16,395 --> 02:01:18,060
I'm a concept artist and illustrator

3068
02:01:18,060 --> 02:01:19,644
working freelance on games,

3069
02:01:19,644 --> 02:01:21,859
and I would love to
work with your company.

3070
02:01:21,859 --> 02:01:23,607
Now in that brief little statement

3071
02:01:23,607 --> 02:01:25,639
I let them know who I was.

3072
02:01:25,639 --> 02:01:27,874
I let them know I was a professional,

3073
02:01:27,874 --> 02:01:29,132
that I wasn't just an amateur.

3074
02:01:29,132 --> 02:01:30,454
I wasn't a student.

3075
02:01:30,454 --> 02:01:33,704
And I let them know the field
that I'm working in right now,

3076
02:01:33,704 --> 02:01:36,182
and that I would like work from them.

3077
02:01:36,182 --> 02:01:38,803
So that's a lot of information
packed into a very short,

3078
02:01:38,803 --> 02:01:41,263
concise statement that you can say.

3079
02:01:41,263 --> 02:01:43,050
And you don't have to get in to

3080
02:01:43,050 --> 02:01:45,854
every little detail of your entire life.

3081
02:01:45,854 --> 02:01:47,337
Now say I was a student.

3082
02:01:47,337 --> 02:01:48,275
I could go in:

3083
02:01:48,275 --> 02:01:52,541
Hi I'm Noah Bradley. I'm a
senior in art school right now.

3084
02:01:52,541 --> 02:01:56,088
I am looking for advice
on how to break in to the

3085
02:01:56,088 --> 02:01:59,825
illustration field, and
ideally work for your company

3086
02:01:59,825 --> 02:02:02,243
in the coming years.

3087
02:02:02,243 --> 02:02:04,377
Something along those lines.

3088
02:02:04,377 --> 02:02:06,429
You can probably trim it down and make it

3089
02:02:06,429 --> 02:02:08,033
even cleaner than that.

3090
02:02:08,033 --> 02:02:09,496
But that gives you kind of an idea of what

3091
02:02:09,496 --> 02:02:11,324
these opening statements look like.

3092
02:02:11,324 --> 02:02:13,256
Some way to sum up who you are,

3093
02:02:13,256 --> 02:02:15,652
what you're looking
for, and where you're at

3094
02:02:15,652 --> 02:02:18,090
right now with your work.

3095
02:02:18,090 --> 02:02:20,366
Now as you go through the
portfolio review process,

3096
02:02:20,366 --> 02:02:23,800
there's one important thing
to always keep in mind.

3097
02:02:23,800 --> 02:02:27,619
And that is to never argue
with the art director.

3098
02:02:27,619 --> 02:02:29,936
Never argue with the client.

3099
02:02:29,936 --> 02:02:32,597
There are times when you can
debate the merits of your work,

3100
02:02:32,597 --> 02:02:35,583
but this is not the time to do that.

3101
02:02:35,583 --> 02:02:38,813
This is the time to shut
up and listen to them.

3102
02:02:38,813 --> 02:02:41,881
They do not wanna sit there
and hear your excuses.

3103
02:02:41,881 --> 02:02:44,970
They do not wanna sit there
and hear all of your reasons

3104
02:02:44,970 --> 02:02:48,184
why your work is actually
really good when it's not.

3105
02:02:48,184 --> 02:02:50,987
So keep your opinions to yourself,

3106
02:02:50,987 --> 02:02:53,465
even if you think they're right.

3107
02:02:53,465 --> 02:02:56,114
And just listen to what they have to say.

3108
02:02:56,114 --> 02:03:00,096
Because odds are they have a
lot more experience than you.

3109
02:03:00,096 --> 02:03:03,062
And odds are what they're
telling you is true.

3110
02:03:03,062 --> 02:03:05,013
Now sometimes it's not true.

3111
02:03:05,013 --> 02:03:07,024
Sometimes they're way off base.

3112
02:03:07,024 --> 02:03:09,808
But even if they are clearly off base,

3113
02:03:09,808 --> 02:03:12,266
this is not the time to argue with them.

3114
02:03:12,266 --> 02:03:15,273
You're not going in there
trying to combat with them.

3115
02:03:15,273 --> 02:03:17,305
Having a combative
attitude is one of the most

3116
02:03:17,305 --> 02:03:19,417
off-putting behavior you can have

3117
02:03:19,417 --> 02:03:22,099
during a portfolio review.

3118
02:03:22,099 --> 02:03:24,923
Because if you're hard to
have a portfolio review with,

3119
02:03:24,923 --> 02:03:28,052
how much harder are you gonna
be to actually work with?

3120
02:03:28,052 --> 02:03:31,221
Another thing: taking notes
during the portfolio review

3121
02:03:31,221 --> 02:03:32,766
is not a bad thing to do.

3122
02:03:32,766 --> 02:03:36,931
It's not necessarily required,
but it also doesn't hurt.

3123
02:03:36,931 --> 02:03:38,861
It shows that you're
really paying attention

3124
02:03:38,861 --> 02:03:40,832
and you respect what they have to say.

3125
02:03:40,832 --> 02:03:43,473
And they are probably
going to appreciate that.

3126
02:03:43,473 --> 02:03:45,748
And it also doesn't hurt
because you can actually

3127
02:03:45,748 --> 02:03:49,040
refer back to those notes and
have some really good advice.

3128
02:03:49,040 --> 02:03:50,828
Now my personal approach to this

3129
02:03:50,828 --> 02:03:52,514
is that I actually don't take notes

3130
02:03:52,514 --> 02:03:54,728
during the portfolio review itself.

3131
02:03:54,728 --> 02:03:57,390
But as soon as I walk out
of the portfolio review,

3132
02:03:57,390 --> 02:04:00,702
I'll write down all the notes
of what I just went through

3133
02:04:00,702 --> 02:04:03,443
so that as the year progresses,

3134
02:04:03,443 --> 02:04:05,021
I can look back on those notes

3135
02:04:05,021 --> 02:04:08,394
and have a good idea of where
my work should be headed

3136
02:04:08,394 --> 02:04:10,263
based on their critiques.

3137
02:04:10,263 --> 02:04:13,453
Returning again to my experience
of my first convention,

3138
02:04:13,453 --> 02:04:15,525
this is exactly what I did.

3139
02:04:15,525 --> 02:04:18,796
Every time I showed my work to
an artist or an art director,

3140
02:04:18,796 --> 02:04:21,803
I would remember everything
they tried to tell me.

3141
02:04:21,803 --> 02:04:24,912
And afterwards I would go
and write those notes down.

3142
02:04:24,912 --> 02:04:27,797
And that page of notes I referred to

3143
02:04:27,797 --> 02:04:29,788
for the entire next year

3144
02:04:29,788 --> 02:04:32,246
so that I would be able to guide my work

3145
02:04:32,246 --> 02:04:34,643
in the way it was supposed to be going.

3146
02:04:34,643 --> 02:04:35,984
And by having these notes,

3147
02:04:35,984 --> 02:04:38,870
it allowed me to work
for the entire next year

3148
02:04:38,870 --> 02:04:40,759
preparing for the next convention.

3149
02:04:40,759 --> 02:04:43,156
So that by the time I got
to the next convention,

3150
02:04:43,156 --> 02:04:46,519
the year after, I was much more prepared.

3151
02:04:46,519 --> 02:04:48,012
I was extremely professional.

3152
02:04:48,012 --> 02:04:51,364
I acted professional. My
work had improved immensely.

3153
02:04:51,364 --> 02:04:54,107
And I had a huge success
at that convention.

3154
02:04:54,107 --> 02:04:57,094
I got work from it. I got
a lot of fans from it.

3155
02:04:57,094 --> 02:04:59,755
I got a lot of recognition
from other artists.

3156
02:04:59,755 --> 02:05:01,340
It was a great time.

3157
02:05:01,340 --> 02:05:03,209
So I used the notes that I gathered

3158
02:05:03,209 --> 02:05:05,688
during that first year
of portfolio reviews,

3159
02:05:05,688 --> 02:05:09,446
and really worked my butt
off to try to get better.

3160
02:05:09,446 --> 02:05:12,778
And it really all paid off the next year.

3161
02:05:12,778 --> 02:05:15,034
And lastly, let's talk about finishing up.

3162
02:05:15,034 --> 02:05:16,943
How do you end this review?

3163
02:05:16,943 --> 02:05:20,336
First of all, be sure
to thank them profusely.

3164
02:05:20,336 --> 02:05:21,880
They took the time out of their day,

3165
02:05:21,880 --> 02:05:23,668
out of their work schedule

3166
02:05:23,668 --> 02:05:25,985
to meet with you for a little bit of time.

3167
02:05:25,985 --> 02:05:29,377
And that is extremely,
extremely generous of them.

3168
02:05:29,377 --> 02:05:32,567
So thank them so much for what they did.

3169
02:05:32,567 --> 02:05:34,802
And you wanna do this even if you had

3170
02:05:34,802 --> 02:05:37,525
quote unquote a bad review.

3171
02:05:37,525 --> 02:05:39,089
Even if they didn't like your work,

3172
02:05:39,089 --> 02:05:41,080
even if you didn't really
get along with them,

3173
02:05:41,080 --> 02:05:43,071
thank them profusely.

3174
02:05:43,071 --> 02:05:45,773
Because you never know what's
gonna happen down the road.

3175
02:05:45,773 --> 02:05:48,435
A few years from now maybe
your work will be a lot better.

3176
02:05:48,435 --> 02:05:51,015
Maybe you'll get along with
this person really well.

3177
02:05:51,015 --> 02:05:53,799
So you don't wanna burn
that bridge at all.

3178
02:05:53,799 --> 02:05:54,774
You wanna thank them.

3179
02:05:54,774 --> 02:05:57,923
You wanna be respectful
as you possibly can.

3180
02:05:57,923 --> 02:06:00,503
Because even if that
person seems kinda grumpy

3181
02:06:00,503 --> 02:06:02,799
or irate that day,

3182
02:06:02,799 --> 02:06:05,135
you have to realize that
they are sitting in a room

3183
02:06:05,135 --> 02:06:09,219
looking at portfolio after
portfolio after portfolio.

3184
02:06:09,219 --> 02:06:11,434
And dealing with whole new
people walking into the room

3185
02:06:11,434 --> 02:06:12,592
all the time.

3186
02:06:12,592 --> 02:06:13,912
And it's extremely exhausting

3187
02:06:13,912 --> 02:06:16,025
for art directors at conventions.

3188
02:06:16,025 --> 02:06:17,346
So try to give them a break.

3189
02:06:17,346 --> 02:06:19,174
Give them the benefit of the doubt,

3190
02:06:19,174 --> 02:06:22,852
and be as nice to them
as you possibly can.

3191
02:06:22,852 --> 02:06:25,676
Next you wanna give them
some sort of leave-behind

3192
02:06:25,676 --> 02:06:27,118
to take with them.

3193
02:06:27,118 --> 02:06:31,446
What your leave-behinds are
depends on personal taste.

3194
02:06:31,446 --> 02:06:33,700
The usual standard,
for an illustrator say,

3195
02:06:33,700 --> 02:06:36,016
is some sort of postcard.

3196
02:06:36,016 --> 02:06:39,532
Have one of your best images
on there very prominent.

3197
02:06:39,532 --> 02:06:41,929
And have all of your contact information,

3198
02:06:41,929 --> 02:06:46,643
including your name so they
can find you again hopefully.

3199
02:06:46,643 --> 02:06:48,736
The thing to remember with leave-behinds

3200
02:06:48,736 --> 02:06:51,052
is that at the end of the
convention, they're gonna

3201
02:06:51,052 --> 02:06:54,323
dig through their massive
bag of business cards

3202
02:06:54,323 --> 02:06:56,192
and postcards and other stuff

3203
02:06:56,192 --> 02:06:58,833
and try to find those few
artists they remembered

3204
02:06:58,833 --> 02:07:00,093
were very good.

3205
02:07:00,093 --> 02:07:03,294
And so your work should be
able to easily stick out

3206
02:07:03,294 --> 02:07:04,900
of that pile.

3207
02:07:04,900 --> 02:07:05,997
Be absolutely certain

3208
02:07:05,997 --> 02:07:08,821
they can find what they're looking for.

3209
02:07:08,821 --> 02:07:10,162
Now there's one thing you wanna do

3210
02:07:10,162 --> 02:07:11,929
after you're done with
the portfolio review,

3211
02:07:11,929 --> 02:07:15,464
and even after you're done
with the convention itself.

3212
02:07:15,464 --> 02:07:19,060
And that is to follow up with
the art director somehow.

3213
02:07:19,060 --> 02:07:21,498
You wanna send them some
sort of email or message

3214
02:07:21,498 --> 02:07:24,709
letting them know how
thankful you are for the time

3215
02:07:24,709 --> 02:07:26,049
they took out of their day,

3216
02:07:26,049 --> 02:07:29,463
and how much you appreciate the review.

3217
02:07:29,463 --> 02:07:31,859
So if you can, try to find your email.

3218
02:07:31,859 --> 02:07:33,546
You can try to find it online.

3219
02:07:33,546 --> 02:07:35,944
Some art directors will have a blog.

3220
02:07:35,944 --> 02:07:37,772
You could try asking a friend.

3221
02:07:37,772 --> 02:07:39,601
If you're lucky, you might
get their business card

3222
02:07:39,601 --> 02:07:41,266
right off of them.

3223
02:07:41,266 --> 02:07:45,147
Regardless, try to find
their email somehow.

3224
02:07:45,147 --> 02:07:47,850
And then send them a very brief email

3225
02:07:47,850 --> 02:07:50,145
thanking them for their time and input.

3226
02:07:50,145 --> 02:07:52,340
And then put a link to your portfolio

3227
02:07:52,340 --> 02:07:56,058
so they can be reminded
of who exactly you are.

3228
02:07:56,058 --> 02:07:58,008
You don't wanna make this too long.

3229
02:07:58,008 --> 02:08:00,812
They're often just getting
back to their office

3230
02:08:00,812 --> 02:08:01,969
after the convention.

3231
02:08:01,969 --> 02:08:05,078
And they are absolutely swamped with work.

3232
02:08:05,078 --> 02:08:06,907
So they are probably not even going to see

3233
02:08:06,907 --> 02:08:08,410
this email for days.

3234
02:08:08,410 --> 02:08:10,788
And don't worry about that fact.

3235
02:08:10,788 --> 02:08:13,530
In fact, don't even expect a reply.

3236
02:08:13,530 --> 02:08:16,781
All you're doing here is
reminding them who you are

3237
02:08:16,781 --> 02:08:20,215
and how nice and thankful
and appreciative you are.

3238
02:08:20,215 --> 02:08:23,180
And oh right, there's your
link to your work as well.

3239
02:08:23,180 --> 02:08:25,517
Just in case they wanna hire you.

3240
02:08:25,517 --> 02:08:27,854
So this has actually become
my standard procedure

3241
02:08:27,854 --> 02:08:30,312
after pretty much every
convention I go to.

3242
02:08:30,312 --> 02:08:33,685
I will have a list of people
that I wanna follow up with

3243
02:08:33,685 --> 02:08:37,647
afterwards, and I will go
and send them out emails,

3244
02:08:37,647 --> 02:08:40,186
each one personal to them.

3245
02:08:40,186 --> 02:08:42,256
And hopefully mention one or two things

3246
02:08:42,256 --> 02:08:44,857
that we talked about
during our conversation

3247
02:08:44,857 --> 02:08:47,315
that maybe they would remember.

3248
02:08:47,315 --> 02:08:51,886
And send it off there so
they can remember who I am.

3249
02:08:51,886 --> 02:08:55,422
So with that, we wrap up
the section on conventions.

3250
02:08:55,422 --> 02:08:58,996
So again, I just wanna say
that conventions are amazing.

3251
02:08:58,996 --> 02:09:02,045
You should go to
conventions no matter what.

3252
02:09:02,045 --> 02:09:04,767
So get out there today
and try to find some

3253
02:09:04,767 --> 02:09:08,424
conventions in your area or in your field.

3254
02:09:08,424 --> 02:09:12,528
And start to figure out how
you're gonna make it happen.

3255
02:09:12,528 --> 02:09:16,023
All right, now let's talk
about networking itself.

3256
02:09:16,023 --> 02:09:19,843
Now a lot of people will rant
about how great networking is.

3257
02:09:19,843 --> 02:09:22,462
Most of your teachers will
say you need to get out there

3258
02:09:22,462 --> 02:09:23,926
and network.

3259
02:09:23,926 --> 02:09:25,227
But what does this really mean?

3260
02:09:25,227 --> 02:09:28,314
They don't really tell you
any details on how to do this

3261
02:09:28,314 --> 02:09:30,997
or really what you're shooting for here.

3262
02:09:30,997 --> 02:09:34,593
And basically with networking,
you're trying to meet people

3263
02:09:34,593 --> 02:09:37,193
either in the industry or

3264
02:09:37,193 --> 02:09:39,997
people looking to get into
the industry like yourself.

3265
02:09:39,997 --> 02:09:41,541
You're looking for your peers.

3266
02:09:41,541 --> 02:09:43,715
You're looking to get
to know these people.

3267
02:09:43,715 --> 02:09:46,275
And you're looking to grow
this network of connections

3268
02:09:46,275 --> 02:09:48,104
that you have.

3269
02:09:48,104 --> 02:09:52,431
And the reason you have these
connections are manifold.

3270
02:09:52,431 --> 02:09:54,503
For one thing, all the information

3271
02:09:54,503 --> 02:09:57,795
that they have is crucial.

3272
02:09:57,795 --> 02:10:01,797
The sharing of information is
such a great thing to have.

3273
02:10:01,797 --> 02:10:04,012
Another thing is the sharing of work.

3274
02:10:04,012 --> 02:10:07,790
People in my network
sometimes give me work.

3275
02:10:07,790 --> 02:10:11,387
If I for instance get a job offer,

3276
02:10:11,387 --> 02:10:14,272
and I don't have time to take it,

3277
02:10:14,272 --> 02:10:16,730
I'm gonna recommend someone that I know

3278
02:10:16,730 --> 02:10:18,985
that I have a connection
with, that I've networked

3279
02:10:18,985 --> 02:10:20,123
in some way with.

3280
02:10:20,123 --> 02:10:22,216
And I'll recommend them for the job.

3281
02:10:22,216 --> 02:10:23,841
And so that's actually a way that

3282
02:10:23,841 --> 02:10:25,751
you'll get a lot of your work eventually.

3283
02:10:25,751 --> 02:10:28,433
Because you'll build up
this network of people

3284
02:10:28,433 --> 02:10:30,363
that like you, that trust you.

3285
02:10:30,363 --> 02:10:32,456
And you guys will start
sharing information.

3286
02:10:32,456 --> 02:10:33,715
You'll start sharing work.

3287
02:10:33,715 --> 02:10:35,909
You'll start sharing connections as well.

3288
02:10:35,909 --> 02:10:37,717
'Cause as you start to get to know people,

3289
02:10:37,717 --> 02:10:40,745
you'll also get introduced to more people.

3290
02:10:40,745 --> 02:10:44,117
So it's getting those first
few people in your network

3291
02:10:44,117 --> 02:10:48,262
that is in some ways
the hardest thing to do.

3292
02:10:48,262 --> 02:10:49,806
Now we've talked about conventions.

3293
02:10:49,806 --> 02:10:53,260
And conventions are a
fantastic way to get started

3294
02:10:53,260 --> 02:10:54,702
on networking.

3295
02:10:54,702 --> 02:10:56,998
It's almost impossible
to go to a convention

3296
02:10:56,998 --> 02:11:01,428
and not somehow meet some
people in the industry.

3297
02:11:01,428 --> 02:11:04,536
It is a great way to get
your foot in the door,

3298
02:11:04,536 --> 02:11:07,279
and get your road started
on having a network.

3299
02:11:07,279 --> 02:11:11,281
So I really, really suggest
you go to a convention

3300
02:11:11,281 --> 02:11:13,516
and start talking to people.

3301
02:11:13,516 --> 02:11:14,979
Now there are a few other ways

3302
02:11:14,979 --> 02:11:17,600
that you can go about networking

3303
02:11:17,600 --> 02:11:20,200
besides conventions or in addition

3304
02:11:20,200 --> 02:11:22,638
to conventions more likely.

3305
02:11:22,638 --> 02:11:24,406
And the first thing I'm gonna say is

3306
02:11:24,406 --> 02:11:26,600
to start looking locally.

3307
02:11:26,600 --> 02:11:29,090
It depends partially on where you live.

3308
02:11:29,090 --> 02:11:34,090
If you live in Alaska in the boonies,

3309
02:11:34,250 --> 02:11:37,989
then you might not have a lot
of concept artists up there.

3310
02:11:37,989 --> 02:11:39,736
But you never know.

3311
02:11:39,736 --> 02:11:42,804
You might be surprised on

3312
02:11:42,804 --> 02:11:45,222
what sort of people live around you.

3313
02:11:45,222 --> 02:11:47,295
I live in rural Virginia.

3314
02:11:47,295 --> 02:11:51,967
I have hills and mountains
and cows as neighbors.

3315
02:11:51,967 --> 02:11:55,685
And actually a surprising
number of artists

3316
02:11:55,685 --> 02:11:58,103
live very close by.

3317
02:11:58,103 --> 02:12:00,704
I was shocked and I'm constantly shocked

3318
02:12:00,704 --> 02:12:04,462
to find out how many and
how good those artists are.

3319
02:12:04,462 --> 02:12:06,433
So even if you live in the boonies,

3320
02:12:06,433 --> 02:12:08,566
there's a good chance
there's people out there

3321
02:12:08,566 --> 02:12:10,801
that work in the industry
you wanna go into,

3322
02:12:10,801 --> 02:12:13,259
or something close to
it, that you can start

3323
02:12:13,259 --> 02:12:15,210
connecting with.

3324
02:12:15,210 --> 02:12:16,672
'Cause one thing you
have to start realizing

3325
02:12:16,672 --> 02:12:20,350
about freelancers, is that
since they can work anywhere

3326
02:12:20,350 --> 02:12:23,052
as we've discussed, they often do work

3327
02:12:23,052 --> 02:12:24,779
in all sorts of places.

3328
02:12:24,779 --> 02:12:26,750
They're very spread out.

3329
02:12:26,750 --> 02:12:30,591
So start looking, and see
if there's any illustrators

3330
02:12:30,591 --> 02:12:34,368
or designers in your area
that you can start talking to,

3331
02:12:34,368 --> 02:12:37,194
that you can introduce yourself to.

3332
02:12:37,194 --> 02:12:38,880
A great way to find out about this

3333
02:12:38,880 --> 02:12:42,039
is to start joining
some local organizations

3334
02:12:42,039 --> 02:12:45,229
that are somehow related
to your field of study.

3335
02:12:45,229 --> 02:12:48,175
For instance, if you're an
illustrator or something

3336
02:12:48,175 --> 02:12:52,441
and you can start going to
figure drawing sessions,

3337
02:12:52,441 --> 02:12:53,965
not only is it good for your art,

3338
02:12:53,965 --> 02:12:56,911
but it's also a way to meet some people

3339
02:12:56,911 --> 02:12:59,430
who are in the area, who
are serious about art,

3340
02:12:59,430 --> 02:13:02,762
and are often working
in some art industry.

3341
02:13:02,762 --> 02:13:05,586
They might not be working
in your exact industry.

3342
02:13:05,586 --> 02:13:08,126
But they probably are
working to some degree.

3343
02:13:08,126 --> 02:13:10,158
So they're good people
to start to get to know.

3344
02:13:10,158 --> 02:13:12,514
And you never know who those people know.

3345
02:13:12,514 --> 02:13:14,282
That's the wonderful
thing about networking

3346
02:13:14,282 --> 02:13:17,045
is that getting know everyone is actually

3347
02:13:17,045 --> 02:13:18,610
a really good idea.

3348
02:13:18,610 --> 02:13:22,754
Even if they themselves have no bearing

3349
02:13:22,754 --> 02:13:24,359
on your career itself.

3350
02:13:24,359 --> 02:13:26,899
For all you know, they might know

3351
02:13:26,899 --> 02:13:29,032
some great art directors or something

3352
02:13:29,032 --> 02:13:30,576
that they can introduce you to.

3353
02:13:30,576 --> 02:13:32,242
So you just never know.

3354
02:13:32,242 --> 02:13:33,969
So it's good to actually spread out

3355
02:13:33,969 --> 02:13:37,301
and introduce yourself to
a wide range of people.

3356
02:13:37,301 --> 02:13:39,719
And grow your network that way.

3357
02:13:39,719 --> 02:13:41,446
Now these days with the internet,

3358
02:13:41,446 --> 02:13:44,839
it's even easier to maintain your network.

3359
02:13:44,839 --> 02:13:47,196
It's very easy to stay in
touch with these people

3360
02:13:47,196 --> 02:13:48,557
that you meet.

3361
02:13:48,557 --> 02:13:50,710
Things like Facebook and Twitter

3362
02:13:50,710 --> 02:13:53,514
are amazing for staying
in touch with people.

3363
02:13:53,514 --> 02:13:56,196
If for whatever reason they're not really

3364
02:13:56,196 --> 02:13:58,106
that connected with those sort of things,

3365
02:13:58,106 --> 02:13:59,833
email's not a bad idea.

3366
02:13:59,833 --> 02:14:02,027
Send them an email once a month or so.

3367
02:14:02,027 --> 02:14:04,771
See how they're doing. Talk. Chat.

3368
02:14:04,771 --> 02:14:07,574
Don't necessarily always
go straight to business.

3369
02:14:07,574 --> 02:14:08,570
You're trying to develop

3370
02:14:08,570 --> 02:14:10,580
a more casual, friendly relationship

3371
02:14:10,580 --> 02:14:13,161
with these people, and by doing that,

3372
02:14:13,161 --> 02:14:15,518
you avoid just looking like somebody

3373
02:14:15,518 --> 02:14:17,691
who's looking to get something

3374
02:14:17,691 --> 02:14:19,296
out of the relationship.

3375
02:14:19,296 --> 02:14:21,166
You don't wanna be that guy.

3376
02:14:21,166 --> 02:14:22,425
You wanna be the guy who's actually,

3377
02:14:22,425 --> 02:14:24,904
legitimately a friendly guy who just wants

3378
02:14:24,904 --> 02:14:26,550
to get to know someone.

3379
02:14:26,550 --> 02:14:28,947
And if you go about it in that approach,

3380
02:14:28,947 --> 02:14:32,401
then you're gonna have
actually a lot more success.

3381
02:14:32,401 --> 02:14:33,518
Blogging.

3382
02:14:33,518 --> 02:14:36,891
Blogging is extremely important
for artists these days.

3383
02:14:36,891 --> 02:14:38,760
And it is one of the best ways

3384
02:14:38,760 --> 02:14:41,036
for you to gather a following,

3385
02:14:41,036 --> 02:14:44,286
to get your work out there
on a consistent basis.

3386
02:14:44,286 --> 02:14:47,232
Often before people will
get into social media

3387
02:14:47,232 --> 02:14:50,077
and all the other things
we're gonna talk about here,

3388
02:14:50,077 --> 02:14:51,458
they start a blog.

3389
02:14:51,458 --> 02:14:53,531
Blogs are a great way for an art director,

3390
02:14:53,531 --> 02:14:55,949
say they're done looking
at your portfolio,

3391
02:14:55,949 --> 02:14:57,899
but they wanna see more processed work

3392
02:14:57,899 --> 02:15:00,499
or wanna see the latest
things you've been up to.

3393
02:15:00,499 --> 02:15:02,673
They'll often look for your blog.

3394
02:15:02,673 --> 02:15:04,624
And there's really no excuse these days

3395
02:15:04,624 --> 02:15:06,574
for not having a blog.

3396
02:15:06,574 --> 02:15:08,423
They're incredibly easy to set up.

3397
02:15:08,423 --> 02:15:11,166
They don't really require
any special knowledge.

3398
02:15:11,166 --> 02:15:12,771
You can probably set up a decent blog

3399
02:15:12,771 --> 02:15:15,290
in 10 minutes or less.

3400
02:15:15,290 --> 02:15:16,529
I've included a couple links

3401
02:15:16,529 --> 02:15:19,536
on the resource page again.

3402
02:15:19,536 --> 02:15:20,633
And you can find out

3403
02:15:20,633 --> 02:15:22,421
some resources on how to set up

3404
02:15:22,421 --> 02:15:25,936
a portfolio blog site very quickly.

3405
02:15:25,936 --> 02:15:27,887
So get on there, set up a blog,

3406
02:15:27,887 --> 02:15:30,955
and start blogging right away.

3407
02:15:30,955 --> 02:15:32,153
Now we've been talking a lot about

3408
02:15:32,153 --> 02:15:34,104
developing a focus.

3409
02:15:34,104 --> 02:15:35,506
For instance, when you're

3410
02:15:35,506 --> 02:15:36,704
developing your portfolio,

3411
02:15:36,704 --> 02:15:38,756
you're trying to focus on a niche.

3412
02:15:38,756 --> 02:15:41,174
And when you're in a portfolio review

3413
02:15:41,174 --> 02:15:42,718
you're trying to focus
on what you're looking

3414
02:15:42,718 --> 02:15:43,977
to get out of it.

3415
02:15:43,977 --> 02:15:45,196
And you go to a convention,
you're trying to have

3416
02:15:45,196 --> 02:15:47,898
a goal for what you're trying to do there.

3417
02:15:47,898 --> 02:15:49,585
And just like all those other things,

3418
02:15:49,585 --> 02:15:51,688
with blogging, it's good to have a goal.

3419
02:15:51,688 --> 02:15:54,654
It's good to have a target
that you're shooting for.

3420
02:15:54,654 --> 02:15:57,559
So you wanna start targeting
a niche with your blog.

3421
02:15:57,559 --> 02:16:00,688
Because there are tons and
tons of blogs out there.

3422
02:16:00,688 --> 02:16:02,293
I don't even know how
many blogs there are.

3423
02:16:02,293 --> 02:16:04,467
But there are a ton out there.

3424
02:16:04,467 --> 02:16:06,579
So you need to know exactly who it is

3425
02:16:06,579 --> 02:16:08,387
that you're writing for.

3426
02:16:08,387 --> 02:16:11,069
For instance, if you wanna
write for fellow artists,

3427
02:16:11,069 --> 02:16:12,552
then you wanna start writing tips

3428
02:16:12,552 --> 02:16:15,134
that fellow artists are
going to want to read.

3429
02:16:15,134 --> 02:16:16,414
You wanna be showing stuff

3430
02:16:16,414 --> 02:16:18,202
that they're gonna wanna read.

3431
02:16:18,202 --> 02:16:21,269
If you want to write for fans

3432
02:16:21,269 --> 02:16:23,545
that are just in it because they love art,

3433
02:16:23,545 --> 02:16:25,456
then you're gonna wanna show them stuff

3434
02:16:25,456 --> 02:16:26,776
that fans are gonna love.

3435
02:16:26,776 --> 02:16:28,218
If you're trying to
write for art directors,

3436
02:16:28,218 --> 02:16:31,063
then you wanna write
stuff for art directors.

3437
02:16:31,063 --> 02:16:33,013
So you're trying to develop this feeling

3438
02:16:33,013 --> 02:16:34,923
for what your audience is.

3439
02:16:34,923 --> 02:16:36,730
And then write to them.

3440
02:16:36,730 --> 02:16:38,499
Once you know your audience,

3441
02:16:38,499 --> 02:16:40,836
then it's time to start engaging them.

3442
02:16:40,836 --> 02:16:44,716
Blogs are a fantastic way
to inspire discussion,

3443
02:16:44,716 --> 02:16:46,849
or even debate in some cases.

3444
02:16:46,849 --> 02:16:48,616
And this is great for you.

3445
02:16:48,616 --> 02:16:50,892
Because it gets people on to your site.

3446
02:16:50,892 --> 02:16:53,127
It gets people active on your site.

3447
02:16:53,127 --> 02:16:54,692
And there's nothing better

3448
02:16:54,692 --> 02:16:56,824
than an active fan.

3449
02:16:56,824 --> 02:16:59,486
So it's important for you to
actually stay active yourself

3450
02:16:59,486 --> 02:17:02,452
on the blog, and actually
interact with all of your readers

3451
02:17:02,452 --> 02:17:03,915
and your fans.

3452
02:17:03,915 --> 02:17:06,374
Because in some ways your blog is there

3453
02:17:06,374 --> 02:17:09,300
so you can start building your fan base.

3454
02:17:09,300 --> 02:17:13,281
Even more so than building
an art director client list,

3455
02:17:13,281 --> 02:17:17,029
it's also important to build
up a fan base, a list of fans

3456
02:17:17,029 --> 02:17:19,386
that really love your work,
that follow your work,

3457
02:17:19,386 --> 02:17:21,702
that read everything that you write.

3458
02:17:21,702 --> 02:17:24,486
Those can be really handy down the road.

3459
02:17:24,486 --> 02:17:26,132
So you wanna start building that list up

3460
02:17:26,132 --> 02:17:27,390
as soon as you can.

3461
02:17:27,390 --> 02:17:29,707
And blogs are a great way to do that.

3462
02:17:29,707 --> 02:17:32,511
So for instance is somebody's
coming on to your blog

3463
02:17:32,511 --> 02:17:34,685
and they decide to comment on it,

3464
02:17:34,685 --> 02:17:36,696
be sure you respond to them.

3465
02:17:36,696 --> 02:17:39,866
Because if someone is a loyal enough fan

3466
02:17:39,866 --> 02:17:42,324
to go to your blog, to read your article,

3467
02:17:42,324 --> 02:17:44,925
and actually write up a
decent response to it,

3468
02:17:44,925 --> 02:17:46,306
then they are definitely someone

3469
02:17:46,306 --> 02:17:48,216
worth connecting with.

3470
02:17:48,216 --> 02:17:50,695
And there are few better
ways to garner respect

3471
02:17:50,695 --> 02:17:51,690
from that fan

3472
02:17:51,690 --> 02:17:54,840
than to actually personally
connect with them.

3473
02:17:54,840 --> 02:17:56,445
Another crucial thing about blogging

3474
02:17:56,445 --> 02:17:59,817
is that you wanna be
consistent with your posting.

3475
02:17:59,817 --> 02:18:02,113
What I mean by that is that blogging

3476
02:18:02,113 --> 02:18:05,363
once a week is far better than posting

3477
02:18:05,363 --> 02:18:07,558
15 things in one day,

3478
02:18:07,558 --> 02:18:09,569
and then completely
forgetting about your blog

3479
02:18:09,569 --> 02:18:11,906
for the next six months.

3480
02:18:11,906 --> 02:18:15,054
Try to develop a consistent
posting schedule,

3481
02:18:15,054 --> 02:18:15,908
whatever that is.

3482
02:18:15,908 --> 02:18:19,667
Whether it's once a week, once a month,

3483
02:18:19,667 --> 02:18:22,535
or once a day even.

3484
02:18:22,535 --> 02:18:24,851
Different people have
different blogging schedules.

3485
02:18:24,851 --> 02:18:27,879
And it does take a lot of
effort to be consistent

3486
02:18:27,879 --> 02:18:32,652
about it, but it's definitely
beneficial in the long run.

3487
02:18:32,652 --> 02:18:35,599
The great thing about being
consistent in your advertising

3488
02:18:35,599 --> 02:18:38,200
and in your production of content

3489
02:18:38,200 --> 02:18:40,719
is that it means that
your work is constantly

3490
02:18:40,719 --> 02:18:41,775
getting in front of people.

3491
02:18:41,775 --> 02:18:43,665
It's constantly getting
in front of both your fans

3492
02:18:43,665 --> 02:18:45,534
and other art directors.

3493
02:18:45,534 --> 02:18:47,139
And reminding people that you're alive

3494
02:18:47,139 --> 02:18:48,724
on a consistent basis

3495
02:18:48,724 --> 02:18:50,918
is great marketing.

3496
02:18:50,918 --> 02:18:53,600
Because the jobs won't necessarily go

3497
02:18:53,600 --> 02:18:57,562
to the absolute best
qualified person in the world.

3498
02:18:57,562 --> 02:19:00,325
Art directors don't really have the time

3499
02:19:00,325 --> 02:19:02,743
to find that person every time.

3500
02:19:02,743 --> 02:19:05,465
So what happens to those jobs actually,

3501
02:19:05,465 --> 02:19:08,533
is that they'll actually
go to the best person

3502
02:19:08,533 --> 02:19:09,996
who the art director can think of

3503
02:19:09,996 --> 02:19:11,743
off the top of their head.

3504
02:19:11,743 --> 02:19:14,547
Or with some brief research.

3505
02:19:14,547 --> 02:19:17,290
So by constantly reminding
people that you're alive,

3506
02:19:17,290 --> 02:19:19,057
by constantly putting out new work,

3507
02:19:19,057 --> 02:19:21,312
by constantly writing new articles

3508
02:19:21,312 --> 02:19:23,791
and getting your name out there,

3509
02:19:23,791 --> 02:19:26,859
you're gonna be on the
top of everyone's head.

3510
02:19:26,859 --> 02:19:29,519
You're gonna be the first person
people are gonna think of.

3511
02:19:29,519 --> 02:19:33,461
And consequently, you'll
theoretically get more work.

3512
02:19:33,461 --> 02:19:34,336
All right.

3513
02:19:34,336 --> 02:19:35,595
The next thing we're gonna talk about

3514
02:19:35,595 --> 02:19:38,155
here for a little while is social media.

3515
02:19:38,155 --> 02:19:41,528
Now social media is kind
of a buzzword these days,

3516
02:19:41,528 --> 02:19:44,124
and everybody's talking about
it, saying how great it is.

3517
02:19:44,124 --> 02:19:47,713
Or maybe how terrible it is and
how it's destroying society.

3518
02:19:47,713 --> 02:19:50,376
But regardless of your
personal feelings on it,

3519
02:19:50,376 --> 02:19:52,123
on whether you wanna
use it to connect with

3520
02:19:52,123 --> 02:19:54,501
your actual real life friends or not,

3521
02:19:54,501 --> 02:19:57,812
you need to be using it
for your freelance career.

3522
02:19:57,812 --> 02:20:01,976
Facebook, Twitter, Google+
are all fantastic resources

3523
02:20:01,976 --> 02:20:04,354
for any freelancer.

3524
02:20:04,354 --> 02:20:07,199
There are few things that
give you more direct access

3525
02:20:07,199 --> 02:20:10,388
to fans and fellow
artists and art directors

3526
02:20:10,388 --> 02:20:12,135
than these sites.

3527
02:20:12,135 --> 02:20:13,416
So if you don't already,

3528
02:20:13,416 --> 02:20:15,894
go and make an account on all of these

3529
02:20:15,894 --> 02:20:19,592
using your name, using an
easy to recognize user name,

3530
02:20:19,592 --> 02:20:21,542
and creating profiles with links

3531
02:20:21,542 --> 02:20:24,143
to your portfolio on all of them.

3532
02:20:24,143 --> 02:20:26,845
Just go do it. Don't
be reluctant about it.

3533
02:20:26,845 --> 02:20:28,125
Don't complain about it.

3534
02:20:28,125 --> 02:20:29,588
You just need to do it.

3535
02:20:29,588 --> 02:20:33,042
It doesn't take very long. It
doesn't take too much effort.

3536
02:20:33,042 --> 02:20:35,845
But there is so much that
you can get out of it.

3537
02:20:35,845 --> 02:20:38,811
And it's totally fine if you
think Facebook is terrible

3538
02:20:38,811 --> 02:20:41,900
and you refuse to use
it on a personal level.

3539
02:20:41,900 --> 02:20:45,252
But it is an amazing marketing tool

3540
02:20:45,252 --> 02:20:48,991
that can build a fan
base like nothing else.

3541
02:20:48,991 --> 02:20:51,326
Because the wonderful
thing about it is that

3542
02:20:51,326 --> 02:20:55,248
most artists, most
freelancers, most designers,

3543
02:20:55,248 --> 02:20:58,722
will say yes to all the
friend requests that come in.

3544
02:20:58,722 --> 02:21:01,120
Which means you get to
send friend requests

3545
02:21:01,120 --> 02:21:04,452
to all the top names in
whatever industry you're in.

3546
02:21:04,452 --> 02:21:07,154
That means you get to
see what they're up to.

3547
02:21:07,154 --> 02:21:09,105
And that also means that other people

3548
02:21:09,105 --> 02:21:11,968
can see what you're up to very easily.

3549
02:21:11,968 --> 02:21:14,366
So I've taken on the policy

3550
02:21:14,366 --> 02:21:16,439
of pretty much accepting
any friend request

3551
02:21:16,439 --> 02:21:20,980
that comes in that actually
looks like a real person.

3552
02:21:20,980 --> 02:21:24,241
And because of that, I have
people all over the world

3553
02:21:24,241 --> 02:21:27,715
who get regular updates about my work.

3554
02:21:27,715 --> 02:21:29,380
Now I personally have profiles

3555
02:21:29,380 --> 02:21:32,001
on a ton of different sites.

3556
02:21:32,001 --> 02:21:33,567
I think on the resource page

3557
02:21:33,567 --> 02:21:35,761
I'll go ahead and list
all of the different sites

3558
02:21:35,761 --> 02:21:38,544
that I have a professional profile on.

3559
02:21:38,544 --> 02:21:41,551
And it's gonna be a pretty long list.

3560
02:21:41,551 --> 02:21:43,949
Because I go ahead and create profiles

3561
02:21:43,949 --> 02:21:47,037
on a ton of different
sites for my industry.

3562
02:21:47,037 --> 02:21:49,332
Some of those being conceptart.org,

3563
02:21:49,332 --> 02:21:54,332
CGHUB, CGSociety, even
Deviantart, Behance,

3564
02:21:54,960 --> 02:21:56,382
every network I can think of.

3565
02:21:56,382 --> 02:21:59,453
There's tons more than that, trust me.

3566
02:21:59,453 --> 02:22:02,761
And I post my portfolio on
all these different sites.

3567
02:22:02,761 --> 02:22:05,972
I post my new work on all
these different sites.

3568
02:22:05,972 --> 02:22:07,902
And sure it takes a fair bit of time

3569
02:22:07,902 --> 02:22:10,442
maintaining all these different sites,

3570
02:22:10,442 --> 02:22:14,465
but when you get work from completely

3571
02:22:14,465 --> 02:22:17,533
different sites, it
really starts to pay off.

3572
02:22:17,533 --> 02:22:19,930
Because I've found in my
own personal experience

3573
02:22:19,930 --> 02:22:24,542
that it's not one site that I'm
getting all of my jobs from.

3574
02:22:24,542 --> 02:22:26,757
It's I'm getting one or
two jobs from this site,

3575
02:22:26,757 --> 02:22:28,646
one or two jobs from this other site,

3576
02:22:28,646 --> 02:22:30,454
and so on and so forth.

3577
02:22:30,454 --> 02:22:32,669
Although I will say on a side note,

3578
02:22:32,669 --> 02:22:34,705
I don't believe I've ever
gotten a real job offer

3579
02:22:34,705 --> 02:22:36,695
from DeviantArt.

3580
02:22:36,695 --> 02:22:39,175
But that's a whole
another issue to get into.

3581
02:22:39,175 --> 02:22:42,039
But go ahead and find out
what all the major sites are.

3582
02:22:42,039 --> 02:22:43,725
Theoretically you already did that

3583
02:22:43,725 --> 02:22:45,574
back in our research stage.

3584
02:22:45,574 --> 02:22:48,418
But get profiles on all
these different sites.

3585
02:22:48,418 --> 02:22:49,191
Set them up.

3586
02:22:49,191 --> 02:22:50,735
Link them to your portfolio, to your blog,

3587
02:22:50,735 --> 02:22:53,295
to all of your social media.

3588
02:22:53,295 --> 02:22:55,794
Link all these sites together seamlessly.

3589
02:22:55,794 --> 02:22:57,033
And start to put your work

3590
02:22:57,033 --> 02:22:59,471
on all these different sites.

3591
02:22:59,471 --> 02:23:00,995
Now one really crucial thing

3592
02:23:00,995 --> 02:23:03,453
about creating all of
these different profiles

3593
02:23:03,453 --> 02:23:05,871
and starting to have this online image

3594
02:23:05,871 --> 02:23:08,614
is that you really need to focus

3595
02:23:08,614 --> 02:23:10,645
and pay a lot of attention

3596
02:23:10,645 --> 02:23:12,879
on how you behave online.

3597
02:23:12,879 --> 02:23:14,444
Because how you behave online,

3598
02:23:14,444 --> 02:23:17,067
and how people are perceiving you

3599
02:23:17,067 --> 02:23:18,672
can really play a huge role

3600
02:23:18,672 --> 02:23:21,577
in your success in getting work.

3601
02:23:21,577 --> 02:23:23,548
And the first thing I'll
say along these lines,

3602
02:23:23,548 --> 02:23:26,453
and I've said it many times
in this video already,

3603
02:23:26,453 --> 02:23:29,460
but is to always be professional.

3604
02:23:29,460 --> 02:23:32,345
And you definitely wanna
be professional online.

3605
02:23:32,345 --> 02:23:34,194
And that's for several reasons.

3606
02:23:34,194 --> 02:23:39,070
But one is because the internet
never forgets anything.

3607
02:23:39,070 --> 02:23:41,264
Anything you post online

3608
02:23:41,264 --> 02:23:44,678
will stay online somewhere, somehow.

3609
02:23:44,678 --> 02:23:47,461
So it's gonna have your
name attached to it.

3610
02:23:47,461 --> 02:23:51,667
And so if you're posting
political diatribes online,

3611
02:23:51,667 --> 02:23:54,938
and they're horribly offensive and rude,

3612
02:23:54,938 --> 02:23:57,985
then that is gonna get attached
to your professional name

3613
02:23:57,985 --> 02:24:00,220
for the rest of your career.

3614
02:24:00,220 --> 02:24:03,268
So do yourself a favor
and basically treat it

3615
02:24:03,268 --> 02:24:06,661
like you're about to run
for president or something.

3616
02:24:06,661 --> 02:24:10,053
And so you want to be as
clean and professional

3617
02:24:10,053 --> 02:24:11,719
as you possibly can.

3618
02:24:11,719 --> 02:24:14,544
It doesn't mean you need to
be stale and boring and dry,

3619
02:24:14,544 --> 02:24:17,266
and have no offensive things whatsoever,

3620
02:24:17,266 --> 02:24:21,736
and just be, I don't
know, a drone basically.

3621
02:24:21,736 --> 02:24:25,108
But it does mean that all your
crazy, stupid, drunken photos

3622
02:24:25,108 --> 02:24:28,603
should probably not be on Facebook.

3623
02:24:28,603 --> 02:24:32,302
They should not have your
name attached to them.

3624
02:24:32,302 --> 02:24:34,007
Because one of the things
you have to realize

3625
02:24:34,007 --> 02:24:36,323
is that as you become a freelancer,

3626
02:24:36,323 --> 02:24:38,863
you're essentially foregoing
a lot of the privacy

3627
02:24:38,863 --> 02:24:40,671
you would normally have.

3628
02:24:40,671 --> 02:24:43,333
As a freelancer, you need to
start thinking of yourself

3629
02:24:43,333 --> 02:24:47,640
as a public figure rather
than a private individual.

3630
02:24:47,640 --> 02:24:50,220
So a lot of people have issue with this,

3631
02:24:50,220 --> 02:24:53,837
because they believe in
privacy rights and all of that.

3632
02:24:53,837 --> 02:24:57,020
And I am all for that, but
if you wanna be a successful

3633
02:24:57,020 --> 02:25:00,311
freelancer, and you wanna start
developing a good fan base,

3634
02:25:00,311 --> 02:25:02,261
and a good public image,
then you need to start

3635
02:25:02,261 --> 02:25:06,528
treating yourself as
more of a public profile.

3636
02:25:06,528 --> 02:25:09,007
Now naturally this means
you're gonna have to be

3637
02:25:09,007 --> 02:25:11,770
more careful about what you post online.

3638
02:25:11,770 --> 02:25:16,118
But it also comes down to
being more accessible online.

3639
02:25:16,118 --> 02:25:17,946
So for instance, you should really set

3640
02:25:17,946 --> 02:25:19,917
all of your profiles to public.

3641
02:25:19,917 --> 02:25:22,599
For instance, don't
protect your Twitter feed.

3642
02:25:22,599 --> 02:25:25,585
Don't restrict it to
subscribers only or whatever.

3643
02:25:25,585 --> 02:25:28,044
That's a little crazy for an artist.

3644
02:25:28,044 --> 02:25:31,396
And don't set your Facebook profile up

3645
02:25:31,396 --> 02:25:33,692
so as that nobody can find it.

3646
02:25:33,692 --> 02:25:38,344
You wanna be easy to find,
easily accessible in all ways.

3647
02:25:38,344 --> 02:25:40,579
And what starts to
happen with all of this,

3648
02:25:40,579 --> 02:25:43,871
is that before long,
you'll have a ton of people

3649
02:25:43,871 --> 02:25:47,914
following you and talking
to you that you do not know

3650
02:25:47,914 --> 02:25:49,458
in the slightest.

3651
02:25:49,458 --> 02:25:51,571
But these are fans that love your work,

3652
02:25:51,571 --> 02:25:52,851
that love what you're doing,

3653
02:25:52,851 --> 02:25:55,431
and would love to interact with you.

3654
02:25:55,431 --> 02:25:58,499
And that's what these
sites are facilitating.

3655
02:25:58,499 --> 02:26:00,837
So get out there and start developing

3656
02:26:00,837 --> 02:26:02,828
your social network.

3657
02:26:02,828 --> 02:26:05,632
Be sure to link all these
sites to one another.

3658
02:26:05,632 --> 02:26:07,664
Be sure to link them all to your portfolio

3659
02:26:07,664 --> 02:26:09,472
and to your blog.

3660
02:26:09,472 --> 02:26:11,323
Basically you wanna be
able to have this web

3661
02:26:11,323 --> 02:26:13,275
of different sites that you're on

3662
02:26:13,275 --> 02:26:16,138
so that if anybody finds
you on any one of these

3663
02:26:16,138 --> 02:26:18,861
particular sites, they can always get back

3664
02:26:18,861 --> 02:26:21,696
to your portfolio, get
back to your contact info

3665
02:26:21,696 --> 02:26:25,746
extremely easily so they
can hopefully hire you.

3666
02:26:25,746 --> 02:26:27,940
Now one of the great
things that the internet

3667
02:26:27,940 --> 02:26:30,866
has given us lately is video content.

3668
02:26:30,866 --> 02:26:34,747
Things like YouTube have
made video content king.

3669
02:26:34,747 --> 02:26:37,449
We've all seen those videos that get

3670
02:26:37,449 --> 02:26:39,887
God knows how many millions of views.

3671
02:26:39,887 --> 02:26:42,589
And you can really start
to exploit some of that

3672
02:26:42,589 --> 02:26:44,621
with your own art.

3673
02:26:44,621 --> 02:26:46,896
Videos of people making art

3674
02:26:46,896 --> 02:26:49,762
or talking about art
have become very popular

3675
02:26:49,762 --> 02:26:51,488
in recent years.

3676
02:26:51,488 --> 02:26:54,149
You're listening to one right now.

3677
02:26:54,149 --> 02:26:56,425
But that's somewhat beside the point.

3678
02:26:56,425 --> 02:26:57,583
The fact is

3679
02:26:57,583 --> 02:27:00,570
is that you yourself can use video content

3680
02:27:00,570 --> 02:27:02,906
to market yourself, to get your work

3681
02:27:02,906 --> 02:27:07,620
seen by people, and to
also help instruct people.

3682
02:27:07,620 --> 02:27:11,609
A great resource for video
content is Livestream.

3683
02:27:11,609 --> 02:27:14,600
If you go to Livestream.com,
you can actually set up

3684
02:27:14,600 --> 02:27:16,002
a free account.

3685
02:27:16,002 --> 02:27:18,135
You can download their free software,

3686
02:27:18,135 --> 02:27:21,853
and start broadcasting from
your computer immediately.

3687
02:27:21,853 --> 02:27:25,876
It's really easy to do, and
people have actually become

3688
02:27:25,876 --> 02:27:29,635
fairly popular somewhat based on this.

3689
02:27:29,635 --> 02:27:33,657
Dave Rapoza, a fantastic
artist and illustrator himself,

3690
02:27:33,657 --> 02:27:37,477
has done a ton of Livestreaming,
and he's used that

3691
02:27:37,477 --> 02:27:39,793
to help build his fan base.

3692
02:27:39,793 --> 02:27:42,039
And since he's built up that fan base,

3693
02:27:42,039 --> 02:27:44,112
he's started creating work.

3694
02:27:44,112 --> 02:27:45,902
He did a lot of fan art and stuff.

3695
02:27:45,902 --> 02:27:48,665
And he started to use
that work to sell prints.

3696
02:27:48,665 --> 02:27:50,981
So, that Livestreaming enabled him

3697
02:27:50,981 --> 02:27:53,033
to start making money off of art

3698
02:27:53,033 --> 02:27:54,902
that he was doing himself,

3699
02:27:54,902 --> 02:27:57,970
in a way cutting out the
whole commissioning process

3700
02:27:57,970 --> 02:27:59,981
in the freelancing world.

3701
02:27:59,981 --> 02:28:03,963
Which is some of the goal
for a lot of freelancers,

3702
02:28:03,963 --> 02:28:07,925
to find ways to do work
without being commissioned,

3703
02:28:07,925 --> 02:28:10,892
and somehow still get paid for it.

3704
02:28:10,892 --> 02:28:13,756
And I personally have had
a decent amount of success

3705
02:28:13,756 --> 02:28:16,093
with Livestream myself.

3706
02:28:16,093 --> 02:28:17,860
Not nearly as much as Dave has,

3707
02:28:17,860 --> 02:28:21,741
but enough, enough that
if I go on Livestream,

3708
02:28:21,741 --> 02:28:24,911
I can expect to have at least
a decent crowd on there.

3709
02:28:24,911 --> 02:28:26,170
And it's just a great way.

3710
02:28:26,170 --> 02:28:27,978
It's a great way to interact with people.

3711
02:28:27,978 --> 02:28:30,904
It's a great way to hang
out and do your work

3712
02:28:30,904 --> 02:28:35,402
while also getting some
free marketing out of it.

3713
02:28:36,839 --> 02:28:38,586
Another great site you can look at is,

3714
02:28:38,586 --> 02:28:42,507
as I mentioned, YouTube, or
Vimeo is also pretty good.

3715
02:28:42,507 --> 02:28:44,295
It's a little bit higher quality videos,

3716
02:28:44,295 --> 02:28:47,993
but you're not gettin' quite
as much traffic on there.

3717
02:28:47,993 --> 02:28:50,045
The great thing about these sites

3718
02:28:50,045 --> 02:28:52,767
is that you're opening your work up

3719
02:28:52,767 --> 02:28:56,140
to a whole new demographic
than you usually would.

3720
02:28:56,140 --> 02:28:59,289
Very casual people will browse these sites

3721
02:28:59,289 --> 02:29:01,930
and you're gonna get
people looking at your art

3722
02:29:01,930 --> 02:29:04,307
that wouldn't normally be able to find it.

3723
02:29:04,307 --> 02:29:05,323
And the great thing is

3724
02:29:05,323 --> 02:29:07,111
is that if you happen to get lucky

3725
02:29:07,111 --> 02:29:09,468
and get extremely popular,

3726
02:29:09,468 --> 02:29:13,044
then a ton of people can
get to see your work.

3727
02:29:13,044 --> 02:29:14,852
So it's a good idea to upload

3728
02:29:14,852 --> 02:29:16,660
at least a few videos on there.

3729
02:29:16,660 --> 02:29:18,529
I try to speed up some of my videos

3730
02:29:18,529 --> 02:29:21,536
and upload quick little clips on there.

3731
02:29:21,536 --> 02:29:24,259
And I've had, you know,
decent success on there.

3732
02:29:24,259 --> 02:29:28,098
Nothing overwhelming, I
haven't hit a million views

3733
02:29:28,098 --> 02:29:30,171
or anything, but it's enough that

3734
02:29:30,171 --> 02:29:32,121
I generate a little
bit of traffic from it.

3735
02:29:32,121 --> 02:29:35,900
I generate a little bit
of new fans from that.

3736
02:29:35,900 --> 02:29:38,643
Now a great thing you can do
to start building your fan base

3737
02:29:38,643 --> 02:29:40,715
and start building your reputation

3738
02:29:40,715 --> 02:29:42,767
is to be an expert.

3739
02:29:42,767 --> 02:29:46,181
Or at least look like one.

3740
02:29:46,181 --> 02:29:49,716
The thing is is that writing
tutorials and helping others

3741
02:29:49,716 --> 02:29:51,910
and putting out really good resources

3742
02:29:51,910 --> 02:29:54,650
can help to establish you as an expert

3743
02:29:54,650 --> 02:29:56,783
on your field.

3744
02:29:56,783 --> 02:29:59,180
Now naturally, you need
to be at least pretty good

3745
02:29:59,180 --> 02:30:02,431
at what you do to be able to
pull this off successfully.

3746
02:30:02,431 --> 02:30:03,975
But at the same time, you don't need to be

3747
02:30:03,975 --> 02:30:06,291
the absolute best.

3748
02:30:06,291 --> 02:30:09,684
Really you only need to be
better than some people.

3749
02:30:09,684 --> 02:30:12,549
To teach extremely basic
stuff, then you just need

3750
02:30:12,549 --> 02:30:15,779
to have a grasp on that basic stuff.

3751
02:30:15,779 --> 02:30:18,989
For instance, I'm doing this
freelancing tutorial right now.

3752
02:30:18,989 --> 02:30:21,387
I am not the greatest artist in the world.

3753
02:30:21,387 --> 02:30:23,459
I will gladly tell you that.

3754
02:30:23,459 --> 02:30:26,019
But I do know quite a
bit about freelancing.

3755
02:30:26,019 --> 02:30:29,595
So I feel fairly qualified
to do this whole video.

3756
02:30:29,595 --> 02:30:31,789
And while you might not
be skilled in everything,

3757
02:30:31,789 --> 02:30:34,186
and you might not be the
best artist in the world,

3758
02:30:34,186 --> 02:30:36,401
odds are there's something
you're very good at.

3759
02:30:36,401 --> 02:30:39,916
And odds are there's something
that you can teach in there.

3760
02:30:39,916 --> 02:30:42,984
And being able to help and
put out these resources

3761
02:30:42,984 --> 02:30:45,848
and becoming an expert in your field

3762
02:30:45,848 --> 02:30:48,105
really gets you a lot
of respect in the field.

3763
02:30:48,105 --> 02:30:52,045
And that's really something
that is great to have early on

3764
02:30:52,045 --> 02:30:54,483
when you don't have as many clients.

3765
02:30:54,483 --> 02:30:56,535
Because then you have that sort of

3766
02:30:56,535 --> 02:30:58,018
public respect for your work

3767
02:30:58,018 --> 02:30:59,156
even though you don't really

3768
02:30:59,156 --> 02:31:01,716
have a professional backing yet.

3769
02:31:01,716 --> 02:31:04,845
And of course naturally
as your career progresses

3770
02:31:04,845 --> 02:31:07,059
and you really are the expert,

3771
02:31:07,059 --> 02:31:09,233
you really do become that expert,

3772
02:31:09,233 --> 02:31:11,041
then it just becomes all the better.

3773
02:31:11,041 --> 02:31:14,231
Because people have that
much more respect for you.

3774
02:31:14,231 --> 02:31:17,035
And you're seen as someone
who is helping out people.

3775
02:31:17,035 --> 02:31:19,148
Because you really are helping out people.

3776
02:31:19,148 --> 02:31:23,780
And I personally have had really
good experience with this.

3777
02:31:23,780 --> 02:31:26,523
Not only with doing my
Livestreaming regularly,

3778
02:31:26,523 --> 02:31:29,469
which I try to use as
an instructional method,

3779
02:31:29,469 --> 02:31:32,903
but also when I was starting out,

3780
02:31:32,903 --> 02:31:35,178
I put out a video tutorial.

3781
02:31:35,178 --> 02:31:36,235
It was an hour long.

3782
02:31:36,235 --> 02:31:39,384
I did a process of how I
did my entire painting.

3783
02:31:39,384 --> 02:31:41,293
I narrated the whole thing.

3784
02:31:41,293 --> 02:31:43,102
It took me quite a bit of work.

3785
02:31:43,102 --> 02:31:44,971
And I put it out there.

3786
02:31:44,971 --> 02:31:48,709
And at the time, I was
not a professional artist.

3787
02:31:48,709 --> 02:31:50,842
This was probably right before I started

3788
02:31:50,842 --> 02:31:53,179
to get my first freelance gigs.

3789
02:31:53,179 --> 02:31:55,170
So I was not a professional.

3790
02:31:55,170 --> 02:31:58,177
But I tried to put out this
professional-seeming video.

3791
02:31:58,177 --> 02:32:00,757
It was a pretty good painting that I did.

3792
02:32:00,757 --> 02:32:03,378
And it was extremely well-received.

3793
02:32:03,378 --> 02:32:05,593
Thousands of people watched it.

3794
02:32:05,593 --> 02:32:07,624
I've had countless people email me

3795
02:32:07,624 --> 02:32:09,778
telling me how much that video helped them

3796
02:32:09,778 --> 02:32:11,464
and inspired them.

3797
02:32:11,464 --> 02:32:13,903
And it's really been a good thing for me.

3798
02:32:13,903 --> 02:32:16,239
And I put it out there
for free for people.

3799
02:32:16,239 --> 02:32:19,164
And I put this out mainly
so that I could be seen

3800
02:32:19,164 --> 02:32:20,261
as an expert.

3801
02:32:20,261 --> 02:32:22,740
I legitimately did wanna help people,

3802
02:32:22,740 --> 02:32:24,040
and so I did that.

3803
02:32:24,040 --> 02:32:25,910
But I also wanted to get the exposure

3804
02:32:25,910 --> 02:32:27,901
I knew I would get from that video.

3805
02:32:27,901 --> 02:32:30,765
And that's all the more
reason I put it out for free.

3806
02:32:30,765 --> 02:32:33,975
And even though I wasn't
exactly a huge professional,

3807
02:32:33,975 --> 02:32:35,966
I didn't have a lot of
clients at the time,

3808
02:32:35,966 --> 02:32:39,525
or really any clients, I
had done a lot of research.

3809
02:32:39,525 --> 02:32:41,800
I knew what I was talking about.

3810
02:32:41,800 --> 02:32:43,791
My work was pretty good.

3811
02:32:43,791 --> 02:32:45,620
At least I was fairly knowledgeable

3812
02:32:45,620 --> 02:32:49,663
and I could speak intelligibly
for about an hour on it.

3813
02:32:49,663 --> 02:32:52,263
And because of that, it was
a really well-respected,

3814
02:32:52,263 --> 02:32:53,645
well-received video.

3815
02:32:53,645 --> 02:32:56,124
It's not incredibly popular,
but it's still out there.

3816
02:32:56,124 --> 02:32:57,730
And people still watch it.

3817
02:32:57,730 --> 02:33:00,146
And I still get emails occasionally

3818
02:33:00,146 --> 02:33:02,523
saying how helpful it was.

3819
02:33:02,523 --> 02:33:04,738
Now you don't necessarily
need to do a video.

3820
02:33:04,738 --> 02:33:06,445
Although you can definitely do a video.

3821
02:33:06,445 --> 02:33:08,131
It's very easy to do.

3822
02:33:08,131 --> 02:33:09,370
There's plenty of software out there

3823
02:33:09,370 --> 02:33:11,117
that can help you with it.

3824
02:33:11,117 --> 02:33:13,556
But you could also
start writing tutorials.

3825
02:33:13,556 --> 02:33:17,863
Start writing advice on
what you're doing that day.

3826
02:33:17,863 --> 02:33:20,788
Start showing your process
on how to do things.

3827
02:33:20,788 --> 02:33:23,656
Start sharing that cute
little tip that you learned

3828
02:33:23,656 --> 02:33:26,256
on drawing a foot or something.

3829
02:33:26,256 --> 02:33:28,268
Whatever you happen to know,

3830
02:33:28,268 --> 02:33:29,934
and whatever you think would be helpful

3831
02:33:29,934 --> 02:33:31,925
for other people, start
putting it out there.

3832
02:33:31,925 --> 02:33:33,733
Start helping people.

3833
02:33:33,733 --> 02:33:37,857
And start establishing
yourself as an expert.

3834
02:33:37,857 --> 02:33:39,198
When you're just starting out,

3835
02:33:39,198 --> 02:33:43,119
getting published can be a huge, huge help

3836
02:33:43,119 --> 02:33:46,268
in starting to get some
of your first jobs.

3837
02:33:46,268 --> 02:33:48,138
The problem with starting out

3838
02:33:48,138 --> 02:33:50,596
is that you're not gonna
have any professional work

3839
02:33:50,596 --> 02:33:53,257
that's being published
for products or whatnot.

3840
02:33:53,257 --> 02:33:55,533
You're not gonna have any
book covers or anything

3841
02:33:55,533 --> 02:33:58,093
where you can show you're
a published artist.

3842
02:33:58,093 --> 02:33:59,718
And getting that first work published

3843
02:33:59,718 --> 02:34:01,323
is really crucial.

3844
02:34:01,323 --> 02:34:03,985
So I would say to start
looking at magazines

3845
02:34:03,985 --> 02:34:05,732
and annual books.

3846
02:34:05,732 --> 02:34:07,723
And to start submitting to them

3847
02:34:07,723 --> 02:34:11,279
and try to start getting
a couple pieces published

3848
02:34:11,279 --> 02:34:14,164
so you can start calling
yourself a published artist.

3849
02:34:14,164 --> 02:34:18,065
And also so that more people
can start seeing your work,

3850
02:34:18,065 --> 02:34:20,767
and starting to recognize your work.

3851
02:34:20,767 --> 02:34:22,656
And in fact this is
something that's gonna go on

3852
02:34:22,656 --> 02:34:24,261
throughout your entire career.

3853
02:34:24,261 --> 02:34:27,735
And I personally put a lot of
time into getting published

3854
02:34:27,735 --> 02:34:29,666
and getting seen again and again.

3855
02:34:29,666 --> 02:34:32,469
I submit to annuals every year.

3856
02:34:32,469 --> 02:34:35,476
For instance, in my field of
fantasy and science fiction

3857
02:34:35,476 --> 02:34:37,467
illustration again, things like

3858
02:34:37,467 --> 02:34:39,377
submitting to spectrum every year

3859
02:34:39,377 --> 02:34:43,766
are so important to my own success.

3860
02:34:43,766 --> 02:34:47,727
I submitted to Spectrum last
year for the first time.

3861
02:34:47,727 --> 02:34:50,044
I submitted a ton of different pieces,

3862
02:34:50,044 --> 02:34:53,863
hoping to get something in, and
I managed to get a piece in.

3863
02:34:53,863 --> 02:34:56,972
And now I can say that I
was published in spectrum,

3864
02:34:56,972 --> 02:34:59,918
which lends a lot of
credibility to my own ability.

3865
02:34:59,918 --> 02:35:02,417
There's a confirmation
to getting published

3866
02:35:02,417 --> 02:35:05,058
in these very respected
books and magazines

3867
02:35:05,058 --> 02:35:07,841
that you can start to use as leverage

3868
02:35:07,841 --> 02:35:10,462
when you're talking with
clients for the first time.

3869
02:35:10,462 --> 02:35:13,246
If you don't necessarily
have a long client list,

3870
02:35:13,246 --> 02:35:15,582
but you have been published
in all these annuals

3871
02:35:15,582 --> 02:35:17,857
and stuff, the art
director is gonna realize

3872
02:35:17,857 --> 02:35:22,165
that your artwork is very
respected in the industry.

3873
02:35:22,165 --> 02:35:24,196
It's somewhat popular at the time,

3874
02:35:24,196 --> 02:35:26,472
and it's something that
they're not gonna have

3875
02:35:26,472 --> 02:35:29,662
any problem hiring you for.

3876
02:35:29,662 --> 02:35:32,608
Now again, a problem that
a lot of people have,

3877
02:35:32,608 --> 02:35:35,391
and we've talked about
it before with money,

3878
02:35:35,391 --> 02:35:38,642
is that submitting to
these annuals, be they

3879
02:35:38,642 --> 02:35:41,186
Spectrum or The Society of Illustrators,

3880
02:35:41,186 --> 02:35:44,578
or any of the design
ones, Communication Arts,

3881
02:35:44,578 --> 02:35:46,927
and so on and so forth,
is that they often cost

3882
02:35:46,927 --> 02:35:48,999
a fair bit of money.

3883
02:35:48,999 --> 02:35:52,758
Something like 30 bucks
a piece is not uncommon.

3884
02:35:52,758 --> 02:35:56,130
So you definitely can't submit
everything you've ever done.

3885
02:35:56,130 --> 02:36:00,052
But it is a good idea to set
aside a decent chunk of money

3886
02:36:00,052 --> 02:36:02,449
and submit a fair number of pieces.

3887
02:36:02,449 --> 02:36:04,826
Don't just submit like one or two pieces.

3888
02:36:04,826 --> 02:36:06,939
Submit a good number.

3889
02:36:06,939 --> 02:36:11,939
I try to submit four to
eight, say is a good number.

3890
02:36:12,770 --> 02:36:16,651
It really depends on the
output of your own work

3891
02:36:16,651 --> 02:36:19,454
as well as your own ability
to spend a lot of money

3892
02:36:19,454 --> 02:36:20,856
on these things.

3893
02:36:20,856 --> 02:36:23,701
I will say that the first
year I submitted to Spectrum,

3894
02:36:23,701 --> 02:36:26,017
and you are not allowed
to tell anyone this,

3895
02:36:26,017 --> 02:36:28,333
because I only got one piece in,

3896
02:36:28,333 --> 02:36:31,198
I actually submitted 12 pieces.

3897
02:36:31,198 --> 02:36:34,184
Because I was so desperate
to get something in,

3898
02:36:34,184 --> 02:36:37,110
I figured if I just sent
them a ton of pieces,

3899
02:36:37,110 --> 02:36:39,710
that maybe one of those
pieces would get in.

3900
02:36:39,710 --> 02:36:41,641
And as it turns out, it did.

3901
02:36:41,641 --> 02:36:43,774
So in my mind, that paid off.

3902
02:36:43,774 --> 02:36:47,329
It was very expensive, but
the credibility it gave me

3903
02:36:47,329 --> 02:36:50,357
was so worth it.

3904
02:36:50,357 --> 02:36:52,632
Not to mention the fact
that I was still a student

3905
02:36:52,632 --> 02:36:55,253
when I got into Spectrum
for the first time.

3906
02:36:55,253 --> 02:36:56,838
And there's just nothing better

3907
02:36:56,838 --> 02:36:59,959
than walking to class one
day after getting into a

3908
02:36:59,959 --> 02:37:03,270
professional illustrator's annual.

3909
02:37:03,270 --> 02:37:05,729
So start setting aside
some time every year,

3910
02:37:05,729 --> 02:37:07,374
and a little bit of money

3911
02:37:07,374 --> 02:37:08,959
to submit a few pieces

3912
02:37:08,959 --> 02:37:10,280
to each of these annuals

3913
02:37:10,280 --> 02:37:13,095
that are relevant to your industry.

3914
02:37:13,095 --> 02:37:14,964
It can be seen as a lot of money.

3915
02:37:14,964 --> 02:37:16,711
It can be seen as a waste.

3916
02:37:16,711 --> 02:37:19,598
But in the end it is so important.

3917
02:37:19,598 --> 02:37:23,021
And when you see guys like Donato Giancola

3918
02:37:23,021 --> 02:37:25,886
who submits tons of pieces
to Spectrum every year,

3919
02:37:25,886 --> 02:37:28,628
and of course is at the
top of his industry,

3920
02:37:28,628 --> 02:37:30,396
you can imagine how useful it is

3921
02:37:30,396 --> 02:37:33,911
for someone just starting out.

3922
02:37:33,911 --> 02:37:36,207
Let's talk about referrals:

3923
02:37:36,207 --> 02:37:39,214
how to get them, and when to give them.

3924
02:37:39,214 --> 02:37:43,561
Referrals are without a doubt
one of the best possible ways

3925
02:37:43,561 --> 02:37:45,695
of getting work.

3926
02:37:45,695 --> 02:37:47,402
Having someone that you know

3927
02:37:47,402 --> 02:37:49,392
who's already working
with the art director

3928
02:37:49,392 --> 02:37:51,058
that you wanna work for,

3929
02:37:51,058 --> 02:37:53,517
and getting that person to vouch for you

3930
02:37:53,517 --> 02:37:55,389
and vouch for your ability, and vouch

3931
02:37:55,389 --> 02:38:00,281
for your reliability is
extremely, extremely helpful

3932
02:38:00,281 --> 02:38:02,385
for getting your foot in the door.

3933
02:38:02,385 --> 02:38:03,960
And the great thing is

3934
02:38:03,960 --> 02:38:06,987
is that once you start
to build up your network,

3935
02:38:06,987 --> 02:38:08,552
and you start to get to know a lot of

3936
02:38:08,552 --> 02:38:10,914
in the industry sort of people,

3937
02:38:10,914 --> 02:38:15,547
you'll often just naturally
get work passed off to you.

3938
02:38:15,547 --> 02:38:17,456
I mentioned this briefly earlier,

3939
02:38:17,456 --> 02:38:21,052
but if for instance I don't
have time to take on a job,

3940
02:38:21,052 --> 02:38:23,551
I will often recommend
someone that I know,

3941
02:38:23,551 --> 02:38:25,381
some good friend of mine that I think

3942
02:38:25,381 --> 02:38:27,432
would be perfect for that job.

3943
02:38:27,432 --> 02:38:30,073
So in a sense, I'm
vouching for that person.

3944
02:38:30,073 --> 02:38:32,470
I'm saying that I can't do this job,

3945
02:38:32,470 --> 02:38:36,635
but this other person can
do a great job for you.

3946
02:38:36,635 --> 02:38:38,708
And art directors really listen

3947
02:38:38,708 --> 02:38:41,247
when one of their artists
that they really respect,

3948
02:38:41,247 --> 02:38:42,670
and they've worked with for a while,

3949
02:38:42,670 --> 02:38:44,478
and they have a relationship with,

3950
02:38:44,478 --> 02:38:46,631
recommends someone else.

3951
02:38:46,631 --> 02:38:48,663
I've actually talked to
several art directors.

3952
02:38:48,663 --> 02:38:50,959
And they have told me how often the people

3953
02:38:50,959 --> 02:38:53,864
that they hire are not
people that just email them

3954
02:38:53,864 --> 02:38:56,023
out of the blue, but are people that have

3955
02:38:56,023 --> 02:38:58,847
actually been referred
to them by other people

3956
02:38:58,847 --> 02:39:01,082
they're already working with.

3957
02:39:01,082 --> 02:39:02,911
But then it comes down to the issue of:

3958
02:39:02,911 --> 02:39:05,308
how do you get referrals?

3959
02:39:05,308 --> 02:39:06,710
Now you can wait around

3960
02:39:06,710 --> 02:39:09,453
and they will often happen naturally.

3961
02:39:09,453 --> 02:39:12,785
This is in some ways
the best way to do it.

3962
02:39:12,785 --> 02:39:16,503
Because it's really a
faux pas to ask someone

3963
02:39:16,503 --> 02:39:18,230
for a referral.

3964
02:39:18,230 --> 02:39:21,907
It's incredibly awkward
if they don't wanna do it.

3965
02:39:21,907 --> 02:39:25,930
I've kind of sort of done this myself,

3966
02:39:25,930 --> 02:39:28,266
asking someone for a referral.

3967
02:39:28,266 --> 02:39:30,861
And it was a horribly awkward situation

3968
02:39:30,861 --> 02:39:32,669
for both of us.

3969
02:39:32,669 --> 02:39:36,854
So try not to ever, ever
ask someone directly

3970
02:39:36,854 --> 02:39:38,094
for a referral.

3971
02:39:38,094 --> 02:39:39,617
And the reason that referrals

3972
02:39:39,617 --> 02:39:41,893
are kind of special like that,

3973
02:39:41,893 --> 02:39:43,660
in that you don't ask for them,

3974
02:39:43,660 --> 02:39:47,643
is that if an artist refers
you to their art director,

3975
02:39:47,643 --> 02:39:50,372
but your work is really lousy,

3976
02:39:50,372 --> 02:39:54,983
that looks really, really,
really bad on that artist.

3977
02:39:54,983 --> 02:39:57,604
So never ask for a referral.

3978
02:39:57,604 --> 02:40:00,265
Let it happen somewhat naturally.

3979
02:40:00,265 --> 02:40:02,013
Now it is possible, if you're talking

3980
02:40:02,013 --> 02:40:03,536
to some of your artist friends

3981
02:40:03,536 --> 02:40:05,405
who are already working professionally

3982
02:40:05,405 --> 02:40:08,047
that you can mention that
you're having a hard time

3983
02:40:08,047 --> 02:40:10,282
coming up with some work.

3984
02:40:10,282 --> 02:40:12,598
And it's not that you need
go anything more than that.

3985
02:40:12,598 --> 02:40:15,057
It's not that you need to
start begging for work.

3986
02:40:15,057 --> 02:40:16,275
You don't wanna do that.

3987
02:40:16,275 --> 02:40:17,697
If you wanna casually bring it up

3988
02:40:17,697 --> 02:40:19,973
that, oh yeah I'm lookin'
for some work right now.

3989
02:40:19,973 --> 02:40:21,099
That's fine.

3990
02:40:21,099 --> 02:40:23,562
And maybe if they happen
to come across a job,

3991
02:40:23,562 --> 02:40:25,715
and maybe if they think
it's appropriate for you,

3992
02:40:25,715 --> 02:40:27,686
they'll pass it along to you.

3993
02:40:27,686 --> 02:40:29,392
But referrals are
something you really need

3994
02:40:29,392 --> 02:40:31,282
to let happen naturally.

3995
02:40:31,282 --> 02:40:32,482
Because you have to realize

3996
02:40:32,482 --> 02:40:35,020
how much danger it puts them in

3997
02:40:35,020 --> 02:40:38,271
recommending a new artist like you.

3998
02:40:38,271 --> 02:40:40,790
Because they really are
staking their whole reputation

3999
02:40:40,790 --> 02:40:44,021
on how well you do on this job.

4000
02:40:44,021 --> 02:40:45,138
But at the same time

4001
02:40:45,138 --> 02:40:46,926
it's also a very good feeling

4002
02:40:46,926 --> 02:40:50,156
if you yourself can
somehow help someone else

4003
02:40:50,156 --> 02:40:52,168
to start up their career.

4004
02:40:52,168 --> 02:40:55,723
I've thankfully had the experience
from that side of things,

4005
02:40:55,723 --> 02:40:57,958
of being able to recommend a new artist

4006
02:40:57,958 --> 02:40:59,909
to some of my art directors,

4007
02:40:59,909 --> 02:41:02,204
and they have just flourished.

4008
02:41:02,204 --> 02:41:05,780
So referrals are a great thing to give.

4009
02:41:05,780 --> 02:41:07,751
And they're a great thing to receive.

4010
02:41:07,751 --> 02:41:11,469
But try not to ask for them.

4011
02:41:11,469 --> 02:41:13,704
And the last thing we're gonna
talk about in this section

4012
02:41:13,704 --> 02:41:18,305
of breaking in, is analyze
and adjust your tactics.

4013
02:41:19,271 --> 02:41:21,347
As you continue to market yourself,

4014
02:41:21,347 --> 02:41:22,932
and as you continue to explore

4015
02:41:22,932 --> 02:41:24,495
all these different avenues

4016
02:41:24,495 --> 02:41:27,725
of marketing, try and find out

4017
02:41:27,725 --> 02:41:30,814
where these clients are seeing your work.

4018
02:41:30,814 --> 02:41:32,622
And what's the most successful?

4019
02:41:32,622 --> 02:41:34,227
Try to keep track

4020
02:41:34,227 --> 02:41:35,629
of all this different stuff

4021
02:41:35,629 --> 02:41:36,848
so that you get a feel

4022
02:41:36,848 --> 02:41:38,453
for which techniques are working

4023
02:41:38,453 --> 02:41:40,546
and which ones aren't.

4024
02:41:40,546 --> 02:41:42,902
By doing this, you can
really focus your attention

4025
02:41:42,902 --> 02:41:45,462
on the sites that are
getting you a lot of the work

4026
02:41:45,462 --> 02:41:47,494
rather than spreading yourself out

4027
02:41:47,494 --> 02:41:51,435
over places that maybe aren't
getting you anything at all.

4028
02:41:51,435 --> 02:41:53,447
From my own personal experience,

4029
02:41:53,447 --> 02:41:55,925
my success has been diversified

4030
02:41:55,925 --> 02:41:57,937
over so many different sites,

4031
02:41:57,937 --> 02:42:00,131
that I really haven't had this experience.

4032
02:42:00,131 --> 02:42:01,858
But some people might find

4033
02:42:01,858 --> 02:42:04,662
that they're getting 80% of their work

4034
02:42:04,662 --> 02:42:07,039
from just one or two sites.

4035
02:42:07,039 --> 02:42:10,086
So if that's the case,
then you can spend a lot

4036
02:42:10,086 --> 02:42:13,747
more time, a lot more
energy cultivating that

4037
02:42:13,747 --> 02:42:16,042
rather than spending your time on sites

4038
02:42:16,042 --> 02:42:19,720
that don't seem to be
getting you any work at all.

4039
02:42:19,720 --> 02:42:23,377
Alternatively, you can take
those sort of failing sites

4040
02:42:23,377 --> 02:42:24,941
that aren't getting you any work,

4041
02:42:24,941 --> 02:42:26,871
and take it as an opportunity

4042
02:42:26,871 --> 02:42:30,183
to try an entirely different approach.

4043
02:42:30,183 --> 02:42:33,048
For instance, if you're
doing a lot of really long,

4044
02:42:33,048 --> 02:42:35,689
extensive tutorials on YouTube,

4045
02:42:35,689 --> 02:42:38,168
and you're not having
any success with them,

4046
02:42:38,168 --> 02:42:40,565
they're just not getting seen by anyone,

4047
02:42:40,565 --> 02:42:42,353
maybe you should try something different.

4048
02:42:42,353 --> 02:42:44,081
Maybe you should try doing really short

4049
02:42:44,081 --> 02:42:46,193
little tidbit videos.

4050
02:42:46,193 --> 02:42:47,940
Just try to mix up your approach.

4051
02:42:47,940 --> 02:42:49,789
Try to find what works for you

4052
02:42:49,789 --> 02:42:54,502
and what works for you on
each of these different sites.

4053
02:42:54,502 --> 02:42:57,686
And with that, we have wrapped up part two

4054
02:42:57,686 --> 02:42:59,474
of breaking in.

4055
02:42:59,474 --> 02:43:02,257
So I've covered a very general overview

4056
02:43:02,257 --> 02:43:04,208
of some of the best techniques

4057
02:43:04,208 --> 02:43:05,935
I've found to market yourself

4058
02:43:05,935 --> 02:43:08,759
online and in person.

4059
02:43:08,759 --> 02:43:10,506
So hopefully you'll
start to get out there.

4060
02:43:10,506 --> 02:43:12,721
You'll start to write a blog.

4061
02:43:12,721 --> 02:43:14,996
You'll start to set up
your social networking.

4062
02:43:14,996 --> 02:43:16,479
You'll put out tutorials.

4063
02:43:16,479 --> 02:43:18,186
You'll get published.

4064
02:43:18,186 --> 02:43:19,689
And you'll try to keep track

4065
02:43:19,689 --> 02:43:22,473
of the success of all
these different sites.

4066
02:43:22,473 --> 02:43:25,094
And in theory, if you do this for a while,

4067
02:43:25,094 --> 02:43:27,857
and you're patient, and
you're producing new work,

4068
02:43:27,857 --> 02:43:30,356
producing new content,

4069
02:43:30,356 --> 02:43:34,196
eventually you'll start to
get noticed by professionals.

4070
02:43:34,196 --> 02:43:37,690
And you'll start to get
noticed by art directors.

4071
02:43:37,690 --> 02:43:40,920
Now again, this can be
a very slow process.

4072
02:43:40,920 --> 02:43:41,997
Be patient.

4073
02:43:41,997 --> 02:43:45,106
It might take years for
you to really get noticed

4074
02:43:45,106 --> 02:43:46,427
by a lot of people.

4075
02:43:46,427 --> 02:43:48,011
It might take you that long to get noticed

4076
02:43:48,011 --> 02:43:50,673
by some of the big names in the industry.

4077
02:43:50,673 --> 02:43:53,415
But keep going, keep working,

4078
02:43:53,415 --> 02:43:54,899
keep producing new work,

4079
02:43:54,899 --> 02:43:57,987
and keep trying to build that
fan base if nothing else.

4080
02:43:57,987 --> 02:44:00,120
Because often times, even
if you can't seem to get

4081
02:44:00,120 --> 02:44:05,120
a lot of client work, you can
still build a decent fan base.

4082
02:44:05,139 --> 02:44:07,422
So again to recap, I talked about

4083
02:44:07,422 --> 02:44:09,230
a lot of resources in here.

4084
02:44:09,230 --> 02:44:13,009
And I have put all the
links on the resource page

4085
02:44:13,009 --> 02:44:17,154
which again is
TheArtofFreelancing.com/Resources

4086
02:44:17,154 --> 02:44:18,103
Go there.

4087
02:44:18,103 --> 02:44:21,281
I'm gonna keep that thing
updated with new resources

4088
02:44:21,281 --> 02:44:24,470
and any revisions I decide
to make along the way.

4089
02:44:24,470 --> 02:44:26,360
So check out that site, and you can find

4090
02:44:26,360 --> 02:44:28,493
a great listing of resources to help you

4091
02:44:28,493 --> 02:44:31,520
in your own marketing.

4092
02:44:31,520 --> 02:44:34,487
And with that, let's
move on to part three.

4093
02:44:34,487 --> 02:44:36,376
Your first job.

4094
02:44:36,376 --> 02:44:39,485
Now after a while of doing
everything we've talked about,

4095
02:44:39,485 --> 02:44:42,329
everything in part one of
setting up your foundation,

4096
02:44:42,329 --> 02:44:44,401
getting that portfolio ready,

4097
02:44:44,401 --> 02:44:46,474
and then everything in part two

4098
02:44:46,474 --> 02:44:49,013
of marketing yourself,
getting your work out there,

4099
02:44:49,013 --> 02:44:52,874
attending conventions, after
a long time of doing this,

4100
02:44:52,874 --> 02:44:55,413
eventually you will
start to get some work.

4101
02:44:55,413 --> 02:44:58,501
Eventually you'll have an
email show up in your inbox

4102
02:44:58,501 --> 02:45:01,061
sayin' that they'd love to work with you.

4103
02:45:01,061 --> 02:45:02,809
Now how long this takes

4104
02:45:02,809 --> 02:45:05,877
will really depend on each individual.

4105
02:45:05,877 --> 02:45:08,111
It'll depend on what
your skill level's at.

4106
02:45:08,111 --> 02:45:10,488
It'll depend on how much marketing you do.

4107
02:45:10,488 --> 02:45:13,861
It'll depend on how many
conventions you go to.

4108
02:45:13,861 --> 02:45:16,595
But if you're persistent, and your work is

4109
02:45:16,595 --> 02:45:19,013
a professional caliber,
you will eventually start

4110
02:45:19,013 --> 02:45:20,516
to get some work.

4111
02:45:20,516 --> 02:45:22,995
Now the sad fact is that
the first email or two

4112
02:45:22,995 --> 02:45:25,332
you probably get, will not be job offers

4113
02:45:25,332 --> 02:45:26,977
you honestly wanna take.

4114
02:45:26,977 --> 02:45:29,923
And we'll get into exactly
why that is in a second.

4115
02:45:29,923 --> 02:45:33,458
But first of all, let's get
in to what your first job

4116
02:45:33,458 --> 02:45:35,185
is gonna be like.

4117
02:45:35,185 --> 02:45:37,461
In this section, we're
gonna be talking about

4118
02:45:37,461 --> 02:45:39,106
all the technical process

4119
02:45:39,106 --> 02:45:40,529
that you're gonna go through

4120
02:45:40,529 --> 02:45:42,328
when you're actually doing the work.

4121
02:45:42,328 --> 02:45:45,599
It can be very intimidating
the first time with a client,

4122
02:45:45,599 --> 02:45:50,599
because I know personally I
had no idea what to expect.

4123
02:45:51,531 --> 02:45:53,989
I knew in the end I was
somehow supposed to do

4124
02:45:53,989 --> 02:45:55,798
an illustration for these people.

4125
02:45:55,798 --> 02:45:58,256
But I had no idea how to
deal with the contracts,

4126
02:45:58,256 --> 02:46:00,247
how to deal with all the deadlines,

4127
02:46:00,247 --> 02:46:02,198
et cetera et cetera et cetera.

4128
02:46:02,198 --> 02:46:04,473
So that's what we're gonna
be covering in this section.

4129
02:46:04,473 --> 02:46:07,135
As well as a few other general tips.

4130
02:46:07,135 --> 02:46:09,472
First of all, let's
cover how it all works,

4131
02:46:09,472 --> 02:46:12,133
how the work process flows.

4132
02:46:12,133 --> 02:46:14,794
Most people have really
no idea how this works

4133
02:46:14,794 --> 02:46:17,049
because they've never freelanced before.

4134
02:46:17,049 --> 02:46:20,076
And they probably don't
know too many freelancers.

4135
02:46:20,076 --> 02:46:21,135
The fact is

4136
02:46:21,135 --> 02:46:22,963
is it's pretty darn simple.

4137
02:46:22,963 --> 02:46:25,056
It's pretty straightforward.

4138
02:46:25,056 --> 02:46:27,272
And this is the usual process

4139
02:46:27,272 --> 02:46:29,241
that you'll go through.

4140
02:46:29,241 --> 02:46:32,005
First off, the client
will contact you somehow.

4141
02:46:32,005 --> 02:46:34,463
Most of the time this is
gonna be through email.

4142
02:46:34,463 --> 02:46:37,267
Sometimes it's gonna be through the phone.

4143
02:46:37,267 --> 02:46:39,684
It really depends on
what industry you're in.

4144
02:46:39,684 --> 02:46:41,350
Sometimes I guess for design clients

4145
02:46:41,350 --> 02:46:44,276
you're gonna have more
phone calls than emails.

4146
02:46:44,276 --> 02:46:47,202
But I would say that a
good 90 to 95% of it's

4147
02:46:47,202 --> 02:46:49,132
gonna just be through email.

4148
02:46:49,132 --> 02:46:51,875
And in this email they usually
ask if you're available,

4149
02:46:51,875 --> 02:46:53,744
if you have time for their project.

4150
02:46:53,744 --> 02:46:55,674
They might tell you a few little details

4151
02:46:55,674 --> 02:46:58,071
about your project to
give you a general feeling

4152
02:46:58,071 --> 02:46:59,676
for what they're after.

4153
02:46:59,676 --> 02:47:03,476
And maybe they'll tell you
what their deadline is for it.

4154
02:47:03,476 --> 02:47:06,341
Now at this stage, they'll
either tell you their budget,

4155
02:47:06,341 --> 02:47:08,941
or they won't tell you
their budget, and maybe

4156
02:47:08,941 --> 02:47:10,607
ask for your rate.

4157
02:47:10,607 --> 02:47:12,943
It really depends on the client.

4158
02:47:12,943 --> 02:47:15,930
Some will be straight up with
what they're gonna pay you.

4159
02:47:15,930 --> 02:47:20,075
And some will be more curious
on what you usually charge.

4160
02:47:20,075 --> 02:47:21,883
It just varies from client to client,

4161
02:47:21,883 --> 02:47:24,057
from company to company.

4162
02:47:24,057 --> 02:47:27,409
For instance, when I'm
working with smaller clients,

4163
02:47:27,409 --> 02:47:30,314
they tend to have less of a set budget.

4164
02:47:30,314 --> 02:47:33,118
Whereas if I'm working for
some of the larger companies,

4165
02:47:33,118 --> 02:47:36,552
say Wizards of the
Coast, they usually have

4166
02:47:36,552 --> 02:47:39,680
a standard rate that they pay everyone.

4167
02:47:39,680 --> 02:47:41,936
Next, you're gonna respond to their email.

4168
02:47:41,936 --> 02:47:44,414
And hopefully say that you're interested.

4169
02:47:44,414 --> 02:47:46,934
If you're not interested
of course, this is the time

4170
02:47:46,934 --> 02:47:48,916
to turn down the job.

4171
02:47:48,916 --> 02:47:50,054
I'm gonna talk in a little bit

4172
02:47:50,054 --> 02:47:52,858
about how to gracefully turn down work.

4173
02:47:52,858 --> 02:47:53,772
But for now let's assume

4174
02:47:53,772 --> 02:47:55,194
that you're gonna take this job,

4175
02:47:55,194 --> 02:47:57,124
that it's a good job.

4176
02:47:57,124 --> 02:48:01,533
In this case, if they
have a contract already,

4177
02:48:01,533 --> 02:48:03,585
this is when you're gonna
sign their contract.

4178
02:48:03,585 --> 02:48:05,048
This is also when you would sign

4179
02:48:05,048 --> 02:48:06,734
their non-disclosure agreement.

4180
02:48:06,734 --> 02:48:07,994
We're gonna be talking about both of those

4181
02:48:07,994 --> 02:48:10,066
in more detail in this section.

4182
02:48:10,066 --> 02:48:12,118
Now if they don't have a contract,

4183
02:48:12,118 --> 02:48:15,004
this is the time when you'll
send them your contract

4184
02:48:15,004 --> 02:48:18,254
which you'll write up
specifically for this job.

4185
02:48:18,254 --> 02:48:20,793
Writing contracts can
seem pretty daunting,

4186
02:48:20,793 --> 02:48:22,866
but there are examples out there

4187
02:48:22,866 --> 02:48:27,661
that you can get, and it's not
quite as scary as it seems.

4188
02:48:27,661 --> 02:48:30,789
Now after you got the
contract all sorted out,

4189
02:48:30,789 --> 02:48:32,313
it's time to start working.

4190
02:48:32,313 --> 02:48:34,914
A quick little point, do not start working

4191
02:48:34,914 --> 02:48:36,925
until the contract is sorted out.

4192
02:48:36,925 --> 02:48:39,648
This is a pretty common amateur mistake.

4193
02:48:39,648 --> 02:48:41,964
And they'll get so eager
about this first job

4194
02:48:41,964 --> 02:48:43,914
that they'll start working right away

4195
02:48:43,914 --> 02:48:46,474
before the contract is
signed and everything.

4196
02:48:46,474 --> 02:48:48,323
And that can get you
into a lot of trouble.

4197
02:48:48,323 --> 02:48:51,127
But I'll go into that more later.

4198
02:48:51,127 --> 02:48:52,305
But when you start working,

4199
02:48:52,305 --> 02:48:54,317
each client is gonna be
a little bit different

4200
02:48:54,317 --> 02:48:56,389
in how much communication they expect.

4201
02:48:56,389 --> 02:48:58,035
Some will expect to hear from you,

4202
02:48:58,035 --> 02:49:01,265
you know, every day or every other day.

4203
02:49:01,265 --> 02:49:04,130
Some will not expect to hear from you

4204
02:49:04,130 --> 02:49:06,893
unless you're at the final already.

4205
02:49:06,893 --> 02:49:09,148
I know plenty of big, major illustrators

4206
02:49:09,148 --> 02:49:12,216
that pretty much do a
quick little thumbnail

4207
02:49:12,216 --> 02:49:14,586
at the beginning, and the
client doesn't hear from them

4208
02:49:14,586 --> 02:49:17,674
until they have a completely
finished piece at the end.

4209
02:49:17,674 --> 02:49:21,717
So it really depends on the
client and what they like to do.

4210
02:49:21,717 --> 02:49:24,643
But a good general rule I'll
say, is that more communication

4211
02:49:24,643 --> 02:49:27,243
is always better than less.

4212
02:49:27,243 --> 02:49:29,377
And the reason for this is that,

4213
02:49:29,377 --> 02:49:30,454
especially when you're working

4214
02:49:30,454 --> 02:49:32,241
on the first job with a client,

4215
02:49:32,241 --> 02:49:33,989
they're gonna be a little bit scared.

4216
02:49:33,989 --> 02:49:36,711
They're gonna be kinda
worried that you'll flake out

4217
02:49:36,711 --> 02:49:38,905
and just completely abandon the job.

4218
02:49:38,905 --> 02:49:40,389
So the nice thing about communicating

4219
02:49:40,389 --> 02:49:42,786
with the client somewhat frequently

4220
02:49:42,786 --> 02:49:45,651
is that you're kinda reassuring them

4221
02:49:45,651 --> 02:49:47,174
that the project's going
in the right direction,

4222
02:49:47,174 --> 02:49:48,780
that it's moving along smoothly,

4223
02:49:48,780 --> 02:49:50,588
that it's moving along quickly,

4224
02:49:50,588 --> 02:49:53,656
and that you're gonna hit
the deadline in the end.

4225
02:49:53,656 --> 02:49:55,443
Now as far as the work process goes,

4226
02:49:55,443 --> 02:49:58,471
it depends a little bit
on what field you're in.

4227
02:49:58,471 --> 02:50:01,315
But we'll say for my
typical illustration job,

4228
02:50:01,315 --> 02:50:03,184
this is usually how it goes.

4229
02:50:03,184 --> 02:50:05,846
After we've got the
contract all sorted out,

4230
02:50:05,846 --> 02:50:07,126
I've got the commission.

4231
02:50:07,126 --> 02:50:09,381
I know their art description
that they gave me.

4232
02:50:09,381 --> 02:50:12,489
I will do several sketches on my own,

4233
02:50:12,489 --> 02:50:14,318
and I'll send them over to the client.

4234
02:50:14,318 --> 02:50:15,456
We'll talk a little bit about

4235
02:50:15,456 --> 02:50:17,934
what those sketches
should look like later.

4236
02:50:17,934 --> 02:50:21,165
But I'll do a few variations
for them to choose from.

4237
02:50:21,165 --> 02:50:22,913
The client will take a look at those,

4238
02:50:22,913 --> 02:50:26,122
and they'll get back to me
with which sketch they like.

4239
02:50:26,122 --> 02:50:28,987
They'll also give me any
revisions at that point.

4240
02:50:28,987 --> 02:50:30,714
This is the time when I like to do my most

4241
02:50:30,714 --> 02:50:33,253
major revisions.

4242
02:50:33,253 --> 02:50:34,859
It's very easy at the sketch phase

4243
02:50:34,859 --> 02:50:37,053
to take care of pretty major things.

4244
02:50:37,053 --> 02:50:38,820
So it's better to do them now

4245
02:50:38,820 --> 02:50:41,035
rather than at the final.

4246
02:50:41,035 --> 02:50:43,168
This is also when the rare case happens,

4247
02:50:43,168 --> 02:50:45,586
and I completely blow it on the sketches,

4248
02:50:45,586 --> 02:50:47,841
and the client doesn't
like any of the sketches.

4249
02:50:47,841 --> 02:50:49,974
I can do some completely new ones

4250
02:50:49,974 --> 02:50:51,762
based on their feedback.

4251
02:50:51,762 --> 02:50:53,347
Ideally this doesn't ever happen,

4252
02:50:53,347 --> 02:50:57,796
but in reality it has
happened once or twice to me.

4253
02:50:57,796 --> 02:51:00,031
Now after you get your sketch approval,

4254
02:51:00,031 --> 02:51:03,160
then you're gonna start
working on the final piece.

4255
02:51:03,160 --> 02:51:05,053
Whatever that might look
like, whether that's

4256
02:51:05,053 --> 02:51:08,588
a final design, or whether
that's a final illustration.

4257
02:51:08,588 --> 02:51:10,112
Now as you're working on this,

4258
02:51:10,112 --> 02:51:11,676
some clients will wanna see like

4259
02:51:11,676 --> 02:51:14,195
an in progress shot or two.

4260
02:51:14,195 --> 02:51:17,121
And they'll wanna kind of
approve it along the way.

4261
02:51:17,121 --> 02:51:19,722
Most of the time in my
own personal process,

4262
02:51:19,722 --> 02:51:21,855
I don't really have too many of those

4263
02:51:21,855 --> 02:51:25,410
work in progress approval phases.

4264
02:51:25,410 --> 02:51:29,535
For me, it's sketch approval,
and then straight to final.

4265
02:51:29,535 --> 02:51:32,237
And then you deal with the
getting the final approval.

4266
02:51:32,237 --> 02:51:34,533
So after you finish up the final piece,

4267
02:51:34,533 --> 02:51:36,666
you send it over to them for approval.

4268
02:51:36,666 --> 02:51:39,917
Often a low res jpeg is great for this.

4269
02:51:39,917 --> 02:51:42,538
They don't really need the
high res file at this point.

4270
02:51:42,538 --> 02:51:44,651
And in the case that you have to do

4271
02:51:44,651 --> 02:51:46,174
any revisions on the final,

4272
02:51:46,174 --> 02:51:48,856
you're just gonna have to
re-send that huge file.

4273
02:51:48,856 --> 02:51:49,730
So don't worry about it.

4274
02:51:49,730 --> 02:51:52,612
Try to send a lower res file at first.

4275
02:51:52,612 --> 02:51:55,068
Now at this point,
hopefully it'll be approved.

4276
02:51:55,068 --> 02:51:57,404
But sometimes you're
gonna have to do some more

4277
02:51:57,404 --> 02:51:59,294
revisions at this point.

4278
02:51:59,294 --> 02:52:01,407
Sometimes there'll be some smaller tweaks

4279
02:52:01,407 --> 02:52:02,890
that they need to get fixed before

4280
02:52:02,890 --> 02:52:05,755
you can actually get that final approval.

4281
02:52:05,755 --> 02:52:06,791
So you're gonna do those,

4282
02:52:06,791 --> 02:52:08,518
and then you're submitting it again.

4283
02:52:08,518 --> 02:52:11,078
Now some clients, the more troublesome,

4284
02:52:11,078 --> 02:52:13,638
obnoxious clients will have to go through

4285
02:52:13,638 --> 02:52:14,877
round and round and round

4286
02:52:14,877 --> 02:52:19,164
after these pieces are
supposed to be done.

4287
02:52:19,164 --> 02:52:21,317
This is a sign of a really bad client.

4288
02:52:21,317 --> 02:52:22,333
And we're gonna talk more about

4289
02:52:22,333 --> 02:52:24,121
how to deal with clients that request

4290
02:52:24,121 --> 02:52:26,884
constant revisions later.

4291
02:52:26,884 --> 02:52:29,383
But eventually it will be approved.

4292
02:52:29,383 --> 02:52:34,036
And at this point, you
can hopefully get paid.

4293
02:52:34,036 --> 02:52:36,961
You'll invoice the
client for most clients.

4294
02:52:36,961 --> 02:52:39,643
Some clients will just pay me
without even invoicing them.

4295
02:52:39,643 --> 02:52:42,833
But try to get into the
habit of always invoicing.

4296
02:52:42,833 --> 02:52:46,937
So after you're paid, you
can deliver the final file.

4297
02:52:46,937 --> 02:52:50,046
This is when you put
the final high res file

4298
02:52:50,046 --> 02:52:52,301
in their email somehow.

4299
02:52:52,301 --> 02:52:53,926
Whether you upload it to your own server,

4300
02:52:53,926 --> 02:52:56,142
or you upload it to Dropbox,
et cetera et cetera.

4301
02:52:56,142 --> 02:52:57,807
We're gonna talk more about the specifics

4302
02:52:57,807 --> 02:52:59,371
of how to do this later.

4303
02:52:59,371 --> 02:53:01,565
But this is when you
send in that final file

4304
02:53:01,565 --> 02:53:04,166
and call it quits on this job.

4305
02:53:04,166 --> 02:53:06,523
So that wraps up our quick overview

4306
02:53:06,523 --> 02:53:09,428
of what sort of process
you're gonna be looking at

4307
02:53:09,428 --> 02:53:11,155
for most freelance work.

4308
02:53:11,155 --> 02:53:14,548
This is how probably 95% of my jobs go.

4309
02:53:14,548 --> 02:53:17,006
Occasionally there'll be
little variations in this,

4310
02:53:17,006 --> 02:53:20,257
but for the most part,
this is how things work.

4311
02:53:20,257 --> 02:53:22,919
So with that, let's start
getting in to some of the

4312
02:53:22,919 --> 02:53:27,124
nitty-gritty of working for clients.

4313
02:53:27,124 --> 02:53:28,709
So the first thing that
we need to think about

4314
02:53:28,709 --> 02:53:31,188
when we're thinking
about working for clients

4315
02:53:31,188 --> 02:53:34,885
is that working for a client is a job.

4316
02:53:34,885 --> 02:53:37,242
And your job as a freelancer

4317
02:53:37,242 --> 02:53:39,639
is to make your client happy.

4318
02:53:39,639 --> 02:53:40,676
This is not the time

4319
02:53:40,676 --> 02:53:42,077
to do your own personal work.

4320
02:53:42,077 --> 02:53:43,236
This is not the time

4321
02:53:43,236 --> 02:53:45,897
to do the thing that's
gonna make you happiest.

4322
02:53:45,897 --> 02:53:47,075
This is the time

4323
02:53:47,075 --> 02:53:48,376
to listen to your client

4324
02:53:48,376 --> 02:53:50,611
and do what they tell you.

4325
02:53:50,611 --> 02:53:54,735
And make them as happy
as you possibly can.

4326
02:53:54,735 --> 02:53:56,746
Especially when you're first starting out,

4327
02:53:56,746 --> 02:53:59,570
your goal is not to do the
most personally fulfilling

4328
02:53:59,570 --> 02:54:02,273
personally exciting work in the world.

4329
02:54:02,273 --> 02:54:06,112
Your job, your goal, is to
do the best possible work

4330
02:54:06,112 --> 02:54:09,871
for that client, the thing
that's gonna make them happiest.

4331
02:54:09,871 --> 02:54:12,919
Because having a happy
client is a wonderful thing.

4332
02:54:12,919 --> 02:54:15,885
And having an unhappy client is something

4333
02:54:15,885 --> 02:54:17,856
you never want to experience.

4334
02:54:17,856 --> 02:54:20,883
It is not fun. Trust me.

4335
02:54:20,883 --> 02:54:22,854
Now I will say that it's very important

4336
02:54:22,854 --> 02:54:24,946
to do work that is personally fulfilling.

4337
02:54:24,946 --> 02:54:27,445
It's great to do work that is furthering

4338
02:54:27,445 --> 02:54:29,436
your own creative goals.

4339
02:54:29,436 --> 02:54:30,899
But at the same time, you do not

4340
02:54:30,899 --> 02:54:33,865
want to neglect your clients' wishes.

4341
02:54:33,865 --> 02:54:35,714
Because when you sign that contract,

4342
02:54:35,714 --> 02:54:37,258
you're making an agreement

4343
02:54:37,258 --> 02:54:39,575
that you're gonna produce
a certain product.

4344
02:54:39,575 --> 02:54:41,241
And you need to do that.

4345
02:54:41,241 --> 02:54:45,720
If you don't, you have
failed as a business.

4346
02:54:45,720 --> 02:54:47,530
Now when you're working on your first job,

4347
02:54:47,530 --> 02:54:49,663
it's not a horrible idea

4348
02:54:49,663 --> 02:54:51,675
to work yourself to death.

4349
02:54:51,675 --> 02:54:55,068
Now in general, it's bad to work too hard.

4350
02:54:55,068 --> 02:54:56,185
You're gonna burn out.

4351
02:54:56,185 --> 02:54:57,993
We're gonna talk about that more later.

4352
02:54:57,993 --> 02:55:00,939
But for your first job, it's not bad

4353
02:55:00,939 --> 02:55:02,727
to go a little bit overboard

4354
02:55:02,727 --> 02:55:05,592
on the quality, on the
time you put into it,

4355
02:55:05,592 --> 02:55:07,786
on the number of sketches you send them.

4356
02:55:07,786 --> 02:55:10,996
it's not gonna hurt you.

4357
02:55:10,996 --> 02:55:14,462
Because your first job is not the place

4358
02:55:14,462 --> 02:55:17,265
for you to start trying
to economize your time.

4359
02:55:17,265 --> 02:55:19,866
It's not the place for you
to start cutting corners.

4360
02:55:19,866 --> 02:55:21,900
It's not the time for you to start seeing

4361
02:55:21,900 --> 02:55:23,647
what you can get away with.

4362
02:55:23,647 --> 02:55:26,045
This is the time to prove to the client

4363
02:55:26,045 --> 02:55:28,909
that they made a good
decision in hiring you.

4364
02:55:28,909 --> 02:55:30,108
This is the time when you're trying

4365
02:55:30,108 --> 02:55:32,729
to blow that art director away.

4366
02:55:32,729 --> 02:55:34,253
This is the time to come up

4367
02:55:34,253 --> 02:55:37,117
with the best thing you have ever painted.

4368
02:55:37,117 --> 02:55:40,388
So really, really, really try to do

4369
02:55:40,388 --> 02:55:43,578
your absolute best on your first job.

4370
02:55:43,578 --> 02:55:44,817
And I'm gonna talk about more about

4371
02:55:44,817 --> 02:55:47,847
why the first job is so important

4372
02:55:47,847 --> 02:55:50,123
to do a wonderful job on.

4373
02:55:50,123 --> 02:55:52,033
But for now, just try to do

4374
02:55:52,033 --> 02:55:56,055
the absolute best job you possibly can.

4375
02:55:56,055 --> 02:55:59,387
So for example if they
ask for two sketches,

4376
02:55:59,387 --> 02:56:01,643
send them four sketches.

4377
02:56:01,643 --> 02:56:05,604
If they ask for a minimum of
four figures in this scene,

4378
02:56:05,604 --> 02:56:09,322
go ahead and throw eight
or 16 figures in the scene.

4379
02:56:09,322 --> 02:56:11,171
Go ahead and blow their expectations

4380
02:56:11,171 --> 02:56:13,122
out of the water.

4381
02:56:13,122 --> 02:56:14,381
And while you're at it,

4382
02:56:14,381 --> 02:56:16,657
you can go ahead and submit your piece

4383
02:56:16,657 --> 02:56:17,876
a week early.

4384
02:56:17,876 --> 02:56:19,765
Beat the deadline by a lot.

4385
02:56:19,765 --> 02:56:21,574
Show that you're extremely reliable,

4386
02:56:21,574 --> 02:56:22,975
extremely motivated,

4387
02:56:22,975 --> 02:56:25,170
and you're gonna produce a quality piece

4388
02:56:25,170 --> 02:56:27,384
ahead of schedule.

4389
02:56:27,384 --> 02:56:28,420
Now in the long run,

4390
02:56:28,420 --> 02:56:29,538
you're not gonna be able to keep up

4391
02:56:29,538 --> 02:56:31,529
this insane work ethic.

4392
02:56:31,529 --> 02:56:33,276
You're not gonna be
able to continue sending

4393
02:56:33,276 --> 02:56:35,653
tons and tons of
sketches, continuing to go

4394
02:56:35,653 --> 02:56:38,294
extremely overboard on every piece you do.

4395
02:56:38,294 --> 02:56:40,204
Because you're probably not
gonna be able to make a living

4396
02:56:40,204 --> 02:56:42,956
doing that, because not
all pieces are gonna be

4397
02:56:42,956 --> 02:56:44,392
paying you enough money to make it

4398
02:56:44,392 --> 02:56:46,139
worth your while.

4399
02:56:46,139 --> 02:56:47,541
But I wouldn't worry about that

4400
02:56:47,541 --> 02:56:48,963
when you're first starting out.

4401
02:56:48,963 --> 02:56:50,690
Again, you're just trying to prove

4402
02:56:50,690 --> 02:56:53,819
to this first client, that
they made a good decision

4403
02:56:53,819 --> 02:56:58,392
hiring you, and they should
continue to give you more work.

4404
02:56:58,392 --> 02:57:00,869
Now I wanna talk about working for free

4405
02:57:00,869 --> 02:57:01,723
for a little while.

4406
02:57:01,723 --> 02:57:03,470
This is a question that comes up a lot,

4407
02:57:03,470 --> 02:57:05,928
especially among people just starting out.

4408
02:57:05,928 --> 02:57:08,163
Because it wouldn't be too surprising

4409
02:57:08,163 --> 02:57:10,764
if I found out that the
first few emails you got

4410
02:57:10,764 --> 02:57:12,491
about potential jobs

4411
02:57:12,491 --> 02:57:15,254
were people asking you to work for free.

4412
02:57:15,254 --> 02:57:16,493
This is extremely common.

4413
02:57:16,493 --> 02:57:19,642
I still get emails like this all the time.

4414
02:57:19,642 --> 02:57:23,299
I probably get one or
two every single week.

4415
02:57:23,299 --> 02:57:26,164
Some people probably
get way more than that.

4416
02:57:26,164 --> 02:57:28,643
But when you start talking
to pros in the industry,

4417
02:57:28,643 --> 02:57:31,487
they get really touchy about this issue.

4418
02:57:31,487 --> 02:57:34,474
Pros will often rant and rave

4419
02:57:34,474 --> 02:57:36,505
about all the amateurs out there

4420
02:57:36,505 --> 02:57:39,309
killing the industry by working for free.

4421
02:57:39,309 --> 02:57:40,975
And they'll say how evil it is,

4422
02:57:40,975 --> 02:57:43,474
and how nobody should ever work for free.

4423
02:57:43,474 --> 02:57:46,461
But there's also people
saying that it's great.

4424
02:57:46,461 --> 02:57:47,741
It's a great way to get started.

4425
02:57:47,741 --> 02:57:49,528
It's a great way to get
your name out there.

4426
02:57:49,528 --> 02:57:52,535
It's a great way to get those
first clients on your list

4427
02:57:52,535 --> 02:57:56,131
so that you can start to
get those paying clients.

4428
02:57:56,131 --> 02:57:58,448
So I happen to land
somewhere in the middle

4429
02:57:58,448 --> 02:58:00,337
of those two extremes.

4430
02:58:00,337 --> 02:58:02,978
Working for free is not always good.

4431
02:58:02,978 --> 02:58:05,254
But it is sometimes good.

4432
02:58:05,254 --> 02:58:07,326
So that's the answer to the question:

4433
02:58:07,326 --> 02:58:09,073
should I work for free?

4434
02:58:09,073 --> 02:58:11,594
Sometimes. It depends.

4435
02:58:11,594 --> 02:58:13,746
A great site to check out

4436
02:58:13,746 --> 02:58:15,494
that will answer so many of your questions

4437
02:58:15,494 --> 02:58:18,747
on this issue, is shouldiworkforfree.com.

4438
02:58:18,747 --> 02:58:19,832
I didn't start the site.

4439
02:58:19,832 --> 02:58:22,311
But it got started somewhat recently,

4440
02:58:22,311 --> 02:58:24,058
and it is a great resource for

4441
02:58:24,058 --> 02:58:27,695
deciding whether you should
work for free or not.

4442
02:58:27,695 --> 02:58:30,539
So the general gist of
the situation is that

4443
02:58:30,539 --> 02:58:33,444
there are tons and tons
of people out there

4444
02:58:33,444 --> 02:58:35,517
who will try to get you to work for free.

4445
02:58:35,517 --> 02:58:37,122
And then take that work,

4446
02:58:37,122 --> 02:58:38,869
and then make money off of it.

4447
02:58:38,869 --> 02:58:40,535
And this is a case where working for free

4448
02:58:40,535 --> 02:58:43,176
is clearly a bad thing.

4449
02:58:43,176 --> 02:58:45,106
If they are making money off of your work

4450
02:58:45,106 --> 02:58:47,646
in some ways, they should be paying you

4451
02:58:47,646 --> 02:58:49,251
for that work.

4452
02:58:49,251 --> 02:58:51,039
But there are still tons of people

4453
02:58:51,039 --> 02:58:53,436
who will try to trick young amateurs

4454
02:58:53,436 --> 02:58:55,044
and students, and people just getting

4455
02:58:55,044 --> 02:58:57,482
into the industry to work for free.

4456
02:58:57,482 --> 02:59:00,854
And they will profit
off of that free labor.

4457
02:59:00,854 --> 02:59:03,394
And I still get these emails all the time.

4458
02:59:03,394 --> 02:59:04,633
And some of the words

4459
02:59:04,633 --> 02:59:06,442
you can probably find in these emails

4460
02:59:06,442 --> 02:59:10,444
is things like collaborate,
and opportunity,

4461
02:59:10,444 --> 02:59:14,853
and exposure, and portfolio work,

4462
02:59:14,853 --> 02:59:16,905
and these sort of things,

4463
02:59:16,905 --> 02:59:18,408
as soon as I see them,

4464
02:59:18,408 --> 02:59:21,090
I very, very quickly lose interest

4465
02:59:21,090 --> 02:59:23,102
in their entire email.

4466
02:59:23,102 --> 02:59:24,158
And the reason is

4467
02:59:24,158 --> 02:59:25,905
is that most of the time

4468
02:59:25,905 --> 02:59:28,242
when someone promises me exposure,

4469
02:59:28,242 --> 02:59:30,781
I immediately know that
they are not planning

4470
02:59:30,781 --> 02:59:33,585
to pay me a dime.

4471
02:59:33,585 --> 02:59:36,450
Now there's something
even more treacherous

4472
02:59:36,450 --> 02:59:38,238
than free work.

4473
02:59:38,238 --> 02:59:41,590
And that is spec work,
or speculative work.

4474
02:59:41,590 --> 02:59:45,836
And spec work is really,
really evil stuff.

4475
02:59:45,836 --> 02:59:49,108
And it's basically where
a client will not pay you

4476
02:59:49,108 --> 02:59:53,313
for the work until the
project itself does well.

4477
02:59:53,313 --> 02:59:55,101
So essentially, you're taking on

4478
02:59:55,101 --> 02:59:57,458
all of the risk of the project

4479
02:59:57,458 --> 02:59:59,205
with no real reward

4480
02:59:59,205 --> 03:00:02,566
besides getting paid what
you should be paid anyways.

4481
03:00:03,292 --> 03:00:05,791
And this is a trap that a lot of beginners

4482
03:00:05,791 --> 03:00:06,989
fall into.

4483
03:00:06,989 --> 03:00:10,301
They get an email asking them
to do some work early on.

4484
03:00:10,301 --> 03:00:12,190
And it sounds really good.

4485
03:00:12,190 --> 03:00:14,100
The person assures you that the project

4486
03:00:14,100 --> 03:00:16,051
is gonna be a huge success,

4487
03:00:16,051 --> 03:00:18,245
that everyone's gonna make a lot of money,

4488
03:00:18,245 --> 03:00:20,642
and you're gonna get a .5% stake

4489
03:00:20,642 --> 03:00:22,308
in all of the revenue,

4490
03:00:22,308 --> 03:00:23,974
and you're gonna make so much money.

4491
03:00:23,974 --> 03:00:25,153
And oh they don't have any money

4492
03:00:25,153 --> 03:00:26,412
to pay you right off the bat.

4493
03:00:26,412 --> 03:00:28,810
But oh my God once this launches,

4494
03:00:28,810 --> 03:00:30,008
and once it gets successful,

4495
03:00:30,008 --> 03:00:32,223
you're gonna make so much money.

4496
03:00:32,223 --> 03:00:34,803
Please do not fall for this.

4497
03:00:34,803 --> 03:00:36,855
This is just a trick.

4498
03:00:36,855 --> 03:00:41,264
Odds are, I would say
99.9% of these projects

4499
03:00:41,264 --> 03:00:42,991
that you get an email from

4500
03:00:42,991 --> 03:00:45,185
that are promising you all these riches

4501
03:00:45,185 --> 03:00:48,131
once it gets published,
once it gets successful,

4502
03:00:48,131 --> 03:00:51,098
will never be published.

4503
03:00:51,098 --> 03:00:53,718
Again, their email is
probably gonna sound great.

4504
03:00:53,718 --> 03:00:55,265
They're gonna make a lot of promises

4505
03:00:55,265 --> 03:00:57,541
about all the exposure you're gonna get.

4506
03:00:57,541 --> 03:00:58,882
They're gonna say just how great

4507
03:00:58,882 --> 03:01:01,665
this project is gonna
be for your portfolio.

4508
03:01:01,665 --> 03:01:02,904
And they're gonna say how much revenue

4509
03:01:02,904 --> 03:01:04,733
you're gonna end up making.

4510
03:01:04,733 --> 03:01:06,419
But you won't.

4511
03:01:06,419 --> 03:01:09,060
These projects will not even be published.

4512
03:01:09,060 --> 03:01:11,722
And you will never be paid.

4513
03:01:11,722 --> 03:01:13,266
And now I'm sure there are some people

4514
03:01:13,266 --> 03:01:14,404
who are listening to this

4515
03:01:14,404 --> 03:01:16,954
and will say, oh my God,
well I did one of those.

4516
03:01:16,954 --> 03:01:18,153
And I got paid.

4517
03:01:18,153 --> 03:01:21,627
But I assure you those are probably .01%

4518
03:01:21,627 --> 03:01:23,882
of those projects.

4519
03:01:23,882 --> 03:01:25,427
Now with all that said,

4520
03:01:25,427 --> 03:01:27,093
with all those horror stories,

4521
03:01:27,093 --> 03:01:30,221
and with all that advice
to never take spec work,

4522
03:01:30,221 --> 03:01:31,562
don't do it,

4523
03:01:31,562 --> 03:01:35,240
there are kinds of free
work that are actually

4524
03:01:35,240 --> 03:01:37,820
extremely beneficial for your career.

4525
03:01:37,820 --> 03:01:39,425
And one of the most popular forms

4526
03:01:39,425 --> 03:01:43,285
is in challenges or
contests of some sorts.

4527
03:01:43,285 --> 03:01:46,638
Where there's no real
money prize at the end.

4528
03:01:46,638 --> 03:01:49,502
There's no real usage of your art.

4529
03:01:49,502 --> 03:01:50,823
It's simply a bunch of people

4530
03:01:50,823 --> 03:01:52,428
all trying to do the same assignment

4531
03:01:52,428 --> 03:01:53,688
and have fun.

4532
03:01:53,688 --> 03:01:56,715
And in the end, these
are actually very useful.

4533
03:01:56,715 --> 03:01:59,681
And I've had quite a bit of
success with them myself.

4534
03:01:59,681 --> 03:02:00,819
The great thing about these

4535
03:02:00,819 --> 03:02:04,232
is that nobody's really
profiting off of your work.

4536
03:02:04,232 --> 03:02:06,894
Everyone's doing it for
their own fulfillment.

4537
03:02:06,894 --> 03:02:09,900
And it's nice kinda working
in that group atmosphere.

4538
03:02:09,900 --> 03:02:11,892
You get used to working under a deadline.

4539
03:02:11,892 --> 03:02:14,695
And you also tend to get
a lot of extra exposure

4540
03:02:14,695 --> 03:02:16,219
you wouldn't get if you were just doing

4541
03:02:16,219 --> 03:02:19,571
a personal piece without
any sort of assignment.

4542
03:02:19,571 --> 03:02:21,278
So when I was starting out,

4543
03:02:21,278 --> 03:02:23,025
I actually did some of these things

4544
03:02:23,025 --> 03:02:25,768
and got quite a bit of
extra exposure from them.

4545
03:02:25,768 --> 03:02:28,612
In fact, I believe it's
how the art director

4546
03:02:28,612 --> 03:02:29,953
from Wizards of the Coast

4547
03:02:29,953 --> 03:02:32,493
first became familiar with my own work.

4548
03:02:32,493 --> 03:02:34,708
So I would encourage
all of you to get online

4549
03:02:34,708 --> 03:02:37,024
and try to find some
cool little challenges

4550
03:02:37,024 --> 03:02:38,832
that are gonna get you good exposure

4551
03:02:38,832 --> 03:02:40,132
and get you good practice

4552
03:02:40,132 --> 03:02:42,083
at working under a deadline.

4553
03:02:42,083 --> 03:02:45,029
Now another thing is pro bono work.

4554
03:02:45,029 --> 03:02:46,552
Pro bono work can actually be

4555
03:02:46,552 --> 03:02:48,686
extremely beneficial for you.

4556
03:02:48,686 --> 03:02:50,941
Actually working for
free for a real client

4557
03:02:50,941 --> 03:02:53,359
can be a good thing.

4558
03:02:53,359 --> 03:02:55,553
Now the main times that this is actually

4559
03:02:55,553 --> 03:02:58,092
gonna benefit you, is when for instance,

4560
03:02:58,092 --> 03:02:59,697
you believe in the cause.

4561
03:02:59,697 --> 03:03:03,090
For instance you're
working for a non-profit

4562
03:03:03,090 --> 03:03:05,692
organization that you really believe in.

4563
03:03:05,692 --> 03:03:07,621
And helping them out can look great.

4564
03:03:07,621 --> 03:03:08,820
It can feel great.

4565
03:03:08,820 --> 03:03:12,294
And you can end up with
a nice piece at the end.

4566
03:03:12,294 --> 03:03:14,549
And that's another thing.

4567
03:03:14,549 --> 03:03:15,687
If you're gonna be able to end up

4568
03:03:15,687 --> 03:03:20,120
with a nice portfolio piece
that is what you wanna do,

4569
03:03:20,120 --> 03:03:22,419
then it might actually be a good idea

4570
03:03:22,419 --> 03:03:24,533
to do it for an actual client.

4571
03:03:24,533 --> 03:03:26,268
Because then that adds another name

4572
03:03:26,268 --> 03:03:28,661
to your client list,
you get to help them out

4573
03:03:28,661 --> 03:03:30,343
by doing it for them.

4574
03:03:30,343 --> 03:03:33,614
And then you get that portfolio piece.

4575
03:03:33,614 --> 03:03:35,547
Another great thing about working for free

4576
03:03:35,547 --> 03:03:37,505
is that you tend to have a lot more

4577
03:03:37,505 --> 03:03:39,191
creative control over it.

4578
03:03:39,191 --> 03:03:40,877
Since they're not paying you,

4579
03:03:40,877 --> 03:03:42,422
they're not gonna have that feeling

4580
03:03:42,422 --> 03:03:44,108
that they're lording over you

4581
03:03:44,108 --> 03:03:45,977
and can expect everything from you,

4582
03:03:45,977 --> 03:03:48,700
working on weekends and everything.

4583
03:03:48,700 --> 03:03:50,691
So you're gonna have a
lot more creative control

4584
03:03:50,691 --> 03:03:52,296
on how the piece progresses.

4585
03:03:52,296 --> 03:03:53,860
And so you're gonna have a lot better odds

4586
03:03:53,860 --> 03:03:57,598
that it's gonna end up as a
really nice portfolio piece.

4587
03:03:57,598 --> 03:04:00,118
So the important thing to
remember in all of this,

4588
03:04:00,118 --> 03:04:02,596
is that you can work for yourself

4589
03:04:02,596 --> 03:04:05,299
for free any time you want.

4590
03:04:05,299 --> 03:04:07,066
You don't need to have a client.

4591
03:04:07,066 --> 03:04:08,915
You don't have to have the hassle

4592
03:04:08,915 --> 03:04:10,642
of dealing with someone else.

4593
03:04:10,642 --> 03:04:13,669
You can always do free work for yourself.

4594
03:04:13,669 --> 03:04:15,965
So any time you're
getting offered a project,

4595
03:04:15,965 --> 03:04:17,915
and they want you to do it for free,

4596
03:04:17,915 --> 03:04:20,678
you have to realize
that you're turning down

4597
03:04:20,678 --> 03:04:24,234
the opportunity to do
work that you wanna do

4598
03:04:24,234 --> 03:04:27,363
for the work that they want you to do.

4599
03:04:27,363 --> 03:04:29,191
So I encourage you to be very hesitant

4600
03:04:29,191 --> 03:04:30,756
about doing free work,

4601
03:04:30,756 --> 03:04:35,756
but don't necessarily write
it off as always evil.

4602
03:04:35,916 --> 03:04:39,248
Now moving past jobs that don't pay,

4603
03:04:39,248 --> 03:04:42,702
we'll get on to jobs that
you don't really want to do.

4604
03:04:42,702 --> 03:04:46,644
Be they boring or just
miserable, or not exactly

4605
03:04:46,644 --> 03:04:49,061
what you're trying to do with your work.

4606
03:04:49,061 --> 03:04:51,601
And I get emails like this as well.

4607
03:04:51,601 --> 03:04:52,881
I'll get emails that are just

4608
03:04:52,881 --> 03:04:55,908
not really what I'm interested in.

4609
03:04:55,908 --> 03:04:59,931
They're either tedious or uninteresting,

4610
03:04:59,931 --> 03:05:03,608
or just really not something
you'd wanna get into.

4611
03:05:03,608 --> 03:05:06,209
And you really have a
decision here to make:

4612
03:05:06,209 --> 03:05:08,058
whether you're gonna take on jobs

4613
03:05:08,058 --> 03:05:10,496
that you don't necessarily wanna do

4614
03:05:10,496 --> 03:05:12,487
to make a little bit more money,

4615
03:05:12,487 --> 03:05:15,819
or to stay focused on what you do wanna do

4616
03:05:15,819 --> 03:05:18,765
and potentially not get as much work.

4617
03:05:18,765 --> 03:05:21,223
So it really comes down
to a business decision

4618
03:05:21,223 --> 03:05:24,657
as to whether you're gonna
take on this work or not.

4619
03:05:24,657 --> 03:05:27,156
Because at the end of
the day, this is a job.

4620
03:05:27,156 --> 03:05:29,391
Freelancing is really a job

4621
03:05:29,391 --> 03:05:30,874
where you're trying to make enough money.

4622
03:05:30,874 --> 03:05:32,641
You're trying to make a living.

4623
03:05:32,641 --> 03:05:34,815
So at this point, when I get jobs

4624
03:05:34,815 --> 03:05:37,111
that I'm not that crazy about,

4625
03:05:37,111 --> 03:05:39,326
I don't really want to do,

4626
03:05:39,326 --> 03:05:41,500
it comes down to an issue of money.

4627
03:05:41,500 --> 03:05:43,673
Because I am trying to support myself,

4628
03:05:43,673 --> 03:05:46,660
and at a certain price, I'm more willing

4629
03:05:46,660 --> 03:05:48,732
to take on jobs that might not be

4630
03:05:48,732 --> 03:05:51,198
as interesting as others.

4631
03:05:51,198 --> 03:05:53,593
At the same time, I'd
be willing to do jobs

4632
03:05:53,593 --> 03:05:56,255
that I'm crazy about, that
I'm really excited about

4633
03:05:56,255 --> 03:05:58,612
maybe for a little bit less money.

4634
03:05:58,612 --> 03:06:01,476
But I still try to be
expensive for those too.

4635
03:06:01,476 --> 03:06:02,655
But the point is

4636
03:06:02,655 --> 03:06:05,763
is that you can actually
increase your rate considerably

4637
03:06:05,763 --> 03:06:08,770
for jobs that you really don't wanna do.

4638
03:06:08,770 --> 03:06:11,391
Because that way, if you are getting paid

4639
03:06:11,391 --> 03:06:13,870
a lot more money than you usually do,

4640
03:06:13,870 --> 03:06:15,292
you're gonna be a lot more interested

4641
03:06:15,292 --> 03:06:17,567
in the work you're doing.

4642
03:06:17,567 --> 03:06:20,656
Because even though
you're not getting much

4643
03:06:20,656 --> 03:06:23,073
creative fulfillment,
you are getting plenty of

4644
03:06:23,073 --> 03:06:25,776
monetary fulfillment.

4645
03:06:25,776 --> 03:06:28,701
But sometimes you will
wanna turn down the jobs.

4646
03:06:28,701 --> 03:06:30,408
And let's talk about that now.

4647
03:06:30,408 --> 03:06:33,902
How to turn down work tactfully.

4648
03:06:33,902 --> 03:06:36,243
Now when you start freelancing,

4649
03:06:36,243 --> 03:06:39,602
the common advice from
really established pros

4650
03:06:39,602 --> 03:06:43,015
is to take pretty much any
work that comes your way,

4651
03:06:43,015 --> 03:06:46,815
to take any jobs, no matter
how boring, how low pay,

4652
03:06:46,815 --> 03:06:49,883
just to get something coming in the door.

4653
03:06:49,883 --> 03:06:53,357
Now others will tell you to
hold out for the good jobs,

4654
03:06:53,357 --> 03:06:55,551
hold out for the high paying jobs.

4655
03:06:55,551 --> 03:06:59,086
And as usual, the best answer is usually

4656
03:06:59,086 --> 03:07:00,894
somewhere in the middle.

4657
03:07:00,894 --> 03:07:03,089
But regardless, definitely
in the beginning

4658
03:07:03,089 --> 03:07:05,628
you are gonna need to take on more jobs

4659
03:07:05,628 --> 03:07:08,351
that don't really interest you.

4660
03:07:08,351 --> 03:07:10,545
You're not gonna have the selectivity

4661
03:07:10,545 --> 03:07:12,353
that you can get later on.

4662
03:07:12,353 --> 03:07:13,897
In the beginning, you need to start

4663
03:07:13,897 --> 03:07:15,279
getting a client list.

4664
03:07:15,279 --> 03:07:17,107
You need to start getting established.

4665
03:07:17,107 --> 03:07:19,220
You need to get a little
bit of money coming in.

4666
03:07:19,220 --> 03:07:21,008
And then later down the road

4667
03:07:21,008 --> 03:07:23,365
you can be a lot more selective

4668
03:07:23,365 --> 03:07:26,433
with what jobs you take on.

4669
03:07:26,433 --> 03:07:28,221
So eventually you'll come to the point

4670
03:07:28,221 --> 03:07:30,943
where you actually do
have to turn down a job.

4671
03:07:30,943 --> 03:07:32,629
And it can be a little difficult.

4672
03:07:32,629 --> 03:07:35,616
Artists have a tendency
from what I've known

4673
03:07:35,616 --> 03:07:39,009
to say yes too easily to everything.

4674
03:07:39,009 --> 03:07:41,955
So they have a really hard
time saying no to work.

4675
03:07:41,955 --> 03:07:43,479
I've experienced this myself.

4676
03:07:43,479 --> 03:07:46,567
I've gotten myself in
quite some scrapes before

4677
03:07:46,567 --> 03:07:48,924
because of how much work I've taken on

4678
03:07:48,924 --> 03:07:50,671
at one time.

4679
03:07:50,671 --> 03:07:54,186
But you do need to learn
how to do it properly,

4680
03:07:54,186 --> 03:07:56,827
how to turn down work so that both sides

4681
03:07:56,827 --> 03:07:59,387
walk away happy.

4682
03:07:59,387 --> 03:08:01,073
So I've got three different ways

4683
03:08:01,073 --> 03:08:03,003
that I like to turn down work.

4684
03:08:03,003 --> 03:08:04,182
When a job comes in

4685
03:08:04,182 --> 03:08:07,067
and I really just am not
that interested in it,

4686
03:08:07,067 --> 03:08:08,029
these are the ways

4687
03:08:08,029 --> 03:08:10,462
that I'll usually turn down the jobs.

4688
03:08:10,462 --> 03:08:11,762
The first one is:

4689
03:08:11,762 --> 03:08:13,103
I usually say something like,

4690
03:08:13,103 --> 03:08:14,647
I'd really love to work with you,

4691
03:08:14,647 --> 03:08:17,593
but I just don't have the time right now.

4692
03:08:17,593 --> 03:08:21,067
Or you can phrase it, I'm
really booked up right now.

4693
03:08:21,067 --> 03:08:23,769
Or my schedule is really packed.

4694
03:08:23,769 --> 03:08:26,675
And there's a lot of
advantages to using this method

4695
03:08:26,675 --> 03:08:29,133
which is why I'm going with it first.

4696
03:08:29,133 --> 03:08:31,612
'Cause it's probably the
one I use the most often.

4697
03:08:31,612 --> 03:08:34,720
And to some degree it's
also the most true.

4698
03:08:34,720 --> 03:08:37,829
I genuinely am very busy sometimes.

4699
03:08:37,829 --> 03:08:40,145
And if I am too busy,
then I will tell them

4700
03:08:40,145 --> 03:08:44,066
I am just simply too busy
to take on their project.

4701
03:08:44,066 --> 03:08:45,590
And the nice thing about this

4702
03:08:45,590 --> 03:08:49,003
is that for one thing,
it conveys the impression

4703
03:08:49,003 --> 03:08:50,649
that you're in high demand,

4704
03:08:50,649 --> 03:08:51,868
that you got a lot of work coming in,

4705
03:08:51,868 --> 03:08:53,899
you got a lot of projects on your plate,

4706
03:08:53,899 --> 03:08:56,723
and so you're really
like a busy freelancer.

4707
03:08:56,723 --> 03:08:58,633
So it's nice to have that impression,

4708
03:08:58,633 --> 03:09:00,888
because it makes you seem even more

4709
03:09:00,888 --> 03:09:02,554
real professional.

4710
03:09:02,554 --> 03:09:04,383
And another advantage is

4711
03:09:04,383 --> 03:09:06,638
is that by saying how
much you'd really love

4712
03:09:06,638 --> 03:09:09,239
to work on that but you
just can't right now,

4713
03:09:09,239 --> 03:09:12,489
it encourages them to keep
you in mind in the future.

4714
03:09:12,489 --> 03:09:15,395
Say they have a gig coming up
in three months or something.

4715
03:09:15,395 --> 03:09:17,873
They might think of you again,

4716
03:09:17,873 --> 03:09:19,397
and contact you again.

4717
03:09:19,397 --> 03:09:22,384
Because maybe you would
have time at that point.

4718
03:09:22,384 --> 03:09:23,887
Another nice thing is that

4719
03:09:23,887 --> 03:09:26,650
if you are legitimately
too busy to take it on,

4720
03:09:26,650 --> 03:09:28,560
and you tell them this,

4721
03:09:28,560 --> 03:09:30,897
sometimes they'll be able
to work with you on that.

4722
03:09:30,897 --> 03:09:32,563
Sometimes they've got a lot of give

4723
03:09:32,563 --> 03:09:33,863
in their deadlines

4724
03:09:33,863 --> 03:09:36,260
and can extend the
project out a little bit

4725
03:09:36,260 --> 03:09:38,170
so that they can actually fit you in.

4726
03:09:38,170 --> 03:09:39,735
So there's a lot of advantages

4727
03:09:39,735 --> 03:09:41,279
to this first approach.

4728
03:09:41,279 --> 03:09:45,687
And it's definitely the one
I use most often on clients.

4729
03:09:45,687 --> 03:09:48,694
Now the second approach is
a little bit more risky.

4730
03:09:48,694 --> 03:09:52,209
And can really get you in
trouble if you do it wrong.

4731
03:09:52,209 --> 03:09:55,379
And that is to price
yourself out of a job.

4732
03:09:55,379 --> 03:09:57,735
Now the problem with pricing yourself out

4733
03:09:57,735 --> 03:10:01,058
is that you can really
come across as elitist

4734
03:10:01,058 --> 03:10:04,919
and looking down on them
for whatever reason.

4735
03:10:04,919 --> 03:10:07,763
And it can get you in a
lot of trouble in that way.

4736
03:10:07,763 --> 03:10:10,120
But in some ways it can
actually be a good thing.

4737
03:10:10,120 --> 03:10:12,476
Because for instance if
a client comes along,

4738
03:10:12,476 --> 03:10:15,199
and I'm not that crazy
about working for them,

4739
03:10:15,199 --> 03:10:17,657
but I wouldn't mind working for them,

4740
03:10:17,657 --> 03:10:19,489
and when my schedule's a little busy

4741
03:10:19,489 --> 03:10:21,744
then I'd rather not take on work,

4742
03:10:21,744 --> 03:10:23,511
there's usually a point where they could

4743
03:10:23,511 --> 03:10:26,559
pay me enough money where I would do it.

4744
03:10:26,559 --> 03:10:29,363
And that's the case where I simply charge

4745
03:10:29,363 --> 03:10:34,178
a really high rate even for
me, and see what they say.

4746
03:10:34,178 --> 03:10:37,977
If they come back with a
counter-offer that still seems

4747
03:10:37,977 --> 03:10:41,248
pretty darn nice, I might
be tempted to say yes.

4748
03:10:41,248 --> 03:10:43,056
But most of the time
when you price yourself

4749
03:10:43,056 --> 03:10:47,871
out of the jobs, the client
will just walk away from it.

4750
03:10:47,871 --> 03:10:50,411
So it can be a little bit
of a gamble to do this.

4751
03:10:50,411 --> 03:10:53,662
And it can also pay
off like a good gamble.

4752
03:10:53,662 --> 03:10:56,140
Which is why I only use it on clients

4753
03:10:56,140 --> 03:10:59,554
that I'm not really desperate to work for.

4754
03:10:59,554 --> 03:11:01,220
But if I was working for them,

4755
03:11:01,220 --> 03:11:03,048
it wouldn't be the worst thing.

4756
03:11:03,048 --> 03:11:05,121
And why not go ahead and risk it,

4757
03:11:05,121 --> 03:11:07,924
and try to make a little bit
of extra money on these people.

4758
03:11:07,924 --> 03:11:09,529
So it can pay off.

4759
03:11:09,529 --> 03:11:11,541
I've done it before and expected

4760
03:11:11,541 --> 03:11:15,116
to price myself out of a job,
expecting to hear nothing,

4761
03:11:15,116 --> 03:11:17,473
and then they said, sure that'd be great.

4762
03:11:17,473 --> 03:11:20,257
So that's also a great way
to increase your rates.

4763
03:11:20,257 --> 03:11:22,329
And it's a great way

4764
03:11:22,329 --> 03:11:25,112
to make a little extra money on the job.

4765
03:11:25,112 --> 03:11:27,469
And the third way that
I like to turn down work

4766
03:11:27,469 --> 03:11:28,607
is I just tell them:

4767
03:11:28,607 --> 03:11:31,350
this isn't where I'd like
to take my portfolio.

4768
03:11:31,350 --> 03:11:34,397
This isn't where I'd like to take my work.

4769
03:11:34,397 --> 03:11:37,466
It's really okay to be
honest with an art director.

4770
03:11:37,466 --> 03:11:39,065
It's okay to tell them,

4771
03:11:39,065 --> 03:11:42,133
this just isn't the sort of
work that you wanna be doing.

4772
03:11:42,133 --> 03:11:43,656
And you can tell them that.

4773
03:11:43,656 --> 03:11:46,277
It's not that you have any
hard feelings against them.

4774
03:11:46,277 --> 03:11:48,126
It's not that their budget's good enough.

4775
03:11:48,126 --> 03:11:50,645
it's just that this isn't the sort of work

4776
03:11:50,645 --> 03:11:52,637
that you wanna be doing.

4777
03:11:52,637 --> 03:11:54,546
Another great thing about this is

4778
03:11:54,546 --> 03:11:56,172
that if you do tell them

4779
03:11:56,172 --> 03:11:58,589
this isn't the work that
I really wanna be doing,

4780
03:11:58,589 --> 03:12:00,723
I'd rather be doing this,

4781
03:12:00,723 --> 03:12:03,567
then they might have some
of that other kind of work

4782
03:12:03,567 --> 03:12:05,924
that they can give you.

4783
03:12:05,924 --> 03:12:08,037
So again, you're just
trying to look for a way

4784
03:12:08,037 --> 03:12:10,576
that you can turn down
the work gracefully,

4785
03:12:10,576 --> 03:12:13,116
yet keep the door open in the future

4786
03:12:13,116 --> 03:12:16,997
so that maybe you can work
together down the road.

4787
03:12:16,997 --> 03:12:19,658
Now I will say as a side
note on this last one,

4788
03:12:19,658 --> 03:12:22,139
that if you seem to be
getting a lot of offers

4789
03:12:22,139 --> 03:12:24,313
and your response to all of them is,

4790
03:12:24,313 --> 03:12:26,975
this isn't where I'd like
to be taking my portfolio,

4791
03:12:26,975 --> 03:12:29,799
then you really need to start
rethinking your portfolio.

4792
03:12:29,799 --> 03:12:32,725
Because clearly the examples
that you're showing in there

4793
03:12:32,725 --> 03:12:35,305
are giving a different
impression than the work

4794
03:12:35,305 --> 03:12:36,768
that you wanna be doing.

4795
03:12:36,768 --> 03:12:37,824
So you need to step back

4796
03:12:37,824 --> 03:12:41,116
and try to adjust some things there.

4797
03:12:41,116 --> 03:12:42,497
Contracts.

4798
03:12:42,497 --> 03:12:45,199
Now contracts is probably one of the most

4799
03:12:45,199 --> 03:12:47,901
terrifying areas for people

4800
03:12:47,901 --> 03:12:49,852
who have never freelanced before.

4801
03:12:49,852 --> 03:12:51,924
There's something really
intimidating about them.

4802
03:12:51,924 --> 03:12:54,261
The language is really scary in them.

4803
03:12:54,261 --> 03:12:55,744
They don't know what they mean.

4804
03:12:55,744 --> 03:12:57,511
They think they're selling their soul away

4805
03:12:57,511 --> 03:12:59,543
when they sign one.

4806
03:12:59,543 --> 03:13:00,986
They're really scary things.

4807
03:13:00,986 --> 03:13:02,570
So the first step

4808
03:13:02,570 --> 03:13:04,013
when we're talkin' about contracts

4809
03:13:04,013 --> 03:13:06,178
is don't be scared.

4810
03:13:06,178 --> 03:13:08,007
Contracts are not nearly

4811
03:13:08,007 --> 03:13:10,607
as scary as they seem.

4812
03:13:10,607 --> 03:13:12,903
Contracts are really just an agreement

4813
03:13:12,903 --> 03:13:14,853
between two or more parties.

4814
03:13:14,853 --> 03:13:18,714
So just it's an agreement
between you and your client.

4815
03:13:18,714 --> 03:13:20,847
It's an agreement on
what you are gonna do,

4816
03:13:20,847 --> 03:13:23,102
what you're gonna provide,
and what they are gonna

4817
03:13:23,102 --> 03:13:24,687
pay you in return.

4818
03:13:24,687 --> 03:13:27,145
That's really all the contract is about.

4819
03:13:27,145 --> 03:13:29,197
It might be about some
copyright assignment.

4820
03:13:29,197 --> 03:13:32,773
It might be about some
non-disclosure agreements.

4821
03:13:32,773 --> 03:13:36,288
it might be about some
deadlines you need to hit.

4822
03:13:36,288 --> 03:13:40,534
But in the end all it is is
just a working arrangement.

4823
03:13:40,534 --> 03:13:42,444
It's an agreement that both parties

4824
03:13:42,444 --> 03:13:45,573
are gonna live up to
their end of the bargain.

4825
03:13:45,573 --> 03:13:50,469
And yes the language in contracts
is excessively complicated

4826
03:13:50,469 --> 03:13:52,216
and cryptic and weird.

4827
03:13:52,216 --> 03:13:55,081
And I totally get that.
My brother is a lawyer.

4828
03:13:55,081 --> 03:13:57,499
I have read enough law stuff to know

4829
03:13:57,499 --> 03:14:01,441
just how crazy and cryptic that stuff is.

4830
03:14:01,441 --> 03:14:03,167
But try not to let it get to you.

4831
03:14:03,167 --> 03:14:05,748
Focus on the details that really matter

4832
03:14:05,748 --> 03:14:07,921
which I'm gonna be going in to here.

4833
03:14:07,921 --> 03:14:10,766
And don't worry too
much about understanding

4834
03:14:10,766 --> 03:14:13,366
every little sentence
and every little term.

4835
03:14:13,366 --> 03:14:16,861
Just focus on the really important stuff.

4836
03:14:16,861 --> 03:14:19,726
Now a great thing about working
for really large companies

4837
03:14:19,726 --> 03:14:22,164
is that they will often have their own

4838
03:14:22,164 --> 03:14:24,724
standard contract for freelancers.

4839
03:14:24,724 --> 03:14:26,085
So you're really not gonna have

4840
03:14:26,085 --> 03:14:28,503
to worry about writing up a contract

4841
03:14:28,503 --> 03:14:30,798
for every single client you work with.

4842
03:14:30,798 --> 03:14:33,582
Because I know at least
in my own personal case,

4843
03:14:33,582 --> 03:14:36,101
I haven't had to write contracts

4844
03:14:36,101 --> 03:14:39,352
for most of the clients I've worked with.

4845
03:14:39,352 --> 03:14:41,384
The vast majority of time,

4846
03:14:41,384 --> 03:14:44,919
the client has provided
their own standard contract.

4847
03:14:44,919 --> 03:14:46,869
And there are downsides to this.

4848
03:14:46,869 --> 03:14:49,328
It's a little harder to
negotiate with a client

4849
03:14:49,328 --> 03:14:52,070
that already has a contract nailed down.

4850
03:14:52,070 --> 03:14:54,610
But it's still possible.

4851
03:14:54,610 --> 03:14:56,703
All right. So let's assume
that they don't have

4852
03:14:56,703 --> 03:14:58,084
their own contract.

4853
03:14:58,084 --> 03:15:00,827
That means you're gonna
have to write your own.

4854
03:15:00,827 --> 03:15:03,326
Now it's gonna be extremely tempting,

4855
03:15:03,326 --> 03:15:05,154
especially when you're starting out

4856
03:15:05,154 --> 03:15:07,206
to not work with a contract.

4857
03:15:07,206 --> 03:15:09,238
To just have an agreement with the person

4858
03:15:09,238 --> 03:15:12,590
and never worry about
signing a real contract.

4859
03:15:12,590 --> 03:15:14,317
Do not do this.

4860
03:15:14,317 --> 03:15:16,573
It's a really bad habit to get into.

4861
03:15:16,573 --> 03:15:20,189
And you can get majorly
screwed over for doing it.

4862
03:15:20,189 --> 03:15:23,277
If you talk to any
professional illustrator,

4863
03:15:23,277 --> 03:15:26,711
they will surely have a horror story

4864
03:15:26,711 --> 03:15:28,844
of that one time that
they just didn't bother

4865
03:15:28,844 --> 03:15:31,546
with a contract, and the
client turned out to be

4866
03:15:31,546 --> 03:15:35,386
the worst experience you
could possibly imagine.

4867
03:15:35,386 --> 03:15:37,845
But with all that said, I will confess

4868
03:15:37,845 --> 03:15:42,050
that I am completely guilty
of working without a contract

4869
03:15:42,050 --> 03:15:44,143
on numerous occasions.

4870
03:15:44,143 --> 03:15:46,662
Now I have also been incredibly lucky,

4871
03:15:46,662 --> 03:15:49,791
and have never been
screwed over by a client.

4872
03:15:49,791 --> 03:15:51,640
But I do not recommend this.

4873
03:15:51,640 --> 03:15:54,484
Please do not follow my
example in this case.

4874
03:15:54,484 --> 03:15:57,735
It's a really, really bad
idea to work for a client

4875
03:15:57,735 --> 03:16:00,539
without having a written contract.

4876
03:16:00,539 --> 03:16:02,164
So I'll be covering some of the details

4877
03:16:02,164 --> 03:16:04,196
you'll need to cover in your contract,

4878
03:16:04,196 --> 03:16:06,593
but I won't get into
the really nitty-gritty

4879
03:16:06,593 --> 03:16:08,909
of writing contracts.

4880
03:16:08,909 --> 03:16:11,449
Because I'm not an expert at it.

4881
03:16:11,449 --> 03:16:14,517
I'm not a lawyer, and I don't have

4882
03:16:14,517 --> 03:16:16,650
too much experience with it.

4883
03:16:16,650 --> 03:16:18,925
But there is a great book
that I'm gonna recommend.

4884
03:16:18,925 --> 03:16:20,571
Again it's gonna be on the resource page

4885
03:16:20,571 --> 03:16:22,217
if you wanna go find it there.

4886
03:16:22,217 --> 03:16:24,391
But it's the Graphic
Artist's Guild Handbook,

4887
03:16:24,391 --> 03:16:26,687
and it has example contracts in there

4888
03:16:26,687 --> 03:16:28,739
that you can use for yourself.

4889
03:16:28,739 --> 03:16:31,502
It's fantastic for both
designers and illustrators,

4890
03:16:31,502 --> 03:16:32,721
and concept artists.

4891
03:16:32,721 --> 03:16:34,285
It works for everybody.

4892
03:16:34,285 --> 03:16:35,667
It's a fantastic book.

4893
03:16:35,667 --> 03:16:38,735
It also has a lot of other content in it.

4894
03:16:38,735 --> 03:16:41,010
So if you're really
serious about freelancing,

4895
03:16:41,010 --> 03:16:43,164
I really recommend picking up a copy.

4896
03:16:43,164 --> 03:16:46,353
It's a great resource book
to just have on your shelf.

4897
03:16:46,353 --> 03:16:49,706
They come out with one every
one or two years or so.

4898
03:16:49,706 --> 03:16:51,758
So just try to find the latest one,

4899
03:16:51,758 --> 03:16:55,069
and it's got nice salary
figures, income levels,

4900
03:16:55,069 --> 03:16:59,133
contract agreements,
copyright information,

4901
03:16:59,133 --> 03:17:02,058
all kinds of nitty-gritty
stuff that you need to know

4902
03:17:02,058 --> 03:17:04,395
if you are a freelancer.

4903
03:17:04,395 --> 03:17:05,716
But if you're really in doubt

4904
03:17:05,716 --> 03:17:07,199
about writing your own contract,

4905
03:17:07,199 --> 03:17:09,007
you can go see a lawyer.

4906
03:17:09,007 --> 03:17:11,364
You can try to find a cheap lawyer,

4907
03:17:11,364 --> 03:17:12,908
you can try to find an expensive lawyer.

4908
03:17:12,908 --> 03:17:14,736
They're not hard to find.

4909
03:17:14,736 --> 03:17:17,174
And you can actually get them to help you

4910
03:17:17,174 --> 03:17:18,475
write up a contract.

4911
03:17:18,475 --> 03:17:20,323
It's gonna cost you quite a bit of money,

4912
03:17:20,323 --> 03:17:22,762
but you're also gonna have
a pretty solid contract

4913
03:17:22,762 --> 03:17:24,082
when you're done.

4914
03:17:24,082 --> 03:17:27,739
So it's a payoff if you're
really worried about

4915
03:17:27,739 --> 03:17:30,888
any legal trouble in the future.

4916
03:17:30,888 --> 03:17:32,615
All right, so let's talk
about the first thing

4917
03:17:32,615 --> 03:17:35,135
to look out for in an
agreement with a client.

4918
03:17:35,135 --> 03:17:40,092
And that's the NDA. An NDA is
a non-disclosure agreement.

4919
03:17:40,092 --> 03:17:43,485
This is often separate from
the work agreement itself.

4920
03:17:43,485 --> 03:17:45,598
But it's absolutely crucial.

4921
03:17:45,598 --> 03:17:47,609
And a non-disclosure agreement is

4922
03:17:47,609 --> 03:17:51,551
essentially a keep your
mouth shut agreement.

4923
03:17:51,551 --> 03:17:55,391
It's basically you're
agreeing to not share

4924
03:17:55,391 --> 03:17:57,971
any details of the project with anyone.

4925
03:17:57,971 --> 03:17:59,942
You're agreeing not to show your work

4926
03:17:59,942 --> 03:18:00,897
to anyone.

4927
03:18:00,897 --> 03:18:02,827
Basically you're trying to keep everything

4928
03:18:02,827 --> 03:18:04,736
under wraps.

4929
03:18:04,736 --> 03:18:06,281
And this is extremely common

4930
03:18:06,281 --> 03:18:08,576
in both illustration and design,

4931
03:18:08,576 --> 03:18:11,482
because often the
products you're working on

4932
03:18:11,482 --> 03:18:13,493
haven't been announced to the public yet.

4933
03:18:13,493 --> 03:18:14,997
They're still way early on.

4934
03:18:14,997 --> 03:18:17,780
They haven't started
advertising them at all.

4935
03:18:17,780 --> 03:18:20,177
And so they really wanna keep it

4936
03:18:20,177 --> 03:18:22,493
under wraps for the time being.

4937
03:18:22,493 --> 03:18:24,871
And you don't wanna be
the one to blow that.

4938
03:18:24,871 --> 03:18:27,715
For instance, I'm working on some fantasy

4939
03:18:27,715 --> 03:18:30,275
and science fiction
illustration right now.

4940
03:18:30,275 --> 03:18:35,070
And it is extremely,
extremely secret stuff.

4941
03:18:35,070 --> 03:18:37,061
I am definitely not allowed to tell anyone

4942
03:18:37,061 --> 03:18:38,544
details about it.

4943
03:18:38,544 --> 03:18:41,327
And I signed a good old NDA for that.

4944
03:18:41,327 --> 03:18:43,867
So really just get used to signing NDAs.

4945
03:18:43,867 --> 03:18:44,739
You're gonna have to do it

4946
03:18:44,739 --> 03:18:45,958
with a lot of clients.

4947
03:18:45,958 --> 03:18:47,360
It's not an agreement you're gonna have

4948
03:18:47,360 --> 03:18:48,376
to write up yourself,

4949
03:18:48,376 --> 03:18:51,078
because it really doesn't
affect you that much.

4950
03:18:51,078 --> 03:18:52,703
But get used to signing them.

4951
03:18:52,703 --> 03:18:56,401
They're really pretty harmless.

4952
03:18:56,401 --> 03:18:59,408
They really can't get
you into any trouble.

4953
03:18:59,408 --> 03:19:02,333
So sure, read over it briefly.

4954
03:19:02,333 --> 03:19:05,137
But don't agonize over it.

4955
03:19:05,137 --> 03:19:06,864
The only things you
might wanna look out for

4956
03:19:06,864 --> 03:19:09,221
is when you're gonna be able to talk about

4957
03:19:09,221 --> 03:19:11,679
details of the project, if ever.

4958
03:19:11,679 --> 03:19:13,427
Often they'll have a date on them.

4959
03:19:13,427 --> 03:19:14,849
And it's good to just keep that in mind

4960
03:19:14,849 --> 03:19:16,657
for your own knowledge.

4961
03:19:16,657 --> 03:19:17,998
Now there is one thing I wanna say

4962
03:19:17,998 --> 03:19:22,813
about NDAs, and that
is: never break the NDA.

4963
03:19:23,820 --> 03:19:28,565
Never. Don't do it. Don't
even think about doing it.

4964
03:19:28,565 --> 03:19:30,271
You might think it's really harmless.

4965
03:19:30,271 --> 03:19:32,547
You might think the client
will never even notice.

4966
03:19:32,547 --> 03:19:34,985
You might think the
project's not that important.

4967
03:19:34,985 --> 03:19:37,524
You might just carelessly let it out that

4968
03:19:37,524 --> 03:19:41,060
you're working on xyz and
this is what you're doing.

4969
03:19:41,060 --> 03:19:42,665
Do not do it.

4970
03:19:42,665 --> 03:19:45,245
It doesn't matter if
it actually is harmless

4971
03:19:45,245 --> 03:19:46,403
to tell people about it.

4972
03:19:46,403 --> 03:19:48,760
Just get in the habit of not telling

4973
03:19:48,760 --> 03:19:50,304
any of the details about the stuff

4974
03:19:50,304 --> 03:19:51,848
you're working on.

4975
03:19:51,848 --> 03:19:54,103
And you can even have
a very selfish reason

4976
03:19:54,103 --> 03:19:55,158
for doing this.

4977
03:19:55,158 --> 03:19:57,075
Because not only could it potentially hurt

4978
03:19:57,075 --> 03:19:58,923
the business that you're working for,

4979
03:19:58,923 --> 03:20:01,199
it can also screw you over.

4980
03:20:01,199 --> 03:20:03,616
Because if the client ever finds out

4981
03:20:03,616 --> 03:20:05,628
that you did break the NDA,

4982
03:20:05,628 --> 03:20:07,375
you told some details of the project,

4983
03:20:07,375 --> 03:20:10,199
you released the work way too early,

4984
03:20:10,199 --> 03:20:13,653
they are not going to hire you again.

4985
03:20:13,653 --> 03:20:15,705
So do not break the NDA.

4986
03:20:15,705 --> 03:20:19,098
Take it seriously, because
it is fairly serious.

4987
03:20:19,098 --> 03:20:22,755
Just keep your mouth shut.

4988
03:20:22,755 --> 03:20:24,157
All right, now let's talk about

4989
03:20:24,157 --> 03:20:26,920
some of the details in
the contract itself.

4990
03:20:26,920 --> 03:20:28,423
This is often gonna get sent to you

4991
03:20:28,423 --> 03:20:30,394
as like a PDF or something.

4992
03:20:30,394 --> 03:20:31,816
And the first thing to do

4993
03:20:31,816 --> 03:20:34,011
is definitely read over it.

4994
03:20:34,011 --> 03:20:36,449
You definitely wanna
read all the contracts.

4995
03:20:36,449 --> 03:20:38,541
It's just good legal advice

4996
03:20:38,541 --> 03:20:41,447
to read everything that
you're about to sign.

4997
03:20:41,447 --> 03:20:43,783
But again, don't worry about understanding

4998
03:20:43,783 --> 03:20:45,632
every little sentence

4999
03:20:45,632 --> 03:20:48,679
and all the introductory stuff.

5000
03:20:48,679 --> 03:20:50,894
Because it is a legal document.

5001
03:20:50,894 --> 03:20:52,377
It is written by lawyers.

5002
03:20:52,377 --> 03:20:53,677
And they do not expect

5003
03:20:53,677 --> 03:20:57,538
non-lawyers to recognize
any of the words in there.

5004
03:20:57,538 --> 03:20:59,549
So don't worry too much
about understanding

5005
03:20:59,549 --> 03:21:00,585
each little thing.

5006
03:21:00,585 --> 03:21:02,983
Just try to look for the details

5007
03:21:02,983 --> 03:21:04,771
that I'm gonna be talking about here,

5008
03:21:04,771 --> 03:21:06,965
as well as just a general understanding

5009
03:21:06,965 --> 03:21:09,667
of what you're signing.

5010
03:21:09,667 --> 03:21:11,780
And the first thing you're
gonna wanna look for

5011
03:21:11,780 --> 03:21:15,518
in a contract is the copyright assignment.

5012
03:21:15,518 --> 03:21:18,668
Now, before we can really talk about

5013
03:21:18,668 --> 03:21:20,801
what copyrights you're
gonna be selling over,

5014
03:21:20,801 --> 03:21:22,142
we have to really understand

5015
03:21:22,142 --> 03:21:25,372
what copyrights you have.

5016
03:21:25,372 --> 03:21:27,282
Because understanding
copyright is one of the most

5017
03:21:27,282 --> 03:21:30,512
crucial things for a freelancer to grasp.

5018
03:21:30,512 --> 03:21:33,316
And since there's so much misinformation

5019
03:21:33,316 --> 03:21:35,002
passed around out there,

5020
03:21:35,002 --> 03:21:37,440
I'm gonna give a quick
overview of the essentials.

5021
03:21:37,440 --> 03:21:39,574
I mean, some people
still think that you need

5022
03:21:39,574 --> 03:21:41,179
to stick your work in an envelope

5023
03:21:41,179 --> 03:21:43,678
and mail it to yourself
to get the copyright.

5024
03:21:43,678 --> 03:21:48,678
So clearly there's plenty of
misinformation to go around.

5025
03:21:48,716 --> 03:21:51,317
So first off, when you create something,

5026
03:21:51,317 --> 03:21:53,267
you own the rights to it.

5027
03:21:53,267 --> 03:21:56,173
You own all of the rights to it.

5028
03:21:56,173 --> 03:21:58,611
You do not have to file any paperwork

5029
03:21:58,611 --> 03:22:00,784
to own all of the rights.

5030
03:22:00,784 --> 03:22:03,040
I can go take a piece of paper, a pen,

5031
03:22:03,040 --> 03:22:04,889
draw a little something in five minutes,

5032
03:22:04,889 --> 03:22:08,647
and I own all rights to that creation.

5033
03:22:08,647 --> 03:22:12,020
Now you can also register your copyright.

5034
03:22:12,020 --> 03:22:14,214
And you can go to the
U.S. Copyright Office,

5035
03:22:14,214 --> 03:22:15,717
or wherever you are in the world.

5036
03:22:15,717 --> 03:22:18,034
And I admit I'm not gonna know much about

5037
03:22:18,034 --> 03:22:20,614
the rest of the world's copyright law.

5038
03:22:20,614 --> 03:22:23,804
But you can go to the
U.S. Copyright Law Office

5039
03:22:23,804 --> 03:22:26,932
and you can register the
copyright for your image.

5040
03:22:26,932 --> 03:22:29,838
But you don't have to do
this to own the copyright.

5041
03:22:29,838 --> 03:22:31,952
Again, as soon as you create the image,

5042
03:22:31,952 --> 03:22:33,779
you own the copyright to it.

5043
03:22:33,779 --> 03:22:36,563
The advantage to registering the copyright

5044
03:22:36,563 --> 03:22:41,520
is that if anyone ever
infringes upon the copyright,

5045
03:22:41,520 --> 03:22:44,100
you're gonna be in a much better place.

5046
03:22:44,100 --> 03:22:46,985
So for example, say you
create a piece of work.

5047
03:22:46,985 --> 03:22:49,545
It's your own creation.
It's just a personal piece.

5048
03:22:49,545 --> 03:22:51,353
You retained all rights to it.

5049
03:22:51,353 --> 03:22:54,503
You put it online; you
show it off to people.

5050
03:22:54,503 --> 03:22:56,128
A year down the road,

5051
03:22:56,128 --> 03:23:00,496
somebody puts it in a major
motion picture or something.

5052
03:23:00,496 --> 03:23:03,686
And they didn't have any right to do that.

5053
03:23:03,686 --> 03:23:06,266
If you didn't register your copyright,

5054
03:23:06,266 --> 03:23:08,095
you could still sue them.

5055
03:23:08,095 --> 03:23:10,756
But if you did register your copyright,

5056
03:23:10,756 --> 03:23:14,048
you can sue them for more money.

5057
03:23:14,048 --> 03:23:15,388
So there's an advantage

5058
03:23:15,388 --> 03:23:18,883
that if anyone ever does
infringe on the copyright,

5059
03:23:18,883 --> 03:23:21,260
that you can get a lot more out of it

5060
03:23:21,260 --> 03:23:24,816
if it comes to a legal battle.

5061
03:23:24,816 --> 03:23:26,400
Now it does cost a little bit of money

5062
03:23:26,400 --> 03:23:27,863
to register your work.

5063
03:23:27,863 --> 03:23:29,327
But you can do it in batches.

5064
03:23:29,327 --> 03:23:33,024
You can put it all one one CD
and register the entire CD.

5065
03:23:33,024 --> 03:23:35,035
And for specifics on how to do that,

5066
03:23:35,035 --> 03:23:37,575
just get on the U.S. Copyright website,

5067
03:23:37,575 --> 03:23:40,968
and check out the specifics
on how to do that.

5068
03:23:40,968 --> 03:23:43,467
Now returning to the contract itself.

5069
03:23:43,467 --> 03:23:46,108
When you do creative
work for reproduction,

5070
03:23:46,108 --> 03:23:48,647
whatever that means,
whether it's for a magazine,

5071
03:23:48,647 --> 03:23:51,350
whether it's for a book,
whether it's for a movie poster,

5072
03:23:51,350 --> 03:23:53,930
whether it's for a video
game, whatever it is,

5073
03:23:53,930 --> 03:23:56,429
as long as your work is being reproduced,

5074
03:23:56,429 --> 03:23:59,354
what you're selling when
you deal with a client

5075
03:23:59,354 --> 03:24:01,630
is some portion of the rights,

5076
03:24:01,630 --> 03:24:04,413
that you originally had
when you created the piece,

5077
03:24:04,413 --> 03:24:06,201
to the client.

5078
03:24:06,201 --> 03:24:08,761
So when you create that
piece of work for the client,

5079
03:24:08,761 --> 03:24:11,199
you have all rights to it.

5080
03:24:11,199 --> 03:24:14,409
But the contract states which
rights you're selling away

5081
03:24:14,409 --> 03:24:16,075
to the client.

5082
03:24:16,075 --> 03:24:18,656
Now you can break down exactly what rights

5083
03:24:18,656 --> 03:24:22,252
you're selling away
extremely specifically.

5084
03:24:22,252 --> 03:24:24,324
For instance you can break it down to

5085
03:24:24,324 --> 03:24:26,762
what sort of media they can print it in

5086
03:24:26,762 --> 03:24:28,205
or reproduce it in.

5087
03:24:28,205 --> 03:24:29,993
For instance you can reduce it down

5088
03:24:29,993 --> 03:24:31,740
to just magazines.

5089
03:24:31,740 --> 03:24:35,519
You can reduce it to just web advertising.

5090
03:24:35,519 --> 03:24:39,196
You can also specify what
region they're allowed

5091
03:24:39,196 --> 03:24:40,618
to reproduce it in.

5092
03:24:40,618 --> 03:24:43,300
For instance, North America, or Europe,

5093
03:24:43,300 --> 03:24:45,494
or international.

5094
03:24:45,494 --> 03:24:49,883
You can specify the length
of their reproduction rights.

5095
03:24:49,883 --> 03:24:53,052
For instance, you can
specify for the next year

5096
03:24:53,052 --> 03:24:55,714
that they have all reproduction rights.

5097
03:24:55,714 --> 03:24:57,299
You can get really specific

5098
03:24:57,299 --> 03:25:00,163
with what rights you're selling away.

5099
03:25:00,163 --> 03:25:02,601
And for instance, one popular example

5100
03:25:02,601 --> 03:25:05,080
would be a book cover illustrator.

5101
03:25:05,080 --> 03:25:06,782
The standard rights assignment

5102
03:25:06,782 --> 03:25:11,069
for a cover illustrator is
first North American rights.

5103
03:25:11,069 --> 03:25:14,828
Which means they can do one
print run in North America.

5104
03:25:14,828 --> 03:25:16,453
And that's the rights they're buying.

5105
03:25:16,453 --> 03:25:18,993
If they do a second print run, or they do

5106
03:25:18,993 --> 03:25:20,740
a print run in Europe,

5107
03:25:20,740 --> 03:25:24,092
they're gonna have to
purchase more rights from you.

5108
03:25:24,092 --> 03:25:26,571
And again, I'm gonna refer
you to the Graphic Artist's

5109
03:25:26,571 --> 03:25:27,973
Guild Handbook.

5110
03:25:27,973 --> 03:25:29,618
It is a fantastic resource.

5111
03:25:29,618 --> 03:25:31,670
You can get really into copyright,

5112
03:25:31,670 --> 03:25:33,783
and what you can sell away.

5113
03:25:33,783 --> 03:25:36,079
But I'm not gonna get into
every little situation

5114
03:25:36,079 --> 03:25:37,969
and every single rights assignment

5115
03:25:37,969 --> 03:25:39,635
for each different field.

5116
03:25:39,635 --> 03:25:40,955
But go and check out that book,

5117
03:25:40,955 --> 03:25:43,150
and it'll give you a good overview

5118
03:25:43,150 --> 03:25:45,689
of all the different fields.

5119
03:25:45,689 --> 03:25:47,213
But the gist of it is

5120
03:25:47,213 --> 03:25:49,102
is that the more rights that they take,

5121
03:25:49,102 --> 03:25:51,236
the more you can charge.

5122
03:25:51,236 --> 03:25:53,267
And this is the reason things like

5123
03:25:53,267 --> 03:25:55,219
really high end logo design

5124
03:25:55,219 --> 03:25:57,290
can be so expensive.

5125
03:25:57,290 --> 03:26:00,541
You can spend 10,000
dollars on a good logo,

5126
03:26:00,541 --> 03:26:03,609
which is in some ways somewhat insane.

5127
03:26:03,609 --> 03:26:06,230
When you tell the average
person on the street

5128
03:26:06,230 --> 03:26:08,871
that they paid ten grand
for one little logo,

5129
03:26:08,871 --> 03:26:10,923
they can just think that's insane.

5130
03:26:10,923 --> 03:26:12,142
But the fact is

5131
03:26:12,142 --> 03:26:14,946
is that they're not necessarily
just paying for the labor

5132
03:26:14,946 --> 03:26:16,612
cost of the logo.

5133
03:26:16,612 --> 03:26:19,903
The labor cost of a logo isn't that high.

5134
03:26:19,903 --> 03:26:21,305
I'm not saying it's really low,

5135
03:26:21,305 --> 03:26:23,885
but it's not incredibly high.

5136
03:26:23,885 --> 03:26:26,445
So what those clients
are really paying for

5137
03:26:26,445 --> 03:26:28,314
is the rights.

5138
03:26:28,314 --> 03:26:30,569
And they're paying an arm and a leg

5139
03:26:30,569 --> 03:26:34,348
to get exclusive rights for all media

5140
03:26:34,348 --> 03:26:35,832
in perpetuity,

5141
03:26:35,832 --> 03:26:38,290
which is basically you're
just buying all rights

5142
03:26:38,290 --> 03:26:39,936
to the image.

5143
03:26:39,936 --> 03:26:42,191
And purchasing all rights to an image

5144
03:26:42,191 --> 03:26:44,994
that either an illustrator,
or a concept artist,

5145
03:26:44,994 --> 03:26:47,087
or a graphic designer makes

5146
03:26:47,087 --> 03:26:49,038
is extremely expensive.

5147
03:26:49,038 --> 03:26:50,419
And for good reason.

5148
03:26:50,419 --> 03:26:53,528
Because on the designer or artist side,

5149
03:26:53,528 --> 03:26:55,133
there are tons of advantages

5150
03:26:55,133 --> 03:26:56,514
to holding on to

5151
03:26:56,514 --> 03:26:59,821
as many rights as you possibly can.

5152
03:26:59,821 --> 03:27:02,594
For one thing, if you created a piece,

5153
03:27:02,594 --> 03:27:04,646
and you retain the rights to it,

5154
03:27:04,646 --> 03:27:06,413
there's nothing preventing you

5155
03:27:06,413 --> 03:27:10,863
from licensing that exact
same image to someone else.

5156
03:27:10,863 --> 03:27:14,502
You can license off, for
instance, different rights

5157
03:27:14,502 --> 03:27:15,681
to that other client.

5158
03:27:15,681 --> 03:27:17,814
If you had a non-exclusive agreement

5159
03:27:17,814 --> 03:27:19,196
with the first client,

5160
03:27:19,196 --> 03:27:21,187
you could sell off the exact same image

5161
03:27:21,187 --> 03:27:22,731
to a second client,

5162
03:27:22,731 --> 03:27:25,027
and so on and so forth.

5163
03:27:25,027 --> 03:27:27,871
Furthermore you can also sell off prints

5164
03:27:27,871 --> 03:27:29,435
if you retain the rights.

5165
03:27:29,435 --> 03:27:31,589
Now admittedly, even some of the clients

5166
03:27:31,589 --> 03:27:34,576
who take all rights still
give you the permission

5167
03:27:34,576 --> 03:27:37,156
to sell prints, include
it in your portfolio,

5168
03:27:37,156 --> 03:27:38,416
et cetera, et cetera.

5169
03:27:38,416 --> 03:27:39,939
And those are great things to have

5170
03:27:39,939 --> 03:27:43,921
if you do have to sell
off all your rights.

5171
03:27:43,921 --> 03:27:45,690
And speaking of all rights,

5172
03:27:45,690 --> 03:27:47,782
there's a particularly nasty beast

5173
03:27:47,782 --> 03:27:50,098
known as work for hire.

5174
03:27:50,098 --> 03:27:53,227
In this case, the client owns all rights

5175
03:27:53,227 --> 03:27:54,283
to your piece.

5176
03:27:54,283 --> 03:27:56,721
It is without a doubt
the worst arrangement

5177
03:27:56,721 --> 03:27:58,631
you can possibly do.

5178
03:27:58,631 --> 03:28:01,699
But it is surprisingly common.

5179
03:28:01,699 --> 03:28:05,275
I have myself done it many times.

5180
03:28:05,275 --> 03:28:07,022
It is regrettably common

5181
03:28:07,022 --> 03:28:09,433
in the industry I work in.

5182
03:28:09,433 --> 03:28:12,745
And there's really not
much you can do about it.

5183
03:28:12,745 --> 03:28:14,939
Since I tend to work for larger companies

5184
03:28:14,939 --> 03:28:16,971
with set contracts and set agreements

5185
03:28:16,971 --> 03:28:18,738
with all of their artists

5186
03:28:18,738 --> 03:28:21,318
that are basically non-negotiable,

5187
03:28:21,318 --> 03:28:22,781
there's not much I can do about it

5188
03:28:22,781 --> 03:28:25,301
besides refuse to work for them.

5189
03:28:25,301 --> 03:28:28,754
Which is great if you want
to hold to your principles.

5190
03:28:28,754 --> 03:28:31,234
And there are definitely
tons of artists out there

5191
03:28:31,234 --> 03:28:34,626
that are adamant about
holding to their principles

5192
03:28:34,626 --> 03:28:36,455
on retaining copyrights.

5193
03:28:36,455 --> 03:28:38,242
And that's great for them.

5194
03:28:38,242 --> 03:28:41,737
Because usually they're
pretty darn established names.

5195
03:28:41,737 --> 03:28:43,952
When you're starting out,
you don't really have

5196
03:28:43,952 --> 03:28:46,207
the luxury to stick up for your rights

5197
03:28:46,207 --> 03:28:48,381
every single time.

5198
03:28:48,381 --> 03:28:49,193
The fact is

5199
03:28:49,193 --> 03:28:51,205
is that if you do wanna
stick up for your rights,

5200
03:28:51,205 --> 03:28:53,561
that you do wanna try
to change the industry

5201
03:28:53,561 --> 03:28:56,162
slowly and surely to giving the artists

5202
03:28:56,162 --> 03:28:58,234
better rights than they have right now,

5203
03:28:58,234 --> 03:29:00,002
that is fantastic.

5204
03:29:00,002 --> 03:29:02,887
Go for it. I am all behind you.

5205
03:29:02,887 --> 03:29:06,422
But at the same time,
don't come crying to me

5206
03:29:06,422 --> 03:29:08,129
if it means that you're turning down

5207
03:29:08,129 --> 03:29:11,034
every single job that comes along.

5208
03:29:11,034 --> 03:29:13,228
Because I know in my own personal case,

5209
03:29:13,228 --> 03:29:17,292
if I turned down every job
that took all rights from me,

5210
03:29:17,292 --> 03:29:21,193
I would not be a professional
artist right now.

5211
03:29:21,193 --> 03:29:24,565
I wish I had that moral
high ground to stand on.

5212
03:29:24,565 --> 03:29:27,410
But I simply don't have
the luxury to do that.

5213
03:29:27,410 --> 03:29:29,523
I'm still trying to make a living,

5214
03:29:29,523 --> 03:29:31,432
and sadly selling off all my rights

5215
03:29:31,432 --> 03:29:35,841
to most of my images is
just the way it goes.

5216
03:29:35,841 --> 03:29:38,828
So with that, we're gonna
wrap up this little section

5217
03:29:38,828 --> 03:29:39,864
on copyright.

5218
03:29:39,864 --> 03:29:43,257
Now copyright can get
really really complicated.

5219
03:29:43,257 --> 03:29:46,020
And I could probably spend hours and hours

5220
03:29:46,020 --> 03:29:48,864
talking about nothing but copyright.

5221
03:29:48,864 --> 03:29:50,551
But I'm not gonna do that

5222
03:29:50,551 --> 03:29:52,217
because I don't wanna bore everyone.

5223
03:29:52,217 --> 03:29:54,756
And this is not exactly a copyright video.

5224
03:29:54,756 --> 03:29:56,605
But hopefully I've given
you a decent enough

5225
03:29:56,605 --> 03:29:59,612
overview of what you
should be looking out for

5226
03:29:59,612 --> 03:30:01,481
when it comes to copyright.

5227
03:30:01,481 --> 03:30:04,488
I would encourage all
of you to go and look up

5228
03:30:04,488 --> 03:30:06,174
copyright yourself.

5229
03:30:06,174 --> 03:30:07,231
Do a little bit of research.

5230
03:30:07,231 --> 03:30:08,511
Again, pick up a copy of

5231
03:30:08,511 --> 03:30:10,685
the Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook.

5232
03:30:10,685 --> 03:30:11,660
Look through there.

5233
03:30:11,660 --> 03:30:14,159
See what they have to say about copyright.

5234
03:30:14,159 --> 03:30:15,927
In whatever country you're in, check out

5235
03:30:15,927 --> 03:30:18,974
the copyright law for
your specific country.

5236
03:30:18,974 --> 03:30:21,026
I admit I only have experience with

5237
03:30:21,026 --> 03:30:22,144
The United States.

5238
03:30:22,144 --> 03:30:24,622
But I know other countries sometimes have

5239
03:30:24,622 --> 03:30:26,715
better copyright laws than us.

5240
03:30:26,715 --> 03:30:29,417
So go ahead and do a little
bit of research for yourself,

5241
03:30:29,417 --> 03:30:31,307
and see what you can learn.

5242
03:30:31,307 --> 03:30:34,293
It's an extremely useful
thing to verse yourself on

5243
03:30:34,293 --> 03:30:37,625
if you're really serious
about becoming a freelancer.

5244
03:30:37,625 --> 03:30:39,982
But essentially, to wrap things up here,

5245
03:30:39,982 --> 03:30:43,050
I will say that the more
rights you give away,

5246
03:30:43,050 --> 03:30:45,163
the more you can charge.

5247
03:30:45,163 --> 03:30:47,641
Remember that rule, and
you should be pretty much

5248
03:30:47,641 --> 03:30:49,246
good to go.

5249
03:30:49,246 --> 03:30:51,685
So that brings us to our next section

5250
03:30:51,685 --> 03:30:53,493
of: when will I be paid?

5251
03:30:53,493 --> 03:30:55,707
And also: how much will I be paid?

5252
03:30:55,707 --> 03:30:57,658
But we're gonna talk about
that a little bit more

5253
03:30:57,658 --> 03:30:59,283
in just a minute.

5254
03:30:59,283 --> 03:31:01,457
But first of all, when will I be paid?

5255
03:31:01,457 --> 03:31:03,021
This is actually an
extremely important thing

5256
03:31:03,021 --> 03:31:04,444
to take a look at.

5257
03:31:04,444 --> 03:31:07,451
Because a different contract
will have different agreements,

5258
03:31:07,451 --> 03:31:09,299
and you can get kinda screwed over

5259
03:31:09,299 --> 03:31:12,205
depending on the contract.

5260
03:31:12,205 --> 03:31:13,830
So it's definitely worth taking a look

5261
03:31:13,830 --> 03:31:15,780
at the terms of the contract

5262
03:31:15,780 --> 03:31:18,320
to see when you're gonna be paid.

5263
03:31:18,320 --> 03:31:20,880
And some of the nastier ones for instance,

5264
03:31:20,880 --> 03:31:22,891
are pay on publication.

5265
03:31:22,891 --> 03:31:25,126
That's actually somewhat common,

5266
03:31:25,126 --> 03:31:27,808
but it's also a pretty nasty one.

5267
03:31:27,808 --> 03:31:30,409
Because for instance if the publisher is

5268
03:31:30,409 --> 03:31:34,452
new or small, you run the risk of

5269
03:31:34,452 --> 03:31:35,772
it never being published.

5270
03:31:35,772 --> 03:31:39,127
And thus you never being paid.

5271
03:31:39,127 --> 03:31:40,854
Also, if it is a large company,

5272
03:31:40,854 --> 03:31:43,271
and you know it's gonna
get published eventually,

5273
03:31:43,271 --> 03:31:45,730
even still, the publishing cycle

5274
03:31:45,730 --> 03:31:48,594
is often extremely long.

5275
03:31:48,594 --> 03:31:51,032
And you're just waiting to be paid.

5276
03:31:51,032 --> 03:31:52,800
So essentially they're taking a loan out

5277
03:31:52,800 --> 03:31:55,197
with zero interest.

5278
03:31:55,197 --> 03:31:58,062
In fact, I'm dealing with this right now.

5279
03:31:58,062 --> 03:32:02,735
i did a job probably over a year ago now.

5280
03:32:02,735 --> 03:32:04,868
And I still have not been paid in full,

5281
03:32:04,868 --> 03:32:08,058
simply because the product
has not been released.

5282
03:32:08,058 --> 03:32:11,370
So I'm still waiting on that paycheck.

5283
03:32:11,370 --> 03:32:13,381
And I know I will be paid.

5284
03:32:13,381 --> 03:32:14,417
They're a reputable company.

5285
03:32:14,417 --> 03:32:16,957
They're very large. It's
definitely gonna come out.

5286
03:32:16,957 --> 03:32:19,700
But I have been waiting a long time.

5287
03:32:19,700 --> 03:32:21,772
So you really have to weigh whether it's

5288
03:32:21,772 --> 03:32:22,950
worth it or not.

5289
03:32:22,950 --> 03:32:26,079
Because that labor that I did a year ago

5290
03:32:26,079 --> 03:32:28,903
I still haven't seen the payoff for.

5291
03:32:28,903 --> 03:32:31,646
So if possible, try to avoid

5292
03:32:31,646 --> 03:32:33,454
pay on publication.

5293
03:32:33,454 --> 03:32:36,278
If you can, look for
something a little more

5294
03:32:36,278 --> 03:32:39,001
concrete, and quick.

5295
03:32:39,001 --> 03:32:41,703
What you'll often see is
either a specific date

5296
03:32:41,703 --> 03:32:44,527
that they put in there, or
something along the lines

5297
03:32:44,527 --> 03:32:46,579
of net 10.

5298
03:32:46,579 --> 03:32:49,667
Net 10 simply means that the net amount,

5299
03:32:49,667 --> 03:32:52,796
or all of it, is going to be paid to you

5300
03:32:52,796 --> 03:32:55,884
within ten business
days, or about two weeks.

5301
03:32:55,884 --> 03:32:57,388
This is pretty common.

5302
03:32:57,388 --> 03:33:00,049
This is a great way to be paid.

5303
03:33:00,049 --> 03:33:02,406
I love being paid on net 10.

5304
03:33:02,406 --> 03:33:04,438
I've got some extremely good clients

5305
03:33:04,438 --> 03:33:05,758
that pay that way.

5306
03:33:05,758 --> 03:33:07,262
It's awesome.

5307
03:33:07,262 --> 03:33:09,070
I've got others that aren't quite

5308
03:33:09,070 --> 03:33:10,553
that year long client.

5309
03:33:10,553 --> 03:33:13,255
But they're also not quite net 10.

5310
03:33:13,255 --> 03:33:15,673
For instance, one of
them usually takes around

5311
03:33:15,673 --> 03:33:17,848
three months to pay.

5312
03:33:17,848 --> 03:33:22,134
In general, freelancing
is painfully slow though.

5313
03:33:22,134 --> 03:33:24,795
Especially when you're working
with the larger companies

5314
03:33:24,795 --> 03:33:27,286
that have these huge offices

5315
03:33:27,286 --> 03:33:31,819
and simply don't feel like
paying their freelancers quickly.

5316
03:33:31,819 --> 03:33:33,871
However, if you are working for a company

5317
03:33:33,871 --> 03:33:36,402
that's perhaps a little bit smaller,

5318
03:33:36,402 --> 03:33:39,004
or you can negotiate
the terms a little bit,

5319
03:33:39,004 --> 03:33:40,772
there are some other great ways

5320
03:33:40,772 --> 03:33:42,614
to get paid beyond just something

5321
03:33:42,614 --> 03:33:44,483
like net 10.

5322
03:33:44,483 --> 03:33:46,698
And the one that I always love,

5323
03:33:46,698 --> 03:33:49,075
and is thankfully fairly common

5324
03:33:49,075 --> 03:33:51,858
in graphic design fields, is to get paid

5325
03:33:51,858 --> 03:33:55,129
half up front, and then
half upon completion.

5326
03:33:55,129 --> 03:33:57,059
And the great thing about this

5327
03:33:57,059 --> 03:34:00,635
is that it really gives
you a nice little insurance

5328
03:34:00,635 --> 03:34:02,240
that you're not gonna get completely

5329
03:34:02,240 --> 03:34:04,150
screwed over by this client.

5330
03:34:04,150 --> 03:34:06,243
Because you're not gonna do any work

5331
03:34:06,243 --> 03:34:08,213
until you're paid half of the total

5332
03:34:08,213 --> 03:34:09,879
that you're owed in the end.

5333
03:34:09,879 --> 03:34:11,505
So even if your client decides

5334
03:34:11,505 --> 03:34:12,927
to be an absolute jerk

5335
03:34:12,927 --> 03:34:14,837
and not pay you in the end,

5336
03:34:14,837 --> 03:34:17,153
you still get half of your original fee.

5337
03:34:17,153 --> 03:34:20,871
Which isn't great, but it's
certainly better than nothing.

5338
03:34:20,871 --> 03:34:22,821
You can also hold out on

5339
03:34:22,821 --> 03:34:26,377
delivering the final file, be
that the high resolution file,

5340
03:34:26,377 --> 03:34:29,648
or the editable file or whatnot,

5341
03:34:29,648 --> 03:34:31,862
until you've received the second half.

5342
03:34:31,862 --> 03:34:34,361
So in that way, you
really protect yourself

5343
03:34:34,361 --> 03:34:37,612
from getting screwed over by your client.

5344
03:34:37,612 --> 03:34:39,319
So this is the method I actually use

5345
03:34:39,319 --> 03:34:42,976
for all the clients that I
haven't worked with before.

5346
03:34:42,976 --> 03:34:45,312
If this is my first time
working with a client,

5347
03:34:45,312 --> 03:34:48,035
I always try to do it this way.

5348
03:34:48,035 --> 03:34:50,371
It's just, it's a little safer for me.

5349
03:34:50,371 --> 03:34:52,749
It's a little more beneficial for me.

5350
03:34:52,749 --> 03:34:55,186
I don't have to wait as
long to get the paycheck.

5351
03:34:55,186 --> 03:34:57,442
And I just think it's a better way

5352
03:34:57,442 --> 03:34:59,514
if you can actually do it.

5353
03:34:59,514 --> 03:35:01,139
Another alternative to this,

5354
03:35:01,139 --> 03:35:03,049
which is also fantastic

5355
03:35:03,049 --> 03:35:05,548
but requires a few more payments,

5356
03:35:05,548 --> 03:35:08,778
is you can get a third up front.

5357
03:35:08,778 --> 03:35:11,704
You can get a third after
the sketches are approved.

5358
03:35:11,704 --> 03:35:15,991
And you can get a third after
the project's completed.

5359
03:35:15,991 --> 03:35:17,941
So this is another fairly standard one

5360
03:35:17,941 --> 03:35:19,425
in the graphic design field.

5361
03:35:19,425 --> 03:35:22,757
And I've also seen it used
plenty in the illustration field.

5362
03:35:22,757 --> 03:35:25,154
So if they don't have any terms,

5363
03:35:25,154 --> 03:35:27,470
try to shoot for one of these.

5364
03:35:27,470 --> 03:35:29,888
So let's talk about a
kill fee for a second.

5365
03:35:29,888 --> 03:35:31,980
A kill fee is a fee that you're paid

5366
03:35:31,980 --> 03:35:33,992
when the project is canned,

5367
03:35:33,992 --> 03:35:36,816
often unexpectedly for reasons

5368
03:35:36,816 --> 03:35:39,620
far outside of your control.

5369
03:35:39,620 --> 03:35:40,900
It's just kind of something

5370
03:35:40,900 --> 03:35:42,484
that happens occasionally.

5371
03:35:42,484 --> 03:35:44,171
It's not something to feel too bad about.

5372
03:35:44,171 --> 03:35:46,568
Sometimes projects are just canceled.

5373
03:35:46,568 --> 03:35:48,803
Sometimes things just don't work out.

5374
03:35:48,803 --> 03:35:51,424
And sometimes the client
will just find out

5375
03:35:51,424 --> 03:35:54,250
halfway through that you're
not actually a good fit

5376
03:35:54,250 --> 03:35:56,282
for the project.

5377
03:35:56,282 --> 03:35:57,887
So a kill fee is there

5378
03:35:57,887 --> 03:36:00,386
in the case that something bad happens.

5379
03:36:00,386 --> 03:36:01,788
Somehow the project's canceled.

5380
03:36:01,788 --> 03:36:04,714
Somehow you're essentially fired.

5381
03:36:04,714 --> 03:36:06,928
And a kill fee assures you that you'll get

5382
03:36:06,928 --> 03:36:08,594
some percentage of the money

5383
03:36:08,594 --> 03:36:10,241
you were originally promised,

5384
03:36:10,241 --> 03:36:12,028
so that the work you've already done

5385
03:36:12,028 --> 03:36:14,242
hasn't just been for waste.

5386
03:36:14,242 --> 03:36:16,990
And a reasonable kill
fee is usually anywhere

5387
03:36:16,990 --> 03:36:21,990
from a third to a half of the
original commissioned price.

5388
03:36:22,212 --> 03:36:25,442
And sometimes if you're doing
it on like an hourly basis,

5389
03:36:25,442 --> 03:36:26,417
they'll simply pay you

5390
03:36:26,417 --> 03:36:29,831
for the hours you've
already worked plus some.

5391
03:36:29,831 --> 03:36:31,436
It really depends on the contract.

5392
03:36:31,436 --> 03:36:33,000
So it's worth looking in to

5393
03:36:33,000 --> 03:36:34,890
and finding out what the kill fee is

5394
03:36:34,890 --> 03:36:37,145
for that particular project.

5395
03:36:37,145 --> 03:36:39,766
All right, another issue
you're gonna wanna look in to

5396
03:36:39,766 --> 03:36:42,229
is how to deal with revisions.

5397
03:36:42,229 --> 03:36:45,378
When you're dealing with
illustration and design,

5398
03:36:45,378 --> 03:36:47,511
this is an incredibly important point

5399
03:36:47,511 --> 03:36:49,644
to have in your contract.

5400
03:36:49,644 --> 03:36:52,794
Revisions are monumentally time consuming,

5401
03:36:52,794 --> 03:36:55,536
and can easily eat away at your life

5402
03:36:55,536 --> 03:36:58,239
and all of your profits if you let them.

5403
03:36:58,239 --> 03:37:01,530
I'm pretty sure every artist working today

5404
03:37:01,530 --> 03:37:03,237
has a horror story

5405
03:37:03,237 --> 03:37:05,146
of one client they worked for

5406
03:37:05,146 --> 03:37:07,930
that requested constant revisions

5407
03:37:07,930 --> 03:37:10,713
after revisions after revisions.

5408
03:37:10,713 --> 03:37:13,517
So this is why you always include

5409
03:37:13,517 --> 03:37:16,280
some sort of clause in your contract

5410
03:37:16,280 --> 03:37:17,641
about revisions.

5411
03:37:17,641 --> 03:37:20,222
Either limiting the number of revisions,

5412
03:37:20,222 --> 03:37:22,152
or limiting them to a certain point.

5413
03:37:22,152 --> 03:37:25,788
And then charging a lot
extra beyond that point.

5414
03:37:25,788 --> 03:37:28,247
Just some way to nail down

5415
03:37:28,247 --> 03:37:31,416
how many revisions the client can get.

5416
03:37:31,416 --> 03:37:33,306
Because the great thing about limiting

5417
03:37:33,306 --> 03:37:35,581
the revisions or telling the client

5418
03:37:35,581 --> 03:37:38,507
that any revisions beyond the second one

5419
03:37:38,507 --> 03:37:42,956
at final say, which is
pretty generous on your part,

5420
03:37:42,956 --> 03:37:46,898
cost some obscene high hourly rate.

5421
03:37:46,898 --> 03:37:50,149
All the sudden, they're
gonna be a lot more hesitant

5422
03:37:50,149 --> 03:37:52,363
to ask for more revisions.

5423
03:37:52,363 --> 03:37:54,049
They're only gonna ask for revisions

5424
03:37:54,049 --> 03:37:57,056
if they think they are
absolutely essential.

5425
03:37:57,056 --> 03:37:59,494
Or if they just have money
to burn or something,

5426
03:37:59,494 --> 03:38:02,257
which in that case, just keep
working for those clients,

5427
03:38:02,257 --> 03:38:04,269
because that's amazing.

5428
03:38:04,269 --> 03:38:05,549
But in most cases

5429
03:38:05,549 --> 03:38:08,251
you're just dealing with a
client that wants to nitpick,

5430
03:38:08,251 --> 03:38:12,924
wants to tweak little things
forever and ever and ever.

5431
03:38:12,924 --> 03:38:16,215
So do yourself a favor and
don't get into this mess.

5432
03:38:16,215 --> 03:38:18,389
And have something in
there limiting the number

5433
03:38:18,389 --> 03:38:21,701
of revisions that the client can get.

5434
03:38:21,701 --> 03:38:24,606
All right, and lastly
let's talk about deadlines.

5435
03:38:24,606 --> 03:38:26,353
Deadlines are key.

5436
03:38:26,353 --> 03:38:29,015
Deadlines are absolutely crucial

5437
03:38:29,015 --> 03:38:30,559
to a freelancer's life.

5438
03:38:30,559 --> 03:38:32,692
So as soon as you sign a contract,

5439
03:38:32,692 --> 03:38:34,947
put it on your calendar.

5440
03:38:34,947 --> 03:38:36,309
Put it in a place you're gonna see

5441
03:38:36,309 --> 03:38:39,112
every single day.

5442
03:38:39,112 --> 03:38:40,921
So you're definitely gonna wanna nail down

5443
03:38:40,921 --> 03:38:42,912
exactly what the deadlines are

5444
03:38:42,912 --> 03:38:44,761
for each stage of the process

5445
03:38:44,761 --> 03:38:46,020
in your contract.

5446
03:38:46,020 --> 03:38:47,036
You're gonna wanna have that

5447
03:38:47,036 --> 03:38:50,327
so you both are on the same page.

5448
03:38:50,327 --> 03:38:52,727
Because a mix up with the dates

5449
03:38:52,727 --> 03:38:55,328
or the deadlines is
gonna make both parties

5450
03:38:55,328 --> 03:38:57,542
very unhappy.

5451
03:38:57,542 --> 03:39:00,488
Again, contracts are all
about setting expectations

5452
03:39:00,488 --> 03:39:01,931
for both parties.

5453
03:39:01,931 --> 03:39:05,100
And setting the expectation of
when things are gonna happen

5454
03:39:05,100 --> 03:39:06,455
is crucial.

5455
03:39:06,455 --> 03:39:07,978
Because they're gonna be happier,

5456
03:39:07,978 --> 03:39:10,335
because they're gonna know
exactly when to expect

5457
03:39:10,335 --> 03:39:14,338
each round of sketches
or the final or whatnot.

5458
03:39:14,338 --> 03:39:16,430
And you're also gonna
have a deadline where

5459
03:39:16,430 --> 03:39:19,417
you're confident that you're
gonna be able to schedule

5460
03:39:19,417 --> 03:39:21,794
your time to deliver the product

5461
03:39:21,794 --> 03:39:23,887
exactly on time.

5462
03:39:23,887 --> 03:39:26,745
And that's the last thing
to look for in the contract

5463
03:39:26,745 --> 03:39:28,533
besides compensation,

5464
03:39:28,533 --> 03:39:31,215
which I wanna spend a
little bit of extra time on.

5465
03:39:31,215 --> 03:39:34,364
So let's talk about that now.

5466
03:39:34,364 --> 03:39:37,777
I am asked all the time
how much to charge.

5467
03:39:37,777 --> 03:39:40,256
It's a question you see online, on forums,

5468
03:39:40,256 --> 03:39:41,841
all the time.

5469
03:39:41,841 --> 03:39:45,437
People have no idea what
to charge for their work.

5470
03:39:45,437 --> 03:39:48,891
And I will say this, that
artists and designers

5471
03:39:48,891 --> 03:39:52,609
are horrible at charging for their work.

5472
03:39:52,609 --> 03:39:55,311
I would say a good 95% of artists

5473
03:39:55,311 --> 03:39:59,287
that I know, drastically undercharge.

5474
03:39:59,287 --> 03:40:01,745
And I know that is not what art directors

5475
03:40:01,745 --> 03:40:03,757
wanna hear, and hopefully there aren't

5476
03:40:03,757 --> 03:40:06,256
too many of them cringing
about that statement.

5477
03:40:06,256 --> 03:40:07,190
But the fact is

5478
03:40:07,190 --> 03:40:09,181
is that way too many people

5479
03:40:09,181 --> 03:40:11,071
are undercharging.

5480
03:40:11,071 --> 03:40:13,428
If you're a skilled artist or designer,

5481
03:40:13,428 --> 03:40:16,821
you should be getting
paid a very good rate.

5482
03:40:16,821 --> 03:40:19,381
And especially as a freelancer,

5483
03:40:19,381 --> 03:40:21,331
because there are several reasons

5484
03:40:21,331 --> 03:40:24,338
why you cost more than their in-house

5485
03:40:24,338 --> 03:40:25,984
artists for instance.

5486
03:40:25,984 --> 03:40:30,088
Say an in-house artist is
making 40 dollars an hour,

5487
03:40:30,088 --> 03:40:33,542
which is probably a
somewhat reasonable rate.

5488
03:40:33,542 --> 03:40:36,975
You should be charging 80 dollars an hour.

5489
03:40:36,975 --> 03:40:38,824
Because since you're self-employed

5490
03:40:38,824 --> 03:40:41,871
you have a lot of expenses
that that in-house person

5491
03:40:41,871 --> 03:40:44,025
never sees.

5492
03:40:44,025 --> 03:40:46,869
As a freelancer, you
yourself have to cover things

5493
03:40:46,869 --> 03:40:49,876
like equipment, things
like insurance, things like

5494
03:40:49,876 --> 03:40:51,603
the studio space itself.

5495
03:40:51,603 --> 03:40:53,351
You have to pay for a lot of things

5496
03:40:53,351 --> 03:40:54,651
that that in-house person

5497
03:40:54,651 --> 03:40:56,622
never has to pay for.

5498
03:40:56,622 --> 03:40:58,126
So as a freelancer,

5499
03:40:58,126 --> 03:41:00,218
you're essentially given the right

5500
03:41:00,218 --> 03:41:03,712
to charge a lot more
than an in-house worker.

5501
03:41:03,712 --> 03:41:05,703
So with that said, how much exactly

5502
03:41:05,703 --> 03:41:07,329
do you charge?

5503
03:41:07,329 --> 03:41:08,995
And there's a bit of a process

5504
03:41:08,995 --> 03:41:12,205
for figuring out how much
you yourself should charge.

5505
03:41:12,205 --> 03:41:14,033
And the first thing you need to figure out

5506
03:41:14,033 --> 03:41:16,756
is how long it takes you to do your work.

5507
03:41:16,756 --> 03:41:19,864
And so I would recommend timing yourself

5508
03:41:19,864 --> 03:41:21,530
so that you can get a general Idea

5509
03:41:21,530 --> 03:41:23,440
of how long it's gonna take you

5510
03:41:23,440 --> 03:41:25,208
to do a particular job.

5511
03:41:25,208 --> 03:41:26,752
For instance, in my own world,

5512
03:41:26,752 --> 03:41:28,603
I know pretty much how
long it's gonna take me

5513
03:41:28,603 --> 03:41:31,020
to do any individual painting.

5514
03:41:31,020 --> 03:41:32,991
Sometimes things will change.

5515
03:41:32,991 --> 03:41:34,698
Sometimes it will take more time.

5516
03:41:34,698 --> 03:41:36,181
Sometimes less,

5517
03:41:36,181 --> 03:41:38,050
but in general, I got a pretty good idea

5518
03:41:38,050 --> 03:41:40,976
for how long it takes me to do a job.

5519
03:41:40,976 --> 03:41:42,438
So using that information,

5520
03:41:42,438 --> 03:41:45,527
it's gonna be a lot easier
for me to establish a rate.

5521
03:41:45,527 --> 03:41:46,502
Because I'm gonna know

5522
03:41:46,502 --> 03:41:49,143
exactly how long I'm gonna
spend on their project.

5523
03:41:49,143 --> 03:41:50,972
And of course it's always good to account

5524
03:41:50,972 --> 03:41:54,649
for a little bit of
extra time just in case.

5525
03:41:54,649 --> 03:41:56,762
Now you're gonna have to
decide whether to charge

5526
03:41:56,762 --> 03:41:59,688
on an hourly rate, or a fixed rate.

5527
03:41:59,688 --> 03:42:02,308
And there are really advantages to both.

5528
03:42:02,308 --> 03:42:05,864
A fixed rate is usually gonna
make you more productive.

5529
03:42:05,864 --> 03:42:08,343
Because if you're faster, that means

5530
03:42:08,343 --> 03:42:11,959
your hourly rate is higher
and you're making more money.

5531
03:42:11,959 --> 03:42:15,555
Now an hourly rate can be really good

5532
03:42:15,555 --> 03:42:17,161
if you know you're gonna have a client

5533
03:42:17,161 --> 03:42:19,151
that's gonna request a lot of changes,

5534
03:42:19,151 --> 03:42:20,472
that's gonna nitpick you,

5535
03:42:20,472 --> 03:42:22,829
that's gonna require a
lot more interaction.

5536
03:42:22,829 --> 03:42:25,368
Because then you get
to charge for all that.

5537
03:42:25,368 --> 03:42:27,359
So that can really rack up

5538
03:42:27,359 --> 03:42:30,752
if they're gonna be a problem
client in the first place.

5539
03:42:30,752 --> 03:42:33,450
So I've worked both
ways, and I think really

5540
03:42:33,450 --> 03:42:34,795
both have their advantages.

5541
03:42:34,795 --> 03:42:35,796
I don't think there's really

5542
03:42:35,796 --> 03:42:37,848
one that's better than the other.

5543
03:42:37,848 --> 03:42:39,087
I personally tend to work

5544
03:42:39,087 --> 03:42:40,835
off of a fixed rate.

5545
03:42:40,835 --> 03:42:43,801
But if you're more
comfortable working hourly,

5546
03:42:43,801 --> 03:42:46,727
that's fine for you.

5547
03:42:46,727 --> 03:42:47,803
Now when you're trying to figure out

5548
03:42:47,803 --> 03:42:49,043
how much to charge,

5549
03:42:49,043 --> 03:42:51,257
it's not really rude or anything

5550
03:42:51,257 --> 03:42:53,716
to ask what their budget is.

5551
03:42:53,716 --> 03:42:56,905
Sometimes they will
have a very fixed budget

5552
03:42:56,905 --> 03:42:58,470
that can't change.

5553
03:42:58,470 --> 03:43:00,197
And that's how much they're gonna pay you.

5554
03:43:00,197 --> 03:43:01,842
In which case, you don't really have

5555
03:43:01,842 --> 03:43:04,179
to worry about how much to charge them.

5556
03:43:04,179 --> 03:43:06,597
At that point, you really
only have to worry about

5557
03:43:06,597 --> 03:43:09,400
how much money are you gonna be making.

5558
03:43:09,400 --> 03:43:11,371
You use the time that you figured out

5559
03:43:11,371 --> 03:43:13,850
to figure out how long it's gonna take you

5560
03:43:13,850 --> 03:43:16,676
to do the job, and then you
figure out your hourly rate.

5561
03:43:16,676 --> 03:43:17,898
And whether or not you're gonna be

5562
03:43:17,898 --> 03:43:21,169
comfortable with that
amount of money or not.

5563
03:43:21,169 --> 03:43:23,465
Now you can get a pretty
good feel for this

5564
03:43:23,465 --> 03:43:25,578
without ever actually asking them

5565
03:43:25,578 --> 03:43:27,223
what their budget is

5566
03:43:27,223 --> 03:43:29,011
if you do just a little bit of research.

5567
03:43:29,011 --> 03:43:32,102
Find out if their company
seems to have a lot of money,

5568
03:43:32,102 --> 03:43:35,434
if their company is involved
in some really big projects.

5569
03:43:35,434 --> 03:43:37,953
Because a bigger client
is usually gonna have

5570
03:43:37,953 --> 03:43:39,639
a bigger budget.

5571
03:43:39,639 --> 03:43:41,773
And if you've got a really huge client

5572
03:43:41,773 --> 03:43:44,863
that seems to be really
loaded, has a huge budget

5573
03:43:44,863 --> 03:43:47,728
for this project, you can
feel pretty comfortable

5574
03:43:47,728 --> 03:43:49,678
quoting a higher price than you would

5575
03:43:49,678 --> 03:43:54,229
for the little mom and pop
operation down the street.

5576
03:43:54,229 --> 03:43:57,297
But I'm gonna give you a good
general rule for charging

5577
03:43:57,297 --> 03:43:59,268
that everyone should listen to,

5578
03:43:59,268 --> 03:44:01,970
no matter whether you're
an artist, or designer,

5579
03:44:01,970 --> 03:44:03,677
whether you're starting
out, or whether you're

5580
03:44:03,677 --> 03:44:05,180
really established.

5581
03:44:05,180 --> 03:44:08,634
And that is, charge more.

5582
03:44:08,634 --> 03:44:12,576
Charge more money than you
think you should charge.

5583
03:44:12,576 --> 03:44:14,323
Because I would say, odds are,

5584
03:44:14,323 --> 03:44:17,188
you're not charging enough money.

5585
03:44:17,188 --> 03:44:19,504
The reason artists don't make more money

5586
03:44:19,504 --> 03:44:22,612
is that they just don't
ask for more money.

5587
03:44:22,612 --> 03:44:25,944
Negotiating for more money
is incredibly simple.

5588
03:44:25,944 --> 03:44:29,479
It's an extremely easy
way to make more money.

5589
03:44:29,479 --> 03:44:32,161
All you have to do is ask for more money,

5590
03:44:32,161 --> 03:44:34,437
and odds are they'll say yes.

5591
03:44:34,437 --> 03:44:36,509
Odds are, you'll get more money.

5592
03:44:36,509 --> 03:44:38,602
It's extremely easy to do.

5593
03:44:38,602 --> 03:44:40,654
It doesn't take much effort.

5594
03:44:40,654 --> 03:44:43,071
And again, art directors and clients

5595
03:44:43,071 --> 03:44:45,652
are going to hate me when they hear this,

5596
03:44:45,652 --> 03:44:46,749
but it's true.

5597
03:44:46,749 --> 03:44:49,451
You need to be asking for more money.

5598
03:44:49,451 --> 03:44:50,812
Now I've often heard this quote,

5599
03:44:50,812 --> 03:44:53,230
and I love it because it's so true.

5600
03:44:53,230 --> 03:44:55,932
That the proper rate for a client

5601
03:44:55,932 --> 03:44:58,910
is the one that they will cringe at

5602
03:44:58,910 --> 03:45:01,247
and then say yes.

5603
03:45:01,247 --> 03:45:03,603
Because if they're not cringing,

5604
03:45:03,603 --> 03:45:06,549
if they're just accepting
it right off the bat,

5605
03:45:06,549 --> 03:45:08,723
and they're too eager to say yes,

5606
03:45:08,723 --> 03:45:11,405
then you are charging too low.

5607
03:45:11,405 --> 03:45:15,083
If they however just completely
say no, that's impossible,

5608
03:45:15,083 --> 03:45:17,216
then you're probably overcharging.

5609
03:45:17,216 --> 03:45:19,877
But I assure you that's
way less of a problem

5610
03:45:19,877 --> 03:45:23,006
than people undercharging these days.

5611
03:45:23,006 --> 03:45:24,997
because really the worst
thing that's gonna happen

5612
03:45:24,997 --> 03:45:27,598
if you do overcharge them by a little bit,

5613
03:45:27,598 --> 03:45:29,934
is that they're gonna come
back with a counteroffer.

5614
03:45:29,934 --> 03:45:32,636
And that's not really
such a horrible thing.

5615
03:45:32,636 --> 03:45:37,573
So shoot for a higher budget
than you think you should get.

5616
03:45:37,573 --> 03:45:39,768
And when you're charging
such a high price,

5617
03:45:39,768 --> 03:45:43,140
sometimes it's good to show
just how valuable you are.

5618
03:45:43,140 --> 03:45:45,030
Because you legitimately are providing

5619
03:45:45,030 --> 03:45:48,179
a very valuable service for your client.

5620
03:45:48,179 --> 03:45:51,673
And you're gonna need to have
some confidence to do this.

5621
03:45:51,673 --> 03:45:54,193
But it's important for them to know

5622
03:45:54,193 --> 03:45:57,322
that you are extremely valuable to them.

5623
03:45:57,322 --> 03:46:00,105
That you're worth all of this money.

5624
03:46:00,105 --> 03:46:01,263
In fact, they should be almost

5625
03:46:01,263 --> 03:46:03,173
thrilled to pay you this money.

5626
03:46:03,173 --> 03:46:05,834
Because you're gonna be
such an asset to them.

5627
03:46:05,834 --> 03:46:07,663
So try to get across the point

5628
03:46:07,663 --> 03:46:10,914
that they're hiring you
to solve their problems,

5629
03:46:10,914 --> 03:46:11,929
whatever that might be.

5630
03:46:11,929 --> 03:46:14,368
Whether it's an illustration,
whether it's a design,

5631
03:46:14,368 --> 03:46:17,720
whatever it is, you are
solving their problem.

5632
03:46:17,720 --> 03:46:19,650
And if you can make them understand

5633
03:46:19,650 --> 03:46:21,255
that your solution to that problem

5634
03:46:21,255 --> 03:46:24,059
is gonna be so beneficial
for their company,

5635
03:46:24,059 --> 03:46:26,598
price is gonna be a lot less of an issue.

5636
03:46:26,598 --> 03:46:29,585
Because once you've proven your value,

5637
03:46:29,585 --> 03:46:34,177
the price itself is much
less of a priority to them.

5638
03:46:34,177 --> 03:46:37,021
Also, never forget that as a creative,

5639
03:46:37,021 --> 03:46:39,012
whether it's a designer or an artist,

5640
03:46:39,012 --> 03:46:41,674
you're more than just a hired hand.

5641
03:46:41,674 --> 03:46:44,234
You're not just a skilled technician.

5642
03:46:44,234 --> 03:46:46,814
You're also someone who can think.

5643
03:46:46,814 --> 03:46:48,439
You're also someone who can come up with

5644
03:46:48,439 --> 03:46:51,954
creative ideas, and that
is extremely valuable

5645
03:46:51,954 --> 03:46:54,255
and is worth a lot of money.

5646
03:46:54,255 --> 03:46:56,582
So while there's probably plenty of people

5647
03:46:56,582 --> 03:46:58,898
in the world who have a copy of Photoshop

5648
03:46:58,898 --> 03:47:00,981
and can push buttons in there.

5649
03:47:00,981 --> 03:47:05,604
Nobody can come up with
ideas exactly like you can.

5650
03:47:06,641 --> 03:47:10,054
Now whatever you do, don't beg for work.

5651
03:47:10,054 --> 03:47:12,451
Don't become so desperate for the job

5652
03:47:12,451 --> 03:47:14,686
that you'd be willing to do anything,

5653
03:47:14,686 --> 03:47:17,754
that you'd be willing to
work for next to nothing.

5654
03:47:17,754 --> 03:47:20,903
Because you have to show a
certain amount of confidence,

5655
03:47:20,903 --> 03:47:22,264
especially if you're gonna be able to get

5656
03:47:22,264 --> 03:47:23,768
a reasonable rate.

5657
03:47:23,768 --> 03:47:25,495
So stand up for yourself

5658
03:47:25,495 --> 03:47:27,913
and be willing to walk away from a job

5659
03:47:27,913 --> 03:47:29,335
if it looks like the budget

5660
03:47:29,335 --> 03:47:31,834
is just not gonna be enough.

5661
03:47:31,834 --> 03:47:33,979
So in this way, you can kind of think of

5662
03:47:33,979 --> 03:47:37,454
getting clients like you
would of meeting girls.

5663
03:47:37,454 --> 03:47:39,181
You don't wanna be desperate.

5664
03:47:39,181 --> 03:47:41,415
You wanna walk in there with confidence.

5665
03:47:41,415 --> 03:47:43,833
And you wanna give off
this impression that

5666
03:47:43,833 --> 03:47:47,003
you can walk away any
time and be just fine.

5667
03:47:47,003 --> 03:47:48,283
And when you do that,

5668
03:47:48,283 --> 03:47:50,477
you're gonna be able to
negotiate a lot better.

5669
03:47:50,477 --> 03:47:51,635
You're gonna be able to negotiate

5670
03:47:51,635 --> 03:47:54,906
some really good prices for yourself.

5671
03:47:54,906 --> 03:47:56,470
All right, so this is wrapping up

5672
03:47:56,470 --> 03:47:58,644
the section on compensation.

5673
03:47:58,644 --> 03:48:00,310
Now you'll notice I
haven't really given many

5674
03:48:00,310 --> 03:48:01,753
exact figures.

5675
03:48:01,753 --> 03:48:05,836
And that's because the
industry just varies so much.

5676
03:48:05,836 --> 03:48:09,554
For instance, I've done
jobs for 10 dollars an hour,

5677
03:48:09,554 --> 03:48:11,139
and that is way too low.

5678
03:48:11,139 --> 03:48:14,878
I have also done jobs for
over 100 dollars an hour.

5679
03:48:14,878 --> 03:48:17,072
And that's getting much nicer.

5680
03:48:17,072 --> 03:48:19,063
But somewhere in the middle

5681
03:48:19,063 --> 03:48:21,745
is probably where you're
gonna find yourself.

5682
03:48:21,745 --> 03:48:24,447
But if you really want some specifics

5683
03:48:24,447 --> 03:48:28,429
of what rates are generally
standard in this industry,

5684
03:48:28,429 --> 03:48:31,700
again, go check out the Graphic
Artist's Guild Handbook.

5685
03:48:31,700 --> 03:48:33,650
It's a really good resource.

5686
03:48:33,650 --> 03:48:35,906
It can give you that good starting place

5687
03:48:35,906 --> 03:48:38,872
so you can figure out what
your rate is gonna be.

5688
03:48:38,872 --> 03:48:40,639
Once again, I'm gonna link to that

5689
03:48:40,639 --> 03:48:45,589
on the resource page at
TheArtofFreelancing.com/Resources.

5690
03:48:45,589 --> 03:48:47,723
Go there. Check it out.
And pick up that book.

5691
03:48:47,723 --> 03:48:50,953
It's not terribly expensive,
and it is so worth it.

5692
03:48:50,953 --> 03:48:53,635
Because it is just
packed with information.

5693
03:48:53,635 --> 03:48:57,312
And with that, we wrap up
our section on contracts.

5694
03:48:57,312 --> 03:49:00,644
So even though contracts can
be kind of daunting at first,

5695
03:49:00,644 --> 03:49:03,143
try not to get too scared by them.

5696
03:49:03,143 --> 03:49:05,398
Just focus on the important parts,

5697
03:49:05,398 --> 03:49:08,344
and do your best.

5698
03:49:08,344 --> 03:49:10,721
Understanding art directors.

5699
03:49:10,721 --> 03:49:11,798
It's really important

5700
03:49:11,798 --> 03:49:13,342
when you're working for a client,

5701
03:49:13,342 --> 03:49:16,898
that you understand their
mindset going in to it.

5702
03:49:16,898 --> 03:49:19,884
Because by understanding
the art director's mindset,

5703
03:49:19,884 --> 03:49:22,810
you're gonna have a lot
easier time working with them

5704
03:49:22,810 --> 03:49:25,512
as well as getting hired by them.

5705
03:49:25,512 --> 03:49:26,854
So for the next few minutes here,

5706
03:49:26,854 --> 03:49:28,925
I'm gonna be talking about art directors,

5707
03:49:28,925 --> 03:49:32,339
what they're like, what
they want, what they fear,

5708
03:49:32,339 --> 03:49:34,472
so that hopefully we can
get a better understanding

5709
03:49:34,472 --> 03:49:37,032
of who it is that we work for.

5710
03:49:37,032 --> 03:49:38,942
First off, every art director

5711
03:49:38,942 --> 03:49:40,811
wants to look good.

5712
03:49:40,811 --> 03:49:42,213
They wanna look good

5713
03:49:42,213 --> 03:49:45,646
by finding the next amazing artist.

5714
03:49:45,646 --> 03:49:47,190
They wanna be that first person

5715
03:49:47,190 --> 03:49:49,100
who realizes their potential.

5716
03:49:49,100 --> 03:49:51,518
They wanna look good within their company

5717
03:49:51,518 --> 03:49:54,240
because all of their
projects look gorgeous,

5718
03:49:54,240 --> 03:49:57,065
and they all come in on time.

5719
03:49:57,065 --> 03:49:59,238
So they're looking to look good.

5720
03:49:59,238 --> 03:50:01,250
So you're trying to fulfill that goal

5721
03:50:01,250 --> 03:50:03,586
and make them look good.

5722
03:50:03,586 --> 03:50:05,029
Now at the same time,

5723
03:50:05,029 --> 03:50:07,995
they're afraid that
you're not gonna do this,

5724
03:50:07,995 --> 03:50:10,535
that you're gonna make
them look bad instead.

5725
03:50:10,535 --> 03:50:12,444
Because when they give you a job,

5726
03:50:12,444 --> 03:50:15,045
they're essentially staking
their entire reputation

5727
03:50:15,045 --> 03:50:17,117
on how well you do.

5728
03:50:17,117 --> 03:50:21,140
So if a project is hinging on
one illustration for instance,

5729
03:50:21,140 --> 03:50:24,371
and you happen to bomb
out on it completely,

5730
03:50:24,371 --> 03:50:27,581
you fail, you are just terrible,

5731
03:50:27,581 --> 03:50:30,872
and so on and so forth, and
the project falls through

5732
03:50:30,872 --> 03:50:34,265
because of that, because the
art is gonna be late now,

5733
03:50:34,265 --> 03:50:36,175
because they're gonna have
to find somebody else.

5734
03:50:36,175 --> 03:50:39,405
And that's gonna mess up
the entire project pipeline.

5735
03:50:39,405 --> 03:50:41,051
And it's all on them now.

5736
03:50:41,051 --> 03:50:43,001
Nobody's gonna go ahead
and blame the artist.

5737
03:50:43,001 --> 03:50:46,557
They're gonna blame the art
director who hired them.

5738
03:50:46,557 --> 03:50:49,381
So by that, we can say
that they hate risk.

5739
03:50:49,381 --> 03:50:51,311
They don't wanna take risks.

5740
03:50:51,311 --> 03:50:54,155
But at the same time taking
a risk on a young, new artist

5741
03:50:54,155 --> 03:50:56,065
that might be the next best thing

5742
03:50:56,065 --> 03:51:00,038
can be a really tempting promise.

5743
03:51:00,038 --> 03:51:02,492
Art directors hate surprises.

5744
03:51:02,492 --> 03:51:04,386
That is one of the worst things

5745
03:51:04,386 --> 03:51:06,474
for an art director to experience.

5746
03:51:06,474 --> 03:51:08,831
They want everything to be on schedule,

5747
03:51:08,831 --> 03:51:12,102
on time, and come in looking great.

5748
03:51:12,102 --> 03:51:14,540
Having a surprise somewhere in the process

5749
03:51:14,540 --> 03:51:18,726
is really gonna throw a wrench
into their whole operation.

5750
03:51:18,726 --> 03:51:21,936
So do your best to avoid
surprises in general.

5751
03:51:21,936 --> 03:51:24,597
But when they happen,
be sure to communicate

5752
03:51:24,597 --> 03:51:26,832
the surprise so that
the art director knows

5753
03:51:26,832 --> 03:51:30,347
as soon as possible.

5754
03:51:30,347 --> 03:51:33,362
Art directors usually
don't mind questions.

5755
03:51:33,362 --> 03:51:36,247
In fact, they're usually
thrilled to ask questions

5756
03:51:36,247 --> 03:51:38,299
because that means that they've solved

5757
03:51:38,299 --> 03:51:40,574
a potential problem that
could have been a mess

5758
03:51:40,574 --> 03:51:42,647
later down the road.

5759
03:51:42,647 --> 03:51:46,263
So if you're in doubt about anything, ask.

5760
03:51:46,263 --> 03:51:50,001
It is much better than
having to redo it later on.

5761
03:51:50,001 --> 03:51:51,931
Now if you're working for a client

5762
03:51:51,931 --> 03:51:54,105
that's not necessarily an art director,

5763
03:51:54,105 --> 03:51:56,239
for instance if you're
doing graphic design

5764
03:51:56,239 --> 03:51:57,783
for some smaller business

5765
03:51:57,783 --> 03:51:59,896
and they really don't
have an art director,

5766
03:51:59,896 --> 03:52:02,821
they're gonna be a little bit
different than working with

5767
03:52:02,821 --> 03:52:04,853
some big art director at a company.

5768
03:52:04,853 --> 03:52:06,763
And the main difference is

5769
03:52:06,763 --> 03:52:10,278
is that clients rarely
know what they want.

5770
03:52:10,278 --> 03:52:11,741
Typically with an art director,

5771
03:52:11,741 --> 03:52:13,611
they will know exactly what they want.

5772
03:52:13,611 --> 03:52:15,377
They will have a description for you,

5773
03:52:15,377 --> 03:52:17,104
and you will do the job.

5774
03:52:17,104 --> 03:52:18,181
The thing with a client

5775
03:52:18,181 --> 03:52:20,295
is they're gonna be a little bit

5776
03:52:20,295 --> 03:52:22,813
less specific about what they want

5777
03:52:22,813 --> 03:52:24,865
simply because they don't
have the experience,

5778
03:52:24,865 --> 03:52:26,938
and they don't really know what they want.

5779
03:52:26,938 --> 03:52:29,579
So part of your job when
you're dealing with a client

5780
03:52:29,579 --> 03:52:32,179
is to educate them.

5781
03:52:32,179 --> 03:52:35,288
It becomes part of your job
not only to do the work,

5782
03:52:35,288 --> 03:52:40,184
but to educate them in
what they want and why.

5783
03:52:40,184 --> 03:52:42,767
So the first rule when you're
dealing with an art director

5784
03:52:42,767 --> 03:52:44,900
is be nice.

5785
03:52:44,900 --> 03:52:48,273
There is simply no excuse to
be mean to an art director.

5786
03:52:48,273 --> 03:52:50,101
Be polite. Be nice.

5787
03:52:50,101 --> 03:52:54,426
Spell things correctly.
And speak sensibly.

5788
03:52:54,426 --> 03:52:56,899
Try and also keep all
of your emails and other

5789
03:52:56,899 --> 03:52:58,504
contacts short.

5790
03:52:58,504 --> 03:53:01,795
Typically an art director
is a very busy person.

5791
03:53:01,795 --> 03:53:03,705
They have a lot on their plate.

5792
03:53:03,705 --> 03:53:05,251
Some art directors commission

5793
03:53:05,251 --> 03:53:08,348
hundreds and hundreds of pieces a year.

5794
03:53:08,348 --> 03:53:09,404
So if they're sitting there

5795
03:53:09,404 --> 03:53:12,609
reading your paragraphs
after paragraphs of text,

5796
03:53:12,609 --> 03:53:13,808
it's just gonna bog them down

5797
03:53:13,808 --> 03:53:15,108
from doing all the other work

5798
03:53:15,108 --> 03:53:17,140
they really need to get to do.

5799
03:53:17,140 --> 03:53:19,740
So try to keep your
contact short with them,

5800
03:53:19,740 --> 03:53:22,016
short and concise.

5801
03:53:22,016 --> 03:53:23,987
By keeping everything short like this,

5802
03:53:23,987 --> 03:53:26,283
it's gonna make sure that
you're thinking out your ideas

5803
03:53:26,283 --> 03:53:28,497
thoroughly so that you
can communicate them

5804
03:53:28,497 --> 03:53:30,529
very concisely.

5805
03:53:30,529 --> 03:53:32,479
Now I've said this one many times before,

5806
03:53:32,479 --> 03:53:34,328
and I'll say it again in this context.

5807
03:53:34,328 --> 03:53:35,791
But act professional.

5808
03:53:35,791 --> 03:53:37,254
Whenever you're sending them an email,

5809
03:53:37,254 --> 03:53:39,042
whenever you're in contact with them,

5810
03:53:39,042 --> 03:53:40,809
be a professional.

5811
03:53:40,809 --> 03:53:45,198
So this is a business
email, not a personal email.

5812
03:53:45,198 --> 03:53:47,819
And while it's okay to be a
little bit chummy at times

5813
03:53:47,819 --> 03:53:50,665
with them, always respect that this is a

5814
03:53:50,665 --> 03:53:54,708
business interaction you're
having with this person.

5815
03:53:54,708 --> 03:53:58,101
And on that token, try
to avoid smiley faces

5816
03:53:58,101 --> 03:54:00,255
in your emails.

5817
03:54:00,255 --> 03:54:03,424
They do come across as a
little bit unprofessional.

5818
03:54:03,424 --> 03:54:06,574
And I will confess that I actually do

5819
03:54:06,574 --> 03:54:08,341
use them occasionally.

5820
03:54:08,341 --> 03:54:11,165
They can kinda soften emails a little bit.

5821
03:54:11,165 --> 03:54:12,851
But I will only do that

5822
03:54:12,851 --> 03:54:15,696
if I see the client use them first.

5823
03:54:15,696 --> 03:54:17,789
'Cause I figure if they're
already using them,

5824
03:54:17,789 --> 03:54:19,312
then they've established that as our

5825
03:54:19,312 --> 03:54:21,446
bar of professionalism.

5826
03:54:21,446 --> 03:54:22,746
But just don't be the first one

5827
03:54:22,746 --> 03:54:24,554
to put a smiley face in there,

5828
03:54:24,554 --> 03:54:26,423
because you're just gonna look like

5829
03:54:26,423 --> 03:54:28,617
a little kid if you do it.

5830
03:54:28,617 --> 03:54:30,223
Now when it comes to your emails,

5831
03:54:30,223 --> 03:54:32,051
always reread them.

5832
03:54:32,051 --> 03:54:34,022
Everything you write to your art director,

5833
03:54:34,022 --> 03:54:36,338
be sure to read over it again.

5834
03:54:36,338 --> 03:54:38,532
Because you really wanna try to avoid

5835
03:54:38,532 --> 03:54:41,539
all of the stupid mistakes you might make.

5836
03:54:41,539 --> 03:54:43,307
Because I cannot tell you how many times

5837
03:54:43,307 --> 03:54:45,663
I've sent an email and then realized

5838
03:54:45,663 --> 03:54:48,264
I made some stupid mistake.

5839
03:54:48,264 --> 03:54:50,194
Whether that's forgetting
to attach something

5840
03:54:50,194 --> 03:54:52,023
or misspelling something,

5841
03:54:52,023 --> 03:54:53,099
whatever it is.

5842
03:54:53,099 --> 03:54:55,253
It's really painful to
see those stupid mistakes

5843
03:54:55,253 --> 03:54:56,228
on your emails,

5844
03:54:56,228 --> 03:54:58,524
so try to give it another
read through or two,

5845
03:54:58,524 --> 03:55:01,612
just to make sure you
got everything right.

5846
03:55:01,612 --> 03:55:03,098
And I'll make a special point here

5847
03:55:03,098 --> 03:55:05,516
to spell their name right.

5848
03:55:05,516 --> 03:55:09,071
Because I actually have
messed up on this one.

5849
03:55:09,071 --> 03:55:12,020
I have screwed up the spelling
of one of my art director's

5850
03:55:12,020 --> 03:55:15,972
names in one of the first
emails I ever sent him.

5851
03:55:15,972 --> 03:55:19,731
So it can be really awkward.

5852
03:55:19,731 --> 03:55:21,965
Thankfully he didn't call me out on it.

5853
03:55:21,965 --> 03:55:24,099
But still, try to avoid it.

5854
03:55:24,099 --> 03:55:25,419
And try to read over your emails

5855
03:55:25,419 --> 03:55:26,801
before you send them out

5856
03:55:26,801 --> 03:55:29,930
so you're not in that situation.

5857
03:55:29,930 --> 03:55:31,372
But to be fair to myself,

5858
03:55:31,372 --> 03:55:34,298
someone else from that exact same company

5859
03:55:34,298 --> 03:55:36,695
also got my name completely wrong.

5860
03:55:36,695 --> 03:55:38,910
So it happens to everyone.

5861
03:55:38,910 --> 03:55:41,409
Just try your best to avoid it.

5862
03:55:41,409 --> 03:55:42,486
Now I'll make a quick note.

5863
03:55:42,486 --> 03:55:45,147
If English is not your first language,

5864
03:55:45,147 --> 03:55:47,585
or maybe you're not the best writer,

5865
03:55:47,585 --> 03:55:50,470
it wouldn't hurt to have
a friend or a spouse

5866
03:55:50,470 --> 03:55:53,396
check over your emails
before you send them out.

5867
03:55:53,396 --> 03:55:56,121
Because clear communication
is hugely important

5868
03:55:56,121 --> 03:55:57,767
in this industry.

5869
03:55:57,767 --> 03:56:00,042
It's so common for miscommunications

5870
03:56:00,042 --> 03:56:02,602
to happen when you're talking about ideas

5871
03:56:02,602 --> 03:56:04,553
and visual things.

5872
03:56:04,553 --> 03:56:07,194
So do your best to communicate as clearly

5873
03:56:07,194 --> 03:56:09,348
as you possibly can.

5874
03:56:09,348 --> 03:56:10,770
And if that means getting someone else

5875
03:56:10,770 --> 03:56:12,537
to read over it and make sure you've got

5876
03:56:12,537 --> 03:56:14,549
all your grammar and spelling correct,

5877
03:56:14,549 --> 03:56:15,686
then so be it.

5878
03:56:15,686 --> 03:56:19,262
Whatever it takes to be
able to communicate clearly.

5879
03:56:19,262 --> 03:56:21,132
And that's the last of our little bit

5880
03:56:21,132 --> 03:56:22,981
on art directors and clients.

5881
03:56:22,981 --> 03:56:25,337
So hopefully you have a
nice little understanding

5882
03:56:25,337 --> 03:56:27,188
of what art directors are like,

5883
03:56:27,188 --> 03:56:28,732
what clients are like,

5884
03:56:28,732 --> 03:56:31,414
what they're after,
what they're afraid of.

5885
03:56:31,414 --> 03:56:34,441
And hopefully that ill help
you in your relation with them.

5886
03:56:34,441 --> 03:56:36,107
Hopefully that'll help you work with them

5887
03:56:36,107 --> 03:56:37,834
more effectively.

5888
03:56:37,834 --> 03:56:39,358
Getting the description.

5889
03:56:39,358 --> 03:56:41,613
Now after you've gone through the process

5890
03:56:41,613 --> 03:56:43,177
of talking with the client,

5891
03:56:43,177 --> 03:56:44,782
agreeing that you wanna work together,

5892
03:56:44,782 --> 03:56:46,469
dealing with the contract,

5893
03:56:46,469 --> 03:56:47,688
you're gonna get the description

5894
03:56:47,688 --> 03:56:50,207
of the job that you're about to do.

5895
03:56:50,207 --> 03:56:51,771
And the first thing you wanna do

5896
03:56:51,771 --> 03:56:56,269
is read it, and read
it, and read it again.

5897
03:56:57,218 --> 03:56:59,453
Seriously, read it a lot.

5898
03:56:59,453 --> 03:57:02,695
And pay attention to everything in it.

5899
03:57:02,695 --> 03:57:04,483
I really can't stress this enough

5900
03:57:04,483 --> 03:57:06,698
that you need to read the description.

5901
03:57:06,698 --> 03:57:08,953
And mainly because of several times

5902
03:57:08,953 --> 03:57:11,594
when I've apparently not read it enough.

5903
03:57:11,594 --> 03:57:13,384
And I started working.

5904
03:57:13,384 --> 03:57:15,456
And then I turned in my sketches

5905
03:57:15,456 --> 03:57:19,946
and discovered that I was
drastically off the mark on them.

5906
03:57:19,946 --> 03:57:22,181
And had to completely redo it

5907
03:57:22,181 --> 03:57:25,127
all because I was just
too stupid to have read it

5908
03:57:25,127 --> 03:57:28,723
one more time, and saw
that very, very important

5909
03:57:28,723 --> 03:57:30,410
detail in there.

5910
03:57:30,410 --> 03:57:32,177
So read the description.

5911
03:57:32,177 --> 03:57:34,087
Read it. Read it. Read it.

5912
03:57:34,087 --> 03:57:36,586
And read it until you
think you understand it.

5913
03:57:36,586 --> 03:57:38,557
Read it until you know you understand it.

5914
03:57:38,557 --> 03:57:41,462
And then read it one more time.

5915
03:57:41,462 --> 03:57:43,169
Another thing you wanna pay attention to

5916
03:57:43,169 --> 03:57:46,988
early on, is pay attention
to the size, format,

5917
03:57:46,988 --> 03:57:50,666
and resolution of
whatever you're creating.

5918
03:57:50,666 --> 03:57:53,185
One of the worst rookie
mistakes you can make

5919
03:57:53,185 --> 03:57:56,923
is to submit an image at the wrong size.

5920
03:57:56,923 --> 03:57:59,016
Nothing makes you look
like more of an amateur

5921
03:57:59,016 --> 03:58:02,145
than submitting the wrong sized image.

5922
03:58:02,145 --> 03:58:05,213
First off, make sure you
get the orientation right.

5923
03:58:05,213 --> 03:58:06,696
This can be hugely embarrassing.

5924
03:58:06,696 --> 03:58:08,789
Thankfully, I've never personally done it.

5925
03:58:08,789 --> 03:58:10,333
But I have heard of other people

5926
03:58:10,333 --> 03:58:12,242
who have had to deal with this.

5927
03:58:12,242 --> 03:58:14,030
And it's very important to know

5928
03:58:14,030 --> 03:58:15,574
whether your piece is gonna be vertical

5929
03:58:15,574 --> 03:58:17,098
or horizontal.

5930
03:58:17,098 --> 03:58:19,089
Sometimes it won't be exactly clear

5931
03:58:19,089 --> 03:58:21,385
from the project description itself.

5932
03:58:21,385 --> 03:58:24,607
In general, you can assume
that they give you dimensions,

5933
03:58:24,607 --> 03:58:26,659
that it's width times height.

5934
03:58:26,659 --> 03:58:28,487
That's usually the standard.

5935
03:58:28,487 --> 03:58:31,430
But sometimes people will
write it wrong themselves.

5936
03:58:31,430 --> 03:58:36,430
And if you're really in doubt,
it doesn't hurt to clarify.

5937
03:58:36,858 --> 03:58:41,612
Understand DPI. Please understand DPI.

5938
03:58:41,612 --> 03:58:43,441
So many people in the industry,

5939
03:58:43,441 --> 03:58:45,960
especially the illustration industry,

5940
03:58:45,960 --> 03:58:48,073
and less so with the
graphic design industry,

5941
03:58:48,073 --> 03:58:51,303
but so many illustrators
simply don't understand

5942
03:58:51,303 --> 03:58:52,868
what DPI means.

5943
03:58:52,868 --> 03:58:55,021
So I'm gonna give you a quick overview

5944
03:58:55,021 --> 03:58:56,078
of what it means.

5945
03:58:56,078 --> 03:58:57,134
All the graphic designers

5946
03:58:57,134 --> 03:58:59,105
can probably skip the next minute or so.

5947
03:58:59,105 --> 03:59:01,990
But illustrators please listen to this.

5948
03:59:01,990 --> 03:59:05,017
DPI means dots per inch.

5949
03:59:05,017 --> 03:59:08,268
Pixels per inch is actually
more of an accurate term,

5950
03:59:08,268 --> 03:59:10,808
since we're dealing
with digital technology.

5951
03:59:10,808 --> 03:59:13,063
But essentially they're interchangeable.

5952
03:59:13,063 --> 03:59:16,110
There are differences,
but don't worry about it.

5953
03:59:16,110 --> 03:59:19,381
Regardless, most printers
will print an image

5954
03:59:19,381 --> 03:59:21,657
at 300 DPI.

5955
03:59:21,657 --> 03:59:23,892
That means for a one inch square image,

5956
03:59:23,892 --> 03:59:26,797
each side will have 300 pixels.

5957
03:59:26,797 --> 03:59:29,699
So you've got a 300 by 300 pixel image.

5958
03:59:29,699 --> 03:59:33,782
It's gonna print out at
one inch by one inch.

5959
03:59:33,782 --> 03:59:36,647
So if you're asked to
make an 8 by 10 image,

5960
03:59:36,647 --> 03:59:39,573
multiply both of those numbers by 300.

5961
03:59:39,573 --> 03:59:42,661
And what do you get? 2400 by 3000.

5962
03:59:42,661 --> 03:59:46,277
Those are the pixel dimensions
of your final image.

5963
03:59:46,277 --> 03:59:48,106
So that's gonna be the final size

5964
03:59:48,106 --> 03:59:50,097
that you'll need to send to your client

5965
03:59:50,097 --> 03:59:51,661
for them to be able to print it.

5966
03:59:51,661 --> 03:59:53,226
Now it's fully possible to print

5967
03:59:53,226 --> 03:59:56,517
at a lower resolution, like 150 DPI,

5968
03:59:56,517 --> 03:59:59,463
in which case that same
image could be printed

5969
03:59:59,463 --> 04:00:01,894
at 16 by 20 inches.

5970
04:00:01,894 --> 04:00:05,490
Now if any of this confuses you at all,

5971
04:00:05,490 --> 04:00:07,603
then please do some research.

5972
04:00:07,603 --> 04:00:09,818
Google it and try to figure it out.

5973
04:00:09,818 --> 04:00:12,154
It's really not that complicated.

5974
04:00:12,154 --> 04:00:13,962
But it's incredibly important.

5975
04:00:13,962 --> 04:00:15,507
And if you screw up on DPI,

5976
04:00:15,507 --> 04:00:17,254
you screw up on the resolution,

5977
04:00:17,254 --> 04:00:19,246
you're gonna look like an amateur.

5978
04:00:19,246 --> 04:00:21,012
You don't wanna do that.

5979
04:00:21,012 --> 04:00:22,231
Now when you're working,

5980
04:00:22,231 --> 04:00:25,299
it's a good idea, at least
in the illustration world,

5981
04:00:25,299 --> 04:00:29,305
to work two to three times
larger than the final result.

5982
04:00:29,305 --> 04:00:31,906
So if you were working
on that 8 by 10 piece,

5983
04:00:31,906 --> 04:00:35,278
and you just wanted to
scale it up for instance,

5984
04:00:35,278 --> 04:00:38,123
you can scale it up so that it's 900 DPI

5985
04:00:38,123 --> 04:00:42,938
which would be somewhere
around 7200 by 9000 pixels.

5986
04:00:44,035 --> 04:00:45,228
It's pretty much standard

5987
04:00:45,228 --> 04:00:48,986
to work a lot larger than the
final product in illustration.

5988
04:00:48,986 --> 04:00:51,464
Because when things get scaled down,

5989
04:00:51,464 --> 04:00:53,415
they tend to just look better.

5990
04:00:53,415 --> 04:00:55,054
Though just trust me on this one.

5991
04:00:55,054 --> 04:00:59,362
Just work bigger, and you'll
thank me for it later.

5992
04:00:59,362 --> 04:01:01,110
Understanding bleed.

5993
04:01:01,110 --> 04:01:03,486
Bleed is another one that
seems to confuse the hell

5994
04:01:03,486 --> 04:01:05,091
out of illustrators, and it's really

5995
04:01:05,091 --> 04:01:06,980
not that complicated.

5996
04:01:06,980 --> 04:01:10,251
Basically whenever you're
making an image for print,

5997
04:01:10,251 --> 04:01:13,055
some of it is gonna be cut off

5998
04:01:13,055 --> 04:01:14,948
if it's a border-less image.

5999
04:01:14,948 --> 04:01:18,422
So something like a
quarter inch on all sides

6000
04:01:18,422 --> 04:01:21,835
is gonna be cut off by
the printer themselves.

6001
04:01:21,835 --> 04:01:23,379
So when you make your image,

6002
04:01:23,379 --> 04:01:26,142
you're gonna need to have
a certain border around it

6003
04:01:26,142 --> 04:01:28,113
that you're gonna expect to be cut off

6004
04:01:28,113 --> 04:01:29,698
from the final result.

6005
04:01:29,698 --> 04:01:32,238
And how much this is
depends on the client.

6006
04:01:32,238 --> 04:01:33,781
And they are usually gonna tell you

6007
04:01:33,781 --> 04:01:36,240
how much bleed to give your images.

6008
04:01:36,240 --> 04:01:37,601
But it's important to understand

6009
04:01:37,601 --> 04:01:39,226
what bleed is.

6010
04:01:39,226 --> 04:01:41,380
So please if you don't know what bleed is,

6011
04:01:41,380 --> 04:01:43,879
Google it right now and figure it out.

6012
04:01:43,879 --> 04:01:46,317
It's not that complicated again.

6013
04:01:46,317 --> 04:01:49,365
But it is also crucial.

6014
04:01:49,365 --> 04:01:52,209
Now what file formats to work in.

6015
04:01:52,209 --> 04:01:54,992
In general, for illustration work,

6016
04:01:54,992 --> 04:01:59,117
you can work in .PSDs or .TIFs.

6017
04:01:59,117 --> 04:02:02,300
And you can send your previews in jpegs.

6018
04:02:02,300 --> 04:02:04,657
And you can deliver the final image

6019
04:02:04,657 --> 04:02:07,176
in a flattened tif file.

6020
04:02:07,176 --> 04:02:09,927
For illustration work,
this is pretty standard.

6021
04:02:09,927 --> 04:02:11,239
But of course some clients

6022
04:02:11,239 --> 04:02:12,946
will have very specific formats

6023
04:02:12,946 --> 04:02:14,734
they wanna see their work in.

6024
04:02:14,734 --> 04:02:17,314
And also, if you're working in vector,

6025
04:02:17,314 --> 04:02:19,671
you're gonna have to figure
out the formats for that.

6026
04:02:19,671 --> 04:02:21,215
If you're working on graphic design,

6027
04:02:21,215 --> 04:02:22,922
are they gonna want PDF or

6028
04:02:22,922 --> 04:02:24,506
are they gonna want an InDesign file?

6029
04:02:24,506 --> 04:02:26,153
Et cetera, et cetera.

6030
04:02:26,153 --> 04:02:27,269
But the point is

6031
04:02:27,269 --> 04:02:30,276
is that if you don't know
your file formats too well

6032
04:02:30,276 --> 04:02:31,597
in what you're working in,

6033
04:02:31,597 --> 04:02:33,486
you need to figure it out.

6034
04:02:33,486 --> 04:02:35,295
Again, I hate to do it to you again,

6035
04:02:35,295 --> 04:02:38,261
but Google it if you really don't know it.

6036
04:02:38,261 --> 04:02:40,049
It's not hard. It's not complicated.

6037
04:02:40,049 --> 04:02:41,207
It won't take you long,

6038
04:02:41,207 --> 04:02:43,503
but figuring out the
difference between a tif file

6039
04:02:43,503 --> 04:02:47,708
and a jpeg file is gonna
help you for years to come.

6040
04:02:47,708 --> 04:02:50,248
So to wrap up this little bit
on getting the description

6041
04:02:50,248 --> 04:02:52,909
for your work, the main point is

6042
04:02:52,909 --> 04:02:55,998
to ask questions and ask them soon.

6043
04:02:55,998 --> 04:02:58,375
If you have any doubts
about what you're doing,

6044
04:02:58,375 --> 04:03:00,061
clarify it.

6045
04:03:00,061 --> 04:03:02,235
In fact, it's not a horrible idea,

6046
04:03:02,235 --> 04:03:04,429
and I often do it plenty of times myself,

6047
04:03:04,429 --> 04:03:07,070
to restate some of the
things the clients have said

6048
04:03:07,070 --> 04:03:08,533
in your own words.

6049
04:03:08,533 --> 04:03:11,073
And then get them to clarify that.

6050
04:03:11,073 --> 04:03:12,556
Because when you do that,

6051
04:03:12,556 --> 04:03:14,080
you're making sure that both of you

6052
04:03:14,080 --> 04:03:15,278
are on the same page.

6053
04:03:15,278 --> 04:03:17,290
You're making sure that
you've got the format right.

6054
04:03:17,290 --> 04:03:20,419
You're making sure that
they got everything right.

6055
04:03:20,419 --> 04:03:22,979
By making them read it
again in your own words,

6056
04:03:22,979 --> 04:03:24,259
you're making sure that they didn't make

6057
04:03:24,259 --> 04:03:26,839
any stupid mistakes themselves.

6058
04:03:26,839 --> 04:03:28,545
So try to get on the same page.

6059
04:03:28,545 --> 04:03:30,356
Again, read the description again

6060
04:03:30,356 --> 04:03:32,266
and again again and again

6061
04:03:32,266 --> 04:03:34,277
until it's drilled into your head.

6062
04:03:34,277 --> 04:03:37,812
And then you can start doing the work.

6063
04:03:37,812 --> 04:03:40,677
Doing the sketches/comps.

6064
04:03:40,677 --> 04:03:43,867
So after over four hours of this video,

6065
04:03:43,867 --> 04:03:45,228
we are finally getting down

6066
04:03:45,228 --> 04:03:48,072
to doing what it is that you do.

6067
04:03:48,072 --> 04:03:50,510
It has taken us a long time to get here,

6068
04:03:50,510 --> 04:03:52,217
but you've gone through the whole process,

6069
04:03:52,217 --> 04:03:54,330
and here you are at your desk,

6070
04:03:54,330 --> 04:03:56,199
doing your job.

6071
04:03:56,199 --> 04:03:59,429
So for the sketches, you're
gonna have to come up

6072
04:03:59,429 --> 04:04:01,502
with usually several ideas.

6073
04:04:01,502 --> 04:04:04,123
How many exactly is gonna
depend on the client.

6074
04:04:04,123 --> 04:04:05,017
It's gonna depend on you.

6075
04:04:05,017 --> 04:04:07,800
It's gonna depend on the contract itself.

6076
04:04:07,800 --> 04:04:10,218
I've found that three sketches

6077
04:04:10,218 --> 04:04:12,920
is a nice middle ground to go for.

6078
04:04:12,920 --> 04:04:15,256
Because it gives the
client enough variation

6079
04:04:15,256 --> 04:04:17,044
that they're not feeling
like they're forced

6080
04:04:17,044 --> 04:04:18,507
into one direction.

6081
04:04:18,507 --> 04:04:21,616
But at the same time, it doesn't
overload them with options

6082
04:04:21,616 --> 04:04:24,887
like if you send in
eight different sketches.

6083
04:04:24,887 --> 04:04:26,918
So three is a good number to shoot for.

6084
04:04:26,918 --> 04:04:29,031
At least for illustration.

6085
04:04:29,031 --> 04:04:32,418
I will say though, that if
I'm tight on time, and I know

6086
04:04:32,418 --> 04:04:34,783
that I'm working for a
client that really likes me,

6087
04:04:34,783 --> 04:04:37,404
trusts me, knows I'm gonna do a good job,

6088
04:04:37,404 --> 04:04:40,025
I might cut that down to two sketches.

6089
04:04:40,025 --> 04:04:44,088
And if I am absolutely
losing my mind at work,

6090
04:04:44,088 --> 04:04:46,282
and oh my god I'm about to die.

6091
04:04:46,282 --> 04:04:48,253
I just have so much work to do.

6092
04:04:48,253 --> 04:04:50,204
And I know this client likes me.

6093
04:04:50,204 --> 04:04:52,073
I know I'm gonna do a good job in the end.

6094
04:04:52,073 --> 04:04:53,292
They're gonna be happy.

6095
04:04:53,292 --> 04:04:55,994
Then I might be able to skimp

6096
04:04:55,994 --> 04:04:57,822
and just do one sketch.

6097
04:04:57,822 --> 04:05:01,215
But I really don't recommend it.

6098
04:05:01,215 --> 04:05:03,024
So as with most things,

6099
04:05:03,024 --> 04:05:04,710
when you're just starting out,

6100
04:05:04,710 --> 04:05:05,746
I would err on the side of

6101
04:05:05,746 --> 04:05:07,270
having more sketches

6102
04:05:07,270 --> 04:05:09,423
rather than fewer.

6103
04:05:09,423 --> 04:05:10,602
Now you're gonna send these sketches

6104
04:05:10,602 --> 04:05:11,740
off to your client,

6105
04:05:11,740 --> 04:05:14,848
and they're gonna approve
one of them hopefully.

6106
04:05:14,848 --> 04:05:16,473
And it's a general rule

6107
04:05:16,473 --> 04:05:20,659
that clients will always
pick your worst sketch.

6108
04:05:20,659 --> 04:05:23,788
It's extremely sad, but
it's also very true.

6109
04:05:23,788 --> 04:05:26,022
Whichever of the sketches,
no matter how many

6110
04:05:26,022 --> 04:05:28,521
you send them, is your worst sketch,

6111
04:05:28,521 --> 04:05:30,736
is the one they're gonna pick.

6112
04:05:30,736 --> 04:05:32,483
So when you send out your sketches,

6113
04:05:32,483 --> 04:05:35,450
be perfectly willing and excited

6114
04:05:35,450 --> 04:05:39,940
about doing your worst
sketch as the final piece.

6115
04:05:39,940 --> 04:05:42,723
Because if it comes down
to it, and they do pick

6116
04:05:42,723 --> 04:05:45,430
your worst sketch, and you
have to take it to final,

6117
04:05:45,430 --> 04:05:47,726
you don't wanna be absolutely miserable

6118
04:05:47,726 --> 04:05:49,636
about that decision.

6119
04:05:49,636 --> 04:05:51,078
So if you really don't like a sketch,

6120
04:05:51,078 --> 04:05:52,663
you really don't wanna do it,

6121
04:05:52,663 --> 04:05:55,101
and you're just gonna
be absolutely miserable

6122
04:05:55,101 --> 04:05:58,575
if they do pick it,
try not to just send it

6123
04:05:58,575 --> 04:06:00,790
so that you're just
sending one more sketch.

6124
04:06:00,790 --> 04:06:03,858
Don't just pad your sketches
with some trash sketches

6125
04:06:03,858 --> 04:06:07,352
expecting them to obviously
see what the best one is.

6126
04:06:07,352 --> 04:06:09,790
Because they're really not going to.

6127
04:06:09,790 --> 04:06:11,558
Sometimes you'll have some great clients.

6128
04:06:11,558 --> 04:06:15,438
I have a few myself who
always pick the best sketch

6129
04:06:15,438 --> 04:06:16,576
that I send them.

6130
04:06:16,576 --> 04:06:19,075
And they are some of my best clients.

6131
04:06:19,075 --> 04:06:20,355
But I would not expect that

6132
04:06:20,355 --> 04:06:23,403
to be a normal experience for most of you.

6133
04:06:23,403 --> 04:06:25,130
Now handling revisions.

6134
04:06:25,130 --> 04:06:27,243
Typically when you send
out your first sketches,

6135
04:06:27,243 --> 04:06:28,726
this is gonna be your first experience

6136
04:06:28,726 --> 04:06:30,493
with revisions.

6137
04:06:30,493 --> 04:06:33,015
There's usually gonna be
something about your sketch,

6138
04:06:33,015 --> 04:06:34,498
or something about your comp

6139
04:06:34,498 --> 04:06:36,205
that the client doesn't quite like,

6140
04:06:36,205 --> 04:06:39,252
that you want you to start
working on and tweaking.

6141
04:06:39,252 --> 04:06:40,878
And how you handle this feedback

6142
04:06:40,878 --> 04:06:44,291
is extremely important to
how the client perceives you

6143
04:06:44,291 --> 04:06:46,242
as a freelancer.

6144
04:06:46,242 --> 04:06:48,090
Because if you're combative

6145
04:06:48,090 --> 04:06:51,138
and you're miserable about
it, and you're whiny,

6146
04:06:51,138 --> 04:06:53,068
and you don't wanna do the revision,

6147
04:06:53,068 --> 04:06:56,278
and you think they're wrong,
and you tell them that,

6148
04:06:56,278 --> 04:06:58,574
then it's just gonna make
the whole work process

6149
04:06:58,574 --> 04:07:00,687
really bad for both of you.

6150
04:07:00,687 --> 04:07:02,211
So the thing you have to do

6151
04:07:02,211 --> 04:07:04,120
is thank them for their feedback

6152
04:07:04,120 --> 04:07:06,721
and then just go do the revision.

6153
04:07:06,721 --> 04:07:09,281
If you can get it back to
them within a couple days,

6154
04:07:09,281 --> 04:07:11,069
that's usually a good time line.

6155
04:07:11,069 --> 04:07:14,032
If you do it the same
day, that's really speedy,

6156
04:07:14,032 --> 04:07:15,413
and probably wouldn't hurt

6157
04:07:15,413 --> 04:07:16,612
if you were just starting out

6158
04:07:16,612 --> 04:07:17,973
to go a little overboard

6159
04:07:17,973 --> 04:07:20,391
and get that revision back really quickly.

6160
04:07:20,391 --> 04:07:22,362
But of course, make sure
you've done a good job

6161
04:07:22,362 --> 04:07:24,111
at revising whatever it
is they had a problem with

6162
04:07:24,111 --> 04:07:25,493
in the first place.

6163
04:07:25,493 --> 04:07:27,098
Now what do you do

6164
04:07:27,098 --> 04:07:30,613
if you really don't agree
with their feedback?

6165
04:07:30,613 --> 04:07:32,604
Because it's gonna happen.

6166
04:07:32,604 --> 04:07:34,859
And my answer to that is:

6167
04:07:34,859 --> 04:07:37,878
for the most part, get over it.

6168
04:07:37,878 --> 04:07:40,986
Don't forget that you're doing a job.

6169
04:07:40,986 --> 04:07:42,957
You're a hired hand basically,

6170
04:07:42,957 --> 04:07:44,379
and a hired mind.

6171
04:07:44,379 --> 04:07:47,691
And your job is to make the client happy.

6172
04:07:47,691 --> 04:07:49,722
Now there are rare instances

6173
04:07:49,722 --> 04:07:51,694
where the client may in fact

6174
04:07:51,694 --> 04:07:54,111
be very, very wrong.

6175
04:07:54,111 --> 04:07:56,143
They might be suggesting some change

6176
04:07:56,143 --> 04:07:58,520
that is actually gonna end up making them

6177
04:07:58,520 --> 04:08:02,197
really, really unhappy
with the project itself.

6178
04:08:02,197 --> 04:08:06,017
And so there are cases where
the client is gonna be wrong

6179
04:08:06,017 --> 04:08:07,073
in some ways.

6180
04:08:07,073 --> 04:08:08,597
They're gonna be leading you off

6181
04:08:08,597 --> 04:08:10,385
and making the project worse.

6182
04:08:10,385 --> 04:08:13,514
And in these cases it's best to remain

6183
04:08:13,514 --> 04:08:15,647
as calm and non-aggressive

6184
04:08:15,647 --> 04:08:17,943
as you possibly can.

6185
04:08:17,943 --> 04:08:20,015
And to suggest alternatives

6186
04:08:20,015 --> 04:08:22,677
to what they are suggesting.

6187
04:08:22,677 --> 04:08:26,476
If you can, try to show
them what you mean.

6188
04:08:26,476 --> 04:08:28,304
Because you might lose a verbal argument.

6189
04:08:28,304 --> 04:08:30,255
If you just try to go about it

6190
04:08:30,255 --> 04:08:31,880
and tell them, oh no, you're wrong,

6191
04:08:31,880 --> 04:08:33,099
that's gonna look terrible.

6192
04:08:33,099 --> 04:08:34,765
I'm gonna do this other thing.

6193
04:08:34,765 --> 04:08:37,203
Then there's no way
they're gonna go for that.

6194
04:08:37,203 --> 04:08:38,484
But if you come back to them

6195
04:08:38,484 --> 04:08:41,023
and be like, yeah I
understand what your point is,

6196
04:08:41,023 --> 04:08:45,330
and I did that revision, but
I also did this other solution

6197
04:08:45,330 --> 04:08:47,626
that I think might be more effective.

6198
04:08:47,626 --> 04:08:49,865
And if you actually show
them, so they can compare

6199
04:08:49,865 --> 04:08:53,014
side by side, your solution with theirs,

6200
04:08:53,014 --> 04:08:56,529
they might be more easily
swayed to agree with you.

6201
04:08:56,529 --> 04:08:58,438
But if you do this, you try your best,

6202
04:08:58,438 --> 04:09:01,059
you make a good case
for your side of things,

6203
04:09:01,059 --> 04:09:03,619
and they just don't budge,

6204
04:09:03,619 --> 04:09:05,813
then now I'm really serious,

6205
04:09:05,813 --> 04:09:08,495
that just you need to get over it.

6206
04:09:08,495 --> 04:09:09,999
'Cause you signed up to do a job.

6207
04:09:09,999 --> 04:09:13,026
And now's the time to do your job.

6208
04:09:13,026 --> 04:09:15,789
And after you've gotten
your sketch all done,

6209
04:09:15,789 --> 04:09:18,207
all approved, you've
handled all the revisions,

6210
04:09:18,207 --> 04:09:21,336
now it's time to go to final.

6211
04:09:21,336 --> 04:09:22,636
As you go to final,

6212
04:09:22,636 --> 04:09:24,891
I've got a few pieces of advice for you.

6213
04:09:24,891 --> 04:09:27,939
First of all, don't screw it up.

6214
04:09:27,939 --> 04:09:29,849
This is not the time to experiment.

6215
04:09:29,849 --> 04:09:32,266
This is not the time to try a new medium.

6216
04:09:32,266 --> 04:09:35,497
This is not the time to mix
up your entire work process

6217
04:09:35,497 --> 04:09:38,991
and try this radical new
thing you just heard about.

6218
04:09:38,991 --> 04:09:42,303
This is the time to do what you do best.

6219
04:09:42,303 --> 04:09:44,070
Don't overthink it.

6220
04:09:44,070 --> 04:09:45,797
This is a really common problem

6221
04:09:45,797 --> 04:09:47,545
especially when you're first starting out

6222
04:09:47,545 --> 04:09:49,007
is that you're gonna hyper analyze

6223
04:09:49,007 --> 04:09:50,917
every little thing you do.

6224
04:09:50,917 --> 04:09:52,258
Don't worry about it.

6225
04:09:52,258 --> 04:09:55,346
Don't start overthinking
your entire process.

6226
04:09:55,346 --> 04:09:57,317
You know how to do what you do.

6227
04:09:57,317 --> 04:09:59,532
You've probably done plenty
of work by this point,

6228
04:09:59,532 --> 04:10:01,380
and you know your process.

6229
04:10:01,380 --> 04:10:03,534
So try not to overthink it.

6230
04:10:03,534 --> 04:10:05,972
And while you're worried
about screwing it up

6231
04:10:05,972 --> 04:10:07,415
and not overthinking it,

6232
04:10:07,415 --> 04:10:10,178
another important point is to not worry.

6233
04:10:10,178 --> 04:10:11,620
Don't stress yourself out.

6234
04:10:11,620 --> 04:10:13,388
Don't freak out and get scared

6235
04:10:13,388 --> 04:10:14,830
that you're gonna mess it up.

6236
04:10:14,830 --> 04:10:16,192
Because if you get scared,

6237
04:10:16,192 --> 04:10:17,309
you're gonna tense up.

6238
04:10:17,309 --> 04:10:19,808
You're gonna limit your creativity.

6239
04:10:19,808 --> 04:10:21,129
And you probably are gonna end up

6240
04:10:21,129 --> 04:10:22,571
doing a bad job.

6241
04:10:22,571 --> 04:10:25,436
So really don't worry about it.

6242
04:10:25,436 --> 04:10:27,468
Because if you got this job,

6243
04:10:27,468 --> 04:10:29,580
then clearly you are good enough

6244
04:10:29,580 --> 04:10:30,921
to do the job.

6245
04:10:30,921 --> 04:10:33,969
So at this point, just get to work.

6246
04:10:33,969 --> 04:10:36,570
Next, don't surprise the art director.

6247
04:10:36,570 --> 04:10:38,987
Remember, they don't like surprises.

6248
04:10:38,987 --> 04:10:40,755
So don't suddenly change your piece

6249
04:10:40,755 --> 04:10:41,913
after the sketch

6250
04:10:41,913 --> 04:10:43,620
to something entirely different

6251
04:10:43,620 --> 04:10:45,265
and never let them know that.

6252
04:10:45,265 --> 04:10:46,647
They don't wanna do that.

6253
04:10:46,647 --> 04:10:47,947
Just because you think it's gonna make

6254
04:10:47,947 --> 04:10:49,410
the piece radically better

6255
04:10:49,410 --> 04:10:50,873
doesn't mean they're gonna like

6256
04:10:50,873 --> 04:10:53,190
that surprise email on the last day

6257
04:10:53,190 --> 04:10:55,303
of the deadline.

6258
04:10:55,303 --> 04:10:57,192
Delivering the final product.

6259
04:10:57,192 --> 04:11:00,342
First point: be on time.

6260
04:11:00,342 --> 04:11:02,434
Do not screw this part up.

6261
04:11:02,434 --> 04:11:04,913
You have to be on time.

6262
04:11:04,913 --> 04:11:06,274
And when you're in doubt

6263
04:11:06,274 --> 04:11:09,565
of time zones or exactly what day

6264
04:11:09,565 --> 04:11:11,110
they were talking about,

6265
04:11:11,110 --> 04:11:12,755
submit it early.

6266
04:11:12,755 --> 04:11:14,563
Early is great.

6267
04:11:14,563 --> 04:11:16,575
On time is good.

6268
04:11:16,575 --> 04:11:20,293
Late is horrible and life-ending.

6269
04:11:20,293 --> 04:11:22,406
Do not be late.

6270
04:11:22,406 --> 04:11:24,356
If you are late on your first job,

6271
04:11:24,356 --> 04:11:26,977
you will not get hired again.

6272
04:11:26,977 --> 04:11:28,907
I have talked to many art directors,

6273
04:11:28,907 --> 04:11:31,406
and they have told me this exact thing.

6274
04:11:31,406 --> 04:11:32,971
They need to know that you're gonna

6275
04:11:32,971 --> 04:11:36,018
deliver the product on time.

6276
04:11:36,018 --> 04:11:39,228
Now what to do if you
are going to be late.

6277
04:11:39,228 --> 04:11:41,809
Disasters do happen.

6278
04:11:41,809 --> 04:11:44,775
But I will say that if you
are working on your first job,

6279
04:11:44,775 --> 04:11:46,177
do whatever you can

6280
04:11:46,177 --> 04:11:48,737
to prevent any possible disasters.

6281
04:11:48,737 --> 04:11:50,179
And while it's very difficult

6282
04:11:50,179 --> 04:11:53,664
to prevent someone from dying,

6283
04:11:53,664 --> 04:11:55,025
do your best.

6284
04:11:55,025 --> 04:11:57,687
Because if you can at all possible

6285
04:11:57,687 --> 04:11:59,292
for that first job,

6286
04:11:59,292 --> 04:12:02,117
try to limit any of
those surprise disasters

6287
04:12:02,117 --> 04:12:03,742
that might come up.

6288
04:12:03,742 --> 04:12:06,444
But assuming that something does come up,

6289
04:12:06,444 --> 04:12:07,765
and for whatever reason

6290
04:12:07,765 --> 04:12:11,544
you simply cannot do
the job by the deadline.

6291
04:12:11,544 --> 04:12:15,231
As soon as you find this
out, tell the art director.

6292
04:12:15,231 --> 04:12:18,299
Don't wait. Don't wait
until the deadline itself.

6293
04:12:18,299 --> 04:12:20,900
Don't wait until a week
after the deadline.

6294
04:12:20,900 --> 04:12:23,074
Tell them as soon as you find out

6295
04:12:23,074 --> 04:12:25,309
that you can't meet the deadline.

6296
04:12:25,309 --> 04:12:26,954
Because often art directors

6297
04:12:26,954 --> 04:12:29,291
will actually have a little bit of time

6298
04:12:29,291 --> 04:12:30,672
in their deadlines

6299
04:12:30,672 --> 04:12:32,887
where they can give you
perhaps another week,

6300
04:12:32,887 --> 04:12:34,797
maybe even two weeks.

6301
04:12:34,797 --> 04:12:36,666
But you need to let the art director know

6302
04:12:36,666 --> 04:12:38,677
as soon as you possibly can.

6303
04:12:38,677 --> 04:12:40,871
Communicate with your art director.

6304
04:12:40,871 --> 04:12:44,346
Communication is king in
the freelancing world.

6305
04:12:44,346 --> 04:12:45,890
So disasters happen,

6306
04:12:45,890 --> 04:12:48,185
but try not to let them happen.

6307
04:12:48,185 --> 04:12:52,480
And if you can at all, get it in on time.

6308
04:12:53,672 --> 04:12:55,277
Now after you finish up the project,

6309
04:12:55,277 --> 04:12:57,146
you've got a nice end result.

6310
04:12:57,146 --> 04:12:59,117
It's the best thing you've ever done,

6311
04:12:59,117 --> 04:13:00,194
and you're early.

6312
04:13:00,194 --> 04:13:02,144
You've made the deadline.

6313
04:13:02,144 --> 04:13:04,968
You submit it to your art
director for approval.

6314
04:13:04,968 --> 04:13:06,309
And after you get approval,

6315
04:13:06,309 --> 04:13:10,799
you get to the final stage: getting paid.

6316
04:13:10,799 --> 04:13:12,140
So it's been a long time coming,

6317
04:13:12,140 --> 04:13:14,284
getting to this point,
but it's finally time

6318
04:13:14,284 --> 04:13:17,067
to make a little bit of money.

6319
04:13:17,067 --> 04:13:18,672
So after doing all of this work

6320
04:13:18,672 --> 04:13:20,683
and finally getting everything approved,

6321
04:13:20,683 --> 04:13:22,634
it's time to invoice your client.

6322
04:13:22,634 --> 04:13:24,340
Now it's usually up to you

6323
04:13:24,340 --> 04:13:27,165
to design whatever
invoice you wanna design.

6324
04:13:27,165 --> 04:13:30,334
And since we're all
artists and designers here,

6325
04:13:30,334 --> 04:13:32,508
typically we'll spend way too much time

6326
04:13:32,508 --> 04:13:34,072
on our own designs.

6327
04:13:34,072 --> 04:13:35,373
And that's fine.

6328
04:13:35,373 --> 04:13:38,562
But as long as you've got
the following information,

6329
04:13:38,562 --> 04:13:40,106
you should be good.

6330
04:13:40,106 --> 04:13:42,707
First, you want the word invoice on there.

6331
04:13:42,707 --> 04:13:44,271
I know that seems really obvious,

6332
04:13:44,271 --> 04:13:46,770
but I have seen plenty of
people forget about it.

6333
04:13:46,770 --> 04:13:49,249
And you need to make sure the client knows

6334
04:13:49,249 --> 04:13:51,890
exactly what this thing is.

6335
04:13:51,890 --> 04:13:54,633
Secondly, you need an invoice number.

6336
04:13:54,633 --> 04:13:56,177
This is a unique number

6337
04:13:56,177 --> 04:13:58,920
that you come up for
this specific invoice.

6338
04:13:58,920 --> 04:14:00,545
And not only does this help you

6339
04:14:00,545 --> 04:14:02,171
with your own record keeping,

6340
04:14:02,171 --> 04:14:03,999
but a lot of clients will actually use

6341
04:14:03,999 --> 04:14:07,550
your invoice number somewhere
in their own tracking.

6342
04:14:07,550 --> 04:14:09,883
So I've been requested to do this before,

6343
04:14:09,883 --> 04:14:11,671
and now I put an invoice number

6344
04:14:11,671 --> 04:14:14,170
on every invoice I send out.

6345
04:14:14,170 --> 04:14:17,258
Third, you need your
name on there somewhere.

6346
04:14:17,258 --> 04:14:19,920
Fourth, you need your address.

6347
04:14:19,920 --> 04:14:23,394
Fifth, you need the client's name,

6348
04:14:23,394 --> 04:14:25,344
the client's company's name,

6349
04:14:25,344 --> 04:14:27,762
and their address.

6350
04:14:27,762 --> 04:14:29,895
Next you want the date of invoicing.

6351
04:14:29,895 --> 04:14:31,704
When are you sending out this invoice?

6352
04:14:31,704 --> 04:14:34,162
I tend to do it the day after I'm actually

6353
04:14:34,162 --> 04:14:35,320
sending out the invoice,

6354
04:14:35,320 --> 04:14:37,047
just in case I get it in too late

6355
04:14:37,047 --> 04:14:39,079
for their offices and whatnot.

6356
04:14:39,079 --> 04:14:40,298
But that's just because

6357
04:14:40,298 --> 04:14:42,512
I'm a friendly guy.

6358
04:14:42,512 --> 04:14:45,682
Next you need a listing of
all the work that's been done.

6359
04:14:45,682 --> 04:14:47,551
This would be a list of the different

6360
04:14:47,551 --> 04:14:51,045
items you've completed, or
perhaps if you're working hourly,

6361
04:14:51,045 --> 04:14:54,174
then the hourly break up
that you've been working on.

6362
04:14:54,174 --> 04:14:56,998
It depends a lot on
how your job is set up.

6363
04:14:56,998 --> 04:15:00,432
And some clients will request
a more detailed breakdown

6364
04:15:00,432 --> 04:15:04,008
than others, but in
general just it needs to be

6365
04:15:04,008 --> 04:15:06,669
a description of what you did.

6366
04:15:06,669 --> 04:15:09,839
Next you need the date
that payment is due.

6367
04:15:09,839 --> 04:15:11,870
This comes back to that contract,

6368
04:15:11,870 --> 04:15:15,446
and what you agreed on
as far as the terms go.

6369
04:15:15,446 --> 04:15:17,315
So I like to calculate it out

6370
04:15:17,315 --> 04:15:19,896
so I have a specific date to put on there,

6371
04:15:19,896 --> 04:15:23,857
depending on whatever terms we agreed to.

6372
04:15:23,857 --> 04:15:27,433
And lastly, you need to tell
them where to send the payment.

6373
04:15:27,433 --> 04:15:29,709
It really depends on the client,

6374
04:15:29,709 --> 04:15:32,228
but some will prefer to write you a check.

6375
04:15:32,228 --> 04:15:35,133
Some will prefer to do a bank deposit

6376
04:15:35,133 --> 04:15:37,571
or a bank transfer, in which case

6377
04:15:37,571 --> 04:15:40,111
you need to include all of
your bank numbers for that.

6378
04:15:40,111 --> 04:15:42,265
And some will simply prefer to use PayPal

6379
04:15:42,265 --> 04:15:43,870
or something like that, in which case

6380
04:15:43,870 --> 04:15:46,450
you need to include which
email you actually use

6381
04:15:46,450 --> 04:15:48,217
for your PayPal account.

6382
04:15:48,217 --> 04:15:49,843
So sometimes it's good to ask

6383
04:15:49,843 --> 04:15:52,707
what the client prefers
to pay in beforehand

6384
04:15:52,707 --> 04:15:54,333
so that you've got a good idea

6385
04:15:54,333 --> 04:15:57,259
and can include the appropriate
information on your invoice.

6386
04:15:57,259 --> 04:16:00,103
Otherwise, just go with
what you like to do best,

6387
04:16:00,103 --> 04:16:02,602
and hopefully the can accommodate you.

6388
04:16:02,602 --> 04:16:05,609
So if you can include all of
those things on your invoice,

6389
04:16:05,609 --> 04:16:07,133
you should be good to go.

6390
04:16:07,133 --> 04:16:09,144
And you can design it
as pretty as you want.

6391
04:16:09,144 --> 04:16:12,558
But just make sure you have
the required information on it.

6392
04:16:12,558 --> 04:16:15,768
Now I will say it's not always necessary

6393
04:16:15,768 --> 04:16:19,567
to invoice a client, since
a lot will just pay you

6394
04:16:19,567 --> 04:16:21,822
right after you're done with the job.

6395
04:16:21,822 --> 04:16:25,743
I've had this happen with
many of my smaller clients.

6396
04:16:25,743 --> 04:16:27,999
I mean, hell, some of my
big clients even pay me

6397
04:16:27,999 --> 04:16:29,908
without ever invoicing them.

6398
04:16:29,908 --> 04:16:32,590
But it's a really good habit to get into.

6399
04:16:32,590 --> 04:16:34,906
So I would recommend that you do invoices

6400
04:16:34,906 --> 04:16:37,466
for all the jobs you do.

6401
04:16:37,466 --> 04:16:39,396
So that covers invoicing.

6402
04:16:39,396 --> 04:16:44,008
Now, what to do if they don't pay.

6403
04:16:44,008 --> 04:16:45,939
This is a pretty nasty situation.

6404
04:16:45,939 --> 04:16:47,909
And something that is all-too-common

6405
04:16:47,909 --> 04:16:49,921
in the freelancing world.

6406
04:16:49,921 --> 04:16:52,217
I think just about every
freelancer out there

6407
04:16:52,217 --> 04:16:54,167
has at least one horror story

6408
04:16:54,167 --> 04:16:57,032
of that one client that wouldn't pay.

6409
04:16:57,032 --> 04:16:59,470
Now I have been personally fairly lucky.

6410
04:16:59,470 --> 04:17:00,832
I have never had a client

6411
04:17:00,832 --> 04:17:03,656
that didn't pay me eventually.

6412
04:17:03,656 --> 04:17:05,119
Some have been incredibly slow,

6413
04:17:05,119 --> 04:17:07,720
but they have all paid me.

6414
04:17:07,720 --> 04:17:11,377
I would not expect to be quite this lucky.

6415
04:17:11,377 --> 04:17:14,038
But eventually it's
probably going to happen.

6416
04:17:14,038 --> 04:17:17,533
Hell it's probably gonna
happen to me eventually.

6417
04:17:17,533 --> 04:17:19,707
Someday I'll be working for a client.

6418
04:17:19,707 --> 04:17:21,800
I won't bother getting half up front.

6419
04:17:21,800 --> 04:17:23,567
I'll just trust them.

6420
04:17:23,567 --> 04:17:25,904
I'll even send them the
high resolution file.

6421
04:17:25,904 --> 04:17:28,524
And I'll never hear from them again.

6422
04:17:28,524 --> 04:17:30,516
I'm expecting this to happen someday.

6423
04:17:30,516 --> 04:17:32,222
It's just part of the business.

6424
04:17:32,222 --> 04:17:34,416
It's sad, but it's true.

6425
04:17:34,416 --> 04:17:37,992
But there are several things
you can do about this.

6426
04:17:37,992 --> 04:17:40,329
For one thing, if at all possible,

6427
04:17:40,329 --> 04:17:43,925
never send your final high resolution file

6428
04:17:43,925 --> 04:17:46,769
until you have received payment.

6429
04:17:46,769 --> 04:17:49,045
By doing this, you provide yourself

6430
04:17:49,045 --> 04:17:50,507
a nice little buffer

6431
04:17:50,507 --> 04:17:52,519
so that in the worst case scenario

6432
04:17:52,519 --> 04:17:55,119
that they don't pay you at all,

6433
04:17:55,119 --> 04:17:57,557
they never actually get the final image.

6434
04:17:57,557 --> 04:17:59,731
So they can't actually use it.

6435
04:17:59,731 --> 04:18:01,235
So this is actually
something I will try to

6436
04:18:01,235 --> 04:18:03,043
stick into most deals,

6437
04:18:03,043 --> 04:18:05,887
especially with the smaller
clients that I work for

6438
04:18:05,887 --> 04:18:08,143
where I'm not a hundred percent certain

6439
04:18:08,143 --> 04:18:09,524
that I trust them yet,

6440
04:18:09,524 --> 04:18:12,592
and it's not that I'll tell
them that I don't trust them.

6441
04:18:12,592 --> 04:18:13,548
But I'll just tell them

6442
04:18:13,548 --> 04:18:16,040
this is my standard working procedure,

6443
04:18:16,040 --> 04:18:18,499
and just let them know
that before they receive

6444
04:18:18,499 --> 04:18:23,499
the final file, I need to
receive payment in full.

6445
04:18:23,537 --> 04:18:26,524
Now if it does happen
that you're not paid,

6446
04:18:26,524 --> 04:18:29,937
and you'd like to be paid for
you know, whatever reason,

6447
04:18:29,937 --> 04:18:33,127
then there are several options you have.

6448
04:18:33,127 --> 04:18:34,813
And I'm gonna give you a quick overview

6449
04:18:34,813 --> 04:18:37,333
of what those options are.

6450
04:18:37,333 --> 04:18:38,633
The first thing you wanna do

6451
04:18:38,633 --> 04:18:40,644
is to send another invoice.

6452
04:18:40,644 --> 04:18:43,976
You wanna contact the
person in charge if you can.

6453
04:18:43,976 --> 04:18:45,276
Because right off the bat

6454
04:18:45,276 --> 04:18:47,593
you don't wanna assume
that they're at fault.

6455
04:18:47,593 --> 04:18:50,092
You don't wanna assume that
they're never gonna pay you,

6456
04:18:50,092 --> 04:18:51,229
that they're being mean,

6457
04:18:51,229 --> 04:18:53,871
that they're trying to screw you over.

6458
04:18:53,871 --> 04:18:55,313
You wanna assume the best.

6459
04:18:55,313 --> 04:18:57,263
You wanna assume that maybe they forgot.

6460
04:18:57,263 --> 04:19:00,555
You wanna assume that maybe
the first invoice got lost.

6461
04:19:00,555 --> 04:19:04,110
This is good because
that way it doesn't seem

6462
04:19:04,110 --> 04:19:06,873
like you're jumping to
conclusions too quickly.

6463
04:19:06,873 --> 04:19:10,063
And that'll put the
person on the defensive.

6464
04:19:10,063 --> 04:19:13,700
So try to send two or three invoices

6465
04:19:13,700 --> 04:19:17,154
before you even consider
doing any other further action

6466
04:19:17,154 --> 04:19:20,100
to try to get your money.

6467
04:19:20,100 --> 04:19:22,253
So if you've sent out several invoices

6468
04:19:22,253 --> 04:19:24,021
and you still haven't been paid,

6469
04:19:24,021 --> 04:19:26,459
you have several options still.

6470
04:19:26,459 --> 04:19:29,344
The first option is a small claims court.

6471
04:19:29,344 --> 04:19:32,270
Now these vary immensely state to state.

6472
04:19:32,270 --> 04:19:34,301
And I honestly don't even know

6473
04:19:34,301 --> 04:19:35,724
what they're like in other countries,

6474
04:19:35,724 --> 04:19:37,390
or if they even have them.

6475
04:19:37,390 --> 04:19:39,157
But they are great little things.

6476
04:19:39,157 --> 04:19:42,245
Because they can take
care of small claims,

6477
04:19:42,245 --> 04:19:46,918
which is usually defined as
somewhere under 5,000 dollars,

6478
04:19:46,918 --> 04:19:49,600
that you have against another party.

6479
04:19:49,600 --> 04:19:50,799
The great thing about this

6480
04:19:50,799 --> 04:19:52,851
as opposed to taking someone to court,

6481
04:19:52,851 --> 04:19:55,370
is that you don't actually
need a lawyer to do it.

6482
04:19:55,370 --> 04:19:57,707
So it's not terribly expensive.

6483
04:19:57,707 --> 04:19:59,596
So this is a great option for any job

6484
04:19:59,596 --> 04:20:01,648
smaller than 5000 dollars

6485
04:20:01,648 --> 04:20:04,574
that they don't seem to be paying you.

6486
04:20:04,574 --> 04:20:06,341
Now if you want more details on this,

6487
04:20:06,341 --> 04:20:07,479
you're gonna have to look up

6488
04:20:07,479 --> 04:20:10,019
your particular state's laws on this.

6489
04:20:10,019 --> 04:20:12,071
I'm not gonna go in to every state's

6490
04:20:12,071 --> 04:20:14,956
detailed laws on small claims court.

6491
04:20:14,956 --> 04:20:16,662
That is not the focus of this video,

6492
04:20:16,662 --> 04:20:20,238
and it's already getting long enough.

6493
04:20:20,238 --> 04:20:21,945
Now another option you have

6494
04:20:21,945 --> 04:20:23,673
is to take them to court.

6495
04:20:23,673 --> 04:20:26,599
This is your last fallback option.

6496
04:20:26,599 --> 04:20:29,504
And ideally you're not gonna do this.

6497
04:20:29,504 --> 04:20:32,369
Do not be eager to take someone to court.

6498
04:20:32,369 --> 04:20:34,400
It's incredibly expensive.

6499
04:20:34,400 --> 04:20:36,290
It's incredibly time-consuming,

6500
04:20:36,290 --> 04:20:38,951
and it's a really nasty process.

6501
04:20:38,951 --> 04:20:42,212
So if you have to, if you
really think it's worth it,

6502
04:20:42,212 --> 04:20:44,468
if you think the job is
worth it, that you're

6503
04:20:44,468 --> 04:20:46,967
fighting over enough money,

6504
04:20:46,967 --> 04:20:48,998
and you think you have enough evidence

6505
04:20:48,998 --> 04:20:51,863
that you can really prove it in court,

6506
04:20:51,863 --> 04:20:53,529
then you can finally do this.

6507
04:20:53,529 --> 04:20:56,028
But again, it's a really nasty process,

6508
04:20:56,028 --> 04:21:00,274
and I would use it as
your absolute last resort.

6509
04:21:00,274 --> 04:21:03,261
Now it's time to wrap up this section

6510
04:21:03,261 --> 04:21:05,394
of getting your first job.

6511
04:21:05,394 --> 04:21:06,613
And I'm gonna wrap it up

6512
04:21:06,613 --> 04:21:09,478
by talking about getting your second job.

6513
04:21:09,478 --> 04:21:10,981
Because everybody talks about

6514
04:21:10,981 --> 04:21:13,379
how important it is to get that first job,

6515
04:21:13,379 --> 04:21:16,426
how difficult it is to get that first job.

6516
04:21:16,426 --> 04:21:17,483
Because people assume

6517
04:21:17,483 --> 04:21:19,677
that as soon as you get that first job,

6518
04:21:19,677 --> 04:21:21,302
you've broken into the industry.

6519
04:21:21,302 --> 04:21:23,761
You've got your foot in the door.

6520
04:21:23,761 --> 04:21:26,260
But it's really your second job

6521
04:21:26,260 --> 04:21:29,185
that's the most important,
not the first one.

6522
04:21:29,185 --> 04:21:31,055
People often make that mistake.

6523
04:21:31,055 --> 04:21:33,899
Because really getting the second job

6524
04:21:33,899 --> 04:21:35,260
is the hardest.

6525
04:21:35,260 --> 04:21:37,881
Because if you don't blow
away the art director

6526
04:21:37,881 --> 04:21:40,827
and really impress them
with that first job,

6527
04:21:40,827 --> 04:21:42,595
they're probably not gonna bring you on

6528
04:21:42,595 --> 04:21:44,870
for a second job.

6529
04:21:44,870 --> 04:21:46,313
So that's why I'm trying to stress

6530
04:21:46,313 --> 04:21:48,101
that on your first job,

6531
04:21:48,101 --> 04:21:50,884
you absolutely do an amazing job.

6532
04:21:50,884 --> 04:21:52,672
You're incredible to work with.

6533
04:21:52,672 --> 04:21:55,008
You get the piece in early.

6534
04:21:55,008 --> 04:21:58,726
And you do the best
thing you possibly can.

6535
04:21:58,726 --> 04:22:00,575
Because on your first job, your goal

6536
04:22:00,575 --> 04:22:02,993
is to get the second job.

6537
04:22:02,993 --> 04:22:05,837
Now sometimes you won't get
that second job right away

6538
04:22:05,837 --> 04:22:08,722
simply because they don't
have any work to give you

6539
04:22:08,722 --> 04:22:09,653
at the moment.

6540
04:22:09,653 --> 04:22:10,917
So don't get scared right away

6541
04:22:10,917 --> 04:22:12,765
if you don't hear from a client.

6542
04:22:12,765 --> 04:22:15,508
I know I've had this
happen to me many times,

6543
04:22:15,508 --> 04:22:17,032
where I turn in a piece.

6544
04:22:17,032 --> 04:22:18,353
I'm really terrified.

6545
04:22:18,353 --> 04:22:21,258
I don't think it turned out absolute best,

6546
04:22:21,258 --> 04:22:22,639
and I'm fully convinced

6547
04:22:22,639 --> 04:22:24,468
that I'll never hear from them again.

6548
04:22:24,468 --> 04:22:27,089
I get freaked out like this all the time.

6549
04:22:27,089 --> 04:22:28,552
All the time.

6550
04:22:28,552 --> 04:22:30,238
So try not to do this,

6551
04:22:30,238 --> 04:22:33,123
and try to relax and just realize that

6552
04:22:33,123 --> 04:22:34,261
they probably don't have

6553
04:22:34,261 --> 04:22:36,414
any work to give you in the first place.

6554
04:22:36,414 --> 04:22:38,690
And with that, we wrap up part three

6555
04:22:38,690 --> 04:22:41,128
of getting your first job.

6556
04:22:41,128 --> 04:22:44,521
Part four: growing your career.

6557
04:22:44,521 --> 04:22:46,735
Now we've come a long way so far.

6558
04:22:46,735 --> 04:22:48,584
We started out.

6559
04:22:48,584 --> 04:22:49,783
We got everything grounded.

6560
04:22:49,783 --> 04:22:52,119
We got our foundation built.

6561
04:22:52,119 --> 04:22:53,765
We got our portfolio built.

6562
04:22:53,765 --> 04:22:55,004
We've made all of our pieces,

6563
04:22:55,004 --> 04:22:56,427
built our website,

6564
04:22:56,427 --> 04:22:57,971
and then we went on to marketing.

6565
04:22:57,971 --> 04:22:59,251
We did all of our marketing.

6566
04:22:59,251 --> 04:23:00,632
We got our name out there.

6567
04:23:00,632 --> 04:23:01,851
We got our work out there.

6568
04:23:01,851 --> 04:23:04,106
We started attending conventions.

6569
04:23:04,106 --> 04:23:06,057
We got people to check out our work.

6570
04:23:06,057 --> 04:23:08,739
And lastly, we started working.

6571
04:23:08,739 --> 04:23:10,709
We started doing our first jobs

6572
04:23:10,709 --> 04:23:13,107
and figuring all that process out.

6573
04:23:13,107 --> 04:23:16,378
And now it's time to grow our career.

6574
04:23:16,378 --> 04:23:18,066
Now it's time to find out

6575
04:23:18,066 --> 04:23:20,849
how to take that one or two little jobs

6576
04:23:20,849 --> 04:23:24,811
and turn it into a full
time freelancing career.

6577
04:23:24,811 --> 04:23:26,579
Now a great thing about freelancing

6578
04:23:26,579 --> 04:23:28,712
is that it tends to snowball.

6579
04:23:28,712 --> 04:23:30,967
After you get those first one or two jobs,

6580
04:23:30,967 --> 04:23:33,283
you tend to get more jobs.

6581
04:23:33,283 --> 04:23:35,498
It's just kinda the way it happens,

6582
04:23:35,498 --> 04:23:37,001
because as you get jobs

6583
04:23:37,001 --> 04:23:38,322
your client list grows.

6584
04:23:38,322 --> 04:23:40,435
Your number of connections grow.

6585
04:23:40,435 --> 04:23:42,182
And they talk to other people.

6586
04:23:42,182 --> 04:23:44,376
And you have more examples to show.

6587
04:23:44,376 --> 04:23:46,753
And you just seem to get more work.

6588
04:23:46,753 --> 04:23:48,277
It happens pretty naturally

6589
04:23:48,277 --> 04:23:50,492
for just about everyone.

6590
04:23:50,492 --> 04:23:52,564
So that's why it seems to take so long

6591
04:23:52,564 --> 04:23:54,332
to get those first couple jobs

6592
04:23:54,332 --> 04:23:56,688
and so much less time

6593
04:23:56,688 --> 04:23:58,801
to get the next few.

6594
04:23:58,801 --> 04:24:00,975
Now how quickly this happens for you

6595
04:24:00,975 --> 04:24:02,255
is gonna vary.

6596
04:24:02,255 --> 04:24:04,978
Because some people,
it's gonna be a very slow

6597
04:24:04,978 --> 04:24:06,827
ramp up to that level.

6598
04:24:06,827 --> 04:24:08,513
And some people, you're just gonna be

6599
04:24:08,513 --> 04:24:10,403
immediately thrown into the deep end

6600
04:24:10,403 --> 04:24:13,816
of drowning in jobs all the time.

6601
04:24:13,816 --> 04:24:17,128
For me, it was a somewhat slow ramp up.

6602
04:24:17,128 --> 04:24:19,647
I started out kind of slow.

6603
04:24:19,647 --> 04:24:21,679
But things very quickly,

6604
04:24:21,679 --> 04:24:23,497
probably within the first six months

6605
04:24:23,497 --> 04:24:28,099
of freelancing, I was
full time freelancing.

6606
04:24:28,099 --> 04:24:30,273
But whether it takes you six months

6607
04:24:30,273 --> 04:24:33,544
or six years, don't
worry too much about it.

6608
04:24:33,544 --> 04:24:35,413
Because it can be a very slow road.

6609
04:24:35,413 --> 04:24:37,404
It can be a very long road.

6610
04:24:37,404 --> 04:24:39,192
And the key is to just keep your head up

6611
04:24:39,192 --> 04:24:41,143
and keep at it.

6612
04:24:41,143 --> 04:24:43,012
Because if you stay persistent enough,

6613
04:24:43,012 --> 04:24:44,373
and you keep working hard,

6614
04:24:44,373 --> 04:24:46,283
and you keep developing your work,

6615
04:24:46,283 --> 04:24:48,294
eventually you really are gonna make it.

6616
04:24:48,294 --> 04:24:50,590
It is extremely possible.

6617
04:24:50,590 --> 04:24:54,122
It's not easy. There's a
reason so many people fail.

6618
04:24:54,122 --> 04:24:56,818
But I'm convinced that the
reason so many people fail

6619
04:24:56,818 --> 04:24:59,113
is that they just don't keep at it.

6620
04:24:59,113 --> 04:25:00,901
So if you can avoid that mistake

6621
04:25:00,901 --> 04:25:02,567
and just stay persistent,

6622
04:25:02,567 --> 04:25:03,746
I'm pretty confident

6623
04:25:03,746 --> 04:25:05,879
that you will succeed eventually.

6624
04:25:05,879 --> 04:25:09,780
Surviving the fluctuations of freelancing.

6625
04:25:09,780 --> 04:25:12,766
Now one of the most troubling
aspects of freelancing

6626
04:25:12,766 --> 04:25:16,850
that gets everyone, especially
people that are transitioning

6627
04:25:16,850 --> 04:25:18,902
from the working world, from the in-house

6628
04:25:18,902 --> 04:25:22,417
full time job world, is just how variable

6629
04:25:22,417 --> 04:25:24,611
the life of a freelancer is

6630
04:25:24,611 --> 04:25:27,191
in so many different ways.

6631
04:25:27,191 --> 04:25:29,304
For instance your workload

6632
04:25:29,304 --> 04:25:30,849
as well as your income level

6633
04:25:30,849 --> 04:25:34,424
are gonna vary dramatically
month to month.

6634
04:25:34,424 --> 04:25:36,212
For instance, one month you might be

6635
04:25:36,212 --> 04:25:39,361
absolutely drowning in
work every single day.

6636
04:25:39,361 --> 04:25:41,434
You will just not have
the hours in the day

6637
04:25:41,434 --> 04:25:43,486
to do all of the work you have.

6638
04:25:43,486 --> 04:25:48,118
And then the next month,
you might not have anything.

6639
04:25:48,118 --> 04:25:50,292
And the same goes for your income.

6640
04:25:50,292 --> 04:25:51,511
There are some months

6641
04:25:51,511 --> 04:25:53,665
where I don't make more than

6642
04:25:53,665 --> 04:25:56,326
a couple hundred dollars.

6643
04:25:56,326 --> 04:25:57,545
I'm serious.

6644
04:25:57,545 --> 04:26:00,836
Actually this first January of this month,

6645
04:26:00,836 --> 04:26:03,864
I made about 200 dollars

6646
04:26:03,864 --> 04:26:05,814
which is really sad.

6647
04:26:05,814 --> 04:26:07,622
And the next month

6648
04:26:07,622 --> 04:26:10,873
I will get a ton of checks that
are gonna make up for that.

6649
04:26:10,873 --> 04:26:13,880
And I will suddenly have
a reasonable income.

6650
04:26:13,880 --> 04:26:17,375
But that sort of rapidly
fluctuating income level

6651
04:26:17,375 --> 04:26:19,631
is really hard to grasp for people

6652
04:26:19,631 --> 04:26:21,480
who have never done it before.

6653
04:26:21,480 --> 04:26:22,963
And it's honestly really hard to grasp

6654
04:26:22,963 --> 04:26:25,198
for people who are doing it.

6655
04:26:25,198 --> 04:26:28,347
It can be a very stressful experience.

6656
04:26:28,347 --> 04:26:31,516
I know I get fairly stressed
out about it occasionally

6657
04:26:31,516 --> 04:26:34,218
because I'm looking at my calendar of work

6658
04:26:34,218 --> 04:26:37,469
and money coming in,
and I'm realizing that

6659
04:26:37,469 --> 04:26:41,167
I have two weeks until I
have absolutely no work

6660
04:26:41,167 --> 04:26:42,894
and no income coming in.

6661
04:26:42,894 --> 04:26:44,885
And that is terrifying.

6662
04:26:44,885 --> 04:26:47,668
Being like constantly
close to unemployment

6663
04:26:47,668 --> 04:26:49,517
is a terrifying feeling.

6664
04:26:49,517 --> 04:26:53,093
And that's kinda just
the way freelancing is.

6665
04:26:53,093 --> 04:26:55,957
There's not too much you can do about it.

6666
04:26:55,957 --> 04:26:58,578
So basically the only
thing you can do about it

6667
04:26:58,578 --> 04:27:01,199
is to anticipate those fluctuations

6668
04:27:01,199 --> 04:27:04,226
and do what you can to balance them out.

6669
04:27:04,226 --> 04:27:07,316
For instance on finances,
you need to save a lot of

6670
04:27:07,316 --> 04:27:10,080
the money you're making
when you make tons of money

6671
04:27:10,080 --> 04:27:11,685
so that when you get those months

6672
04:27:11,685 --> 04:27:14,265
where you only make about 200 bucks,

6673
04:27:14,265 --> 04:27:16,215
you are not gonna die.

6674
04:27:16,215 --> 04:27:17,800
You're not gonna be late on your rent.

6675
04:27:17,800 --> 04:27:20,705
You're not gonna starve 'cause
you can't buy groceries.

6676
04:27:20,705 --> 04:27:23,590
So a lot of freelancers will recommend

6677
04:27:23,590 --> 04:27:27,004
you save three to six months

6678
04:27:27,004 --> 04:27:29,543
of savings so that

6679
04:27:29,543 --> 04:27:33,566
if the worst case happens,
and you completely

6680
04:27:33,566 --> 04:27:37,243
run out of work, and you don't
have any income coming in

6681
04:27:37,243 --> 04:27:39,112
for the next three months,

6682
04:27:39,112 --> 04:27:41,510
that you will be able to
pay all of your bills.

6683
04:27:41,510 --> 04:27:43,562
You'll be able to buy
groceries every week.

6684
04:27:43,562 --> 04:27:45,898
And you'll be able to
keep living your life.

6685
04:27:45,898 --> 04:27:46,995
Now how much money that is

6686
04:27:46,995 --> 04:27:49,352
depends on your lifestyle of course.

6687
04:27:49,352 --> 04:27:51,628
But it's gonna be a fair bit of money.

6688
04:27:51,628 --> 04:27:55,620
And so over time, you wanna
try to get that buffer

6689
04:27:55,620 --> 04:27:57,388
of three to six months,

6690
04:27:57,388 --> 04:27:59,745
depending on how risky you feel.

6691
04:27:59,745 --> 04:28:01,858
And just like you're trying to

6692
04:28:01,858 --> 04:28:03,991
maintain certain level of income,

6693
04:28:03,991 --> 04:28:05,982
you should also try to
maintain a certain level of

6694
04:28:05,982 --> 04:28:07,993
work coming in.

6695
04:28:07,993 --> 04:28:09,619
So the key to this

6696
04:28:09,619 --> 04:28:13,032
is to advertise when
you have plenty of work.

6697
04:28:13,032 --> 04:28:16,081
Which is not really the
instinct most people have.

6698
04:28:16,081 --> 04:28:17,483
Most people have the instinct

6699
04:28:17,483 --> 04:28:20,064
that when they're absolutely
overloaded with work,

6700
04:28:20,064 --> 04:28:22,563
they can't possibly take on anything more,

6701
04:28:22,563 --> 04:28:25,143
that they simply stop advertising.

6702
04:28:25,143 --> 04:28:26,788
And the trouble with this

6703
04:28:26,788 --> 04:28:29,552
is that that means that once those jobs

6704
04:28:29,552 --> 04:28:32,274
are completed, you're not gonna have

6705
04:28:32,274 --> 04:28:34,570
any more coming in right after them.

6706
04:28:34,570 --> 04:28:37,678
So as your work starts to trickle out,

6707
04:28:37,678 --> 04:28:39,365
and you start to get less and less work,

6708
04:28:39,365 --> 04:28:41,823
that's when you're gonna
kick in the advertising.

6709
04:28:41,823 --> 04:28:43,105
But the problem with that

6710
04:28:43,105 --> 04:28:45,299
is that it's gonna start to create

6711
04:28:45,299 --> 04:28:49,301
this extreme up and down
flow to your work level.

6712
04:28:49,301 --> 04:28:51,171
You're gonna have tons
of jobs at some point.

6713
04:28:51,171 --> 04:28:53,507
And then you're gonna have a
complete gap in those jobs.

6714
04:28:53,507 --> 04:28:56,394
And then tons more jobs
and another complete gap.

6715
04:28:56,394 --> 04:28:58,568
And it's really hard to live with.

6716
04:28:58,568 --> 04:29:01,311
So the key is to just
do constant advertising

6717
04:29:01,311 --> 04:29:04,927
even when you seem to have plenty of work.

6718
04:29:04,927 --> 04:29:07,589
Now another great way to
maintain consistent work

6719
04:29:07,589 --> 04:29:09,580
is repeat clients.

6720
04:29:09,580 --> 04:29:12,505
Repeat clients represent a huge portion

6721
04:29:12,505 --> 04:29:14,171
of my own income.

6722
04:29:14,171 --> 04:29:16,528
It's great because you
don't have to establish

6723
04:29:16,528 --> 04:29:17,970
a new working relationship

6724
04:29:17,970 --> 04:29:19,413
with a new person.

6725
04:29:19,413 --> 04:29:21,607
You've got already trust built.

6726
04:29:21,607 --> 04:29:23,294
And you've got all the contracts signed.

6727
04:29:23,294 --> 04:29:24,838
And you just keep working for someone,

6728
04:29:24,838 --> 04:29:27,702
ideally who you like working with.

6729
04:29:27,702 --> 04:29:31,197
So you do this by really
getting on the art director

6730
04:29:31,197 --> 04:29:32,660
or client's good side.

6731
04:29:32,660 --> 04:29:34,183
And then staying there.

6732
04:29:34,183 --> 04:29:37,597
By doing really good work
consistently each time,

6733
04:29:37,597 --> 04:29:39,527
always beating the deadlines,

6734
04:29:39,527 --> 04:29:42,452
always being a real pleasure to work with.

6735
04:29:42,452 --> 04:29:43,793
Because by doing this,

6736
04:29:43,793 --> 04:29:45,724
that way you don't have
to be getting new clients

6737
04:29:45,724 --> 04:29:48,019
for every single job you get.

6738
04:29:48,019 --> 04:29:50,498
'Cause getting new
clients is very difficult.

6739
04:29:50,498 --> 04:29:53,160
It's never gonna get extremely easy.

6740
04:29:53,160 --> 04:29:54,927
But getting repeat clients

6741
04:29:54,927 --> 04:29:58,097
is gonna be a little bit
more simple than that.

6742
04:29:58,097 --> 04:30:00,352
A great way to get repeat work

6743
04:30:00,352 --> 04:30:03,765
is to remind the art
directors that you're alive.

6744
04:30:03,765 --> 04:30:05,939
That's why I like to
send out regular emails

6745
04:30:05,939 --> 04:30:08,072
and mailings to the art directors

6746
04:30:08,072 --> 04:30:09,515
I really like to work with.

6747
04:30:09,515 --> 04:30:11,425
Because even if we haven't worked together

6748
04:30:11,425 --> 04:30:15,082
in say six months, and I
still wanna work with them,

6749
04:30:15,082 --> 04:30:17,357
and they probably wanna work with me,

6750
04:30:17,357 --> 04:30:19,389
I like to just remind them that I'm alive

6751
04:30:19,389 --> 04:30:20,933
in case they have anything come up

6752
04:30:20,933 --> 04:30:22,944
that might be a good fit for me.

6753
04:30:22,944 --> 04:30:24,509
I like to send my work along

6754
04:30:24,509 --> 04:30:27,028
and say how much I'd love
to work with them again.

6755
04:30:27,028 --> 04:30:30,096
Because I obviously
enjoyed it in the past.

6756
04:30:30,096 --> 04:30:30,990
Now it's really important

6757
04:30:30,990 --> 04:30:32,737
when you're working with
these repeat clients

6758
04:30:32,737 --> 04:30:34,687
to never let your work slide,

6759
04:30:34,687 --> 04:30:36,963
to never really skimp on the quality,

6760
04:30:36,963 --> 04:30:39,543
to never push those deadlines back,

6761
04:30:39,543 --> 04:30:43,850
to just not bother with
getting the formats right,

6762
04:30:43,850 --> 04:30:48,747
to just start being a lazy,
non-interested employee.

6763
04:30:48,747 --> 04:30:50,697
Because if you lose that quality

6764
04:30:50,697 --> 04:30:53,628
that they know you for,
they're gonna be a lot less

6765
04:30:53,628 --> 04:30:55,553
likely to hire you for every job.

6766
04:30:55,553 --> 04:30:58,347
They're gonna be more likely to

6767
04:30:58,347 --> 04:31:00,599
go and find a new freelancer

6768
04:31:00,599 --> 04:31:02,367
that might fill your shoes,

6769
04:31:02,367 --> 04:31:05,048
a new one that's much more
excited, much more eager

6770
04:31:05,048 --> 04:31:08,321
to get into the industry
and show off their skills.

6771
04:31:08,321 --> 04:31:11,408
So you do need to keep up a
certain standard of quality

6772
04:31:11,408 --> 04:31:13,886
with all of your clients,
especially the ones

6773
04:31:13,886 --> 04:31:16,832
you wanna have repeat work from.

6774
04:31:16,832 --> 04:31:18,864
Now as you're growing as a freelancer,

6775
04:31:18,864 --> 04:31:21,769
it's important that you
never grow stagnant.

6776
04:31:21,769 --> 04:31:23,598
Because if you're not careful,

6777
04:31:23,598 --> 04:31:26,727
freelancing can actually
kill your creativity.

6778
04:31:26,727 --> 04:31:28,921
Which doesn't seem like
the most intuitive thing.

6779
04:31:28,921 --> 04:31:31,989
You might think, well
you're doing design or art

6780
04:31:31,989 --> 04:31:34,549
all day long, and so
naturally you're gonna be

6781
04:31:34,549 --> 04:31:35,869
really creative.

6782
04:31:35,869 --> 04:31:37,881
'Cause it's your day job now.

6783
04:31:37,881 --> 04:31:39,262
The trouble with it is

6784
04:31:39,262 --> 04:31:41,538
is that now it's your job.

6785
04:31:41,538 --> 04:31:43,305
And someday you'll find

6786
04:31:43,305 --> 04:31:45,947
that you're doing the same sort of jobs

6787
04:31:45,947 --> 04:31:48,730
day in and day out.

6788
04:31:48,730 --> 04:31:51,595
And it starts to become very routine.

6789
04:31:51,595 --> 04:31:55,212
And all of the magic that
you originally experienced

6790
04:31:55,212 --> 04:31:57,080
when you would do design or art

6791
04:31:57,080 --> 04:31:58,970
starts to disappear.

6792
04:31:58,970 --> 04:32:01,977
So for your own benefit,
and for the benefit

6793
04:32:01,977 --> 04:32:04,110
of your clients, because
naturally they want

6794
04:32:04,110 --> 04:32:06,568
really great, creative work too,

6795
04:32:06,568 --> 04:32:08,763
is that you need to maintain your work.

6796
04:32:08,763 --> 04:32:11,587
You need to maintain yourself and your joy

6797
04:32:11,587 --> 04:32:13,354
in what you do.

6798
04:32:13,354 --> 04:32:15,223
So I'm gonna mention a few ways

6799
04:32:15,223 --> 04:32:16,910
that you can sorta maintain

6800
04:32:16,910 --> 04:32:18,576
your own creative drive.

6801
04:32:18,576 --> 04:32:23,167
And the first way is to do
personal work for yourself.

6802
04:32:23,167 --> 04:32:26,540
Because by doing personal
work, you're reminding yourself

6803
04:32:26,540 --> 04:32:29,662
why you got in to the
field in the first place.

6804
04:32:29,662 --> 04:32:32,689
Because odds are, you're
not doing art or design

6805
04:32:32,689 --> 04:32:34,498
because you really hate it.

6806
04:32:34,498 --> 04:32:37,200
Odds are at some point
you really loved it.

6807
04:32:37,200 --> 04:32:39,211
So it's important to do personal work

6808
04:32:39,211 --> 04:32:41,629
of the things you really love to do

6809
04:32:41,629 --> 04:32:43,803
so that you can maintain that feeling

6810
04:32:43,803 --> 04:32:46,546
that you actually enjoy your day job.

6811
04:32:46,546 --> 04:32:49,207
Because trudging through miserable clients

6812
04:32:49,207 --> 04:32:53,291
and dealing with revisions,
and doing someone else's work

6813
04:32:53,291 --> 04:32:56,013
can get really tedious after a while.

6814
04:32:56,013 --> 04:32:58,594
So it's important to take
time out of your week

6815
04:32:58,594 --> 04:33:00,422
and do some personal work.

6816
04:33:00,422 --> 04:33:03,267
I know I've failed to do this in the past.

6817
04:33:03,267 --> 04:33:04,973
I've neglected personal work

6818
04:33:04,973 --> 04:33:06,680
just because I was so overloaded

6819
04:33:06,680 --> 04:33:08,183
with client work.

6820
04:33:08,183 --> 04:33:11,190
And it didn't take very
long before I became

6821
04:33:11,190 --> 04:33:15,132
really unhappy with my freelancing work.

6822
04:33:15,132 --> 04:33:17,753
Just because I as feeling
really down about it.

6823
04:33:17,753 --> 04:33:19,479
I really didn't enjoy it.

6824
04:33:19,479 --> 04:33:21,267
And I didn't even know why.

6825
04:33:21,267 --> 04:33:24,091
As soon as I started doing
some personal work again,

6826
04:33:24,091 --> 04:33:27,484
all the sudden things
got much better for me.

6827
04:33:27,484 --> 04:33:30,654
And there's also the other
benefit of doing personal work

6828
04:33:30,654 --> 04:33:33,722
in that since you're gonna
be doing a great job on this,

6829
04:33:33,722 --> 04:33:36,099
because you love it so
much, there's a good chance

6830
04:33:36,099 --> 04:33:38,426
you'll end up with a
portfolio piece at the end.

6831
04:33:38,426 --> 04:33:41,758
So you're also getting fresh
work for your portfolio.

6832
04:33:41,758 --> 04:33:45,110
Another thing I recommend
to keep your creativity up

6833
04:33:45,110 --> 04:33:46,451
and keep your enjoyment up

6834
04:33:46,451 --> 04:33:48,788
is to continue to educate yourself.

6835
04:33:48,788 --> 04:33:52,181
Continue to grow as an
artist and as a designer.

6836
04:33:52,181 --> 04:33:55,980
Because now it's really okay
to spend money on yourself.

6837
04:33:55,980 --> 04:33:58,276
To spend money on your education.

6838
04:33:58,276 --> 04:33:59,962
Because again, you are the business,

6839
04:33:59,962 --> 04:34:02,055
and by educating yourself,

6840
04:34:02,055 --> 04:34:05,407
you're simply investing in that business.

6841
04:34:05,407 --> 04:34:08,048
So I would encourage you
to look up some workshops

6842
04:34:08,048 --> 04:34:09,613
or classes

6843
04:34:09,613 --> 04:34:12,599
or even just life drawing in the area,

6844
04:34:12,599 --> 04:34:14,611
or even downloadable videos.

6845
04:34:14,611 --> 04:34:16,480
I know I've gotten a lot out of that.

6846
04:34:16,480 --> 04:34:18,877
You don't even have to
go anywhere for those.

6847
04:34:18,877 --> 04:34:22,453
And just start to really
educate yourself again.

6848
04:34:22,453 --> 04:34:23,855
Even though you might
have been out of school

6849
04:34:23,855 --> 04:34:26,415
for a long time, it's good to freshen up

6850
04:34:26,415 --> 04:34:28,670
and learn a few new things.

6851
04:34:28,670 --> 04:34:31,027
Because those tricks are gonna help you

6852
04:34:31,027 --> 04:34:33,038
in art and design of course.

6853
04:34:33,038 --> 04:34:35,171
And they're also gonna
keep your skills fresh.

6854
04:34:35,171 --> 04:34:37,122
They're gonna keep that
learning ability going.

6855
04:34:37,122 --> 04:34:39,458
And it's gonna keep your art progressing

6856
04:34:39,458 --> 04:34:41,226
in a forward direction.

6857
04:34:41,226 --> 04:34:43,705
Now I'm gonna have some links to workshops

6858
04:34:43,705 --> 04:34:48,520
and other places to get some
education on the resource page.

6859
04:34:48,520 --> 04:34:52,339
So again, go to
TheArtOfFreelancing.com/Resources.

6860
04:34:52,339 --> 04:34:54,473
And I'm gonna post some stuff up on there.

6861
04:34:54,473 --> 04:34:57,358
And if you know of a great
resource that I don't have

6862
04:34:57,358 --> 04:34:59,857
on that list, go ahead
and send me an email.

6863
04:34:59,857 --> 04:35:02,193
I'm gonna give more details
about how to contact me

6864
04:35:02,193 --> 04:35:05,281
and send in tips later on.

6865
04:35:05,281 --> 04:35:06,785
But for now, let's go on to the next thing

6866
04:35:06,785 --> 04:35:07,803
that you should really do

6867
04:35:07,803 --> 04:35:11,033
to keep from stagnating
as an artist or designer.

6868
04:35:11,033 --> 04:35:13,694
And another great thing is
to always expose yourself

6869
04:35:13,694 --> 04:35:15,218
to new work.

6870
04:35:15,218 --> 04:35:16,753
Go to gallery openings.

6871
04:35:16,753 --> 04:35:18,114
Go to museums.

6872
04:35:18,114 --> 04:35:23,114
I would fill up an RSS feed
with artists, designers,

6873
04:35:23,254 --> 04:35:26,566
photographers, writers,
so that you have a daily

6874
04:35:26,566 --> 04:35:29,654
incoming feed of new work to constantly

6875
04:35:29,654 --> 04:35:31,544
expose yourself with.

6876
04:35:31,544 --> 04:35:33,047
And I really love doing this.

6877
04:35:33,047 --> 04:35:35,587
It's one of my morning rituals basically

6878
04:35:35,587 --> 04:35:37,740
is that I get up and I
go through this list.

6879
04:35:37,740 --> 04:35:40,707
And I see all new images every single day.

6880
04:35:40,707 --> 04:35:42,557
And it's great to see
what people are up to.

6881
04:35:42,557 --> 04:35:45,420
It's great to see new work,
what's happening in the field,

6882
04:35:45,420 --> 04:35:47,411
and it keeps you kind of fresh.

6883
04:35:47,411 --> 04:35:48,488
It keeps you moving.

6884
04:35:48,488 --> 04:35:50,032
And it also keeps you inspired.

6885
04:35:50,032 --> 04:35:53,791
'Cause usually I'll get up in
the morning and I'll check it.

6886
04:35:53,791 --> 04:35:57,773
And I'll see some amazing
piece that just blows my stuff

6887
04:35:57,773 --> 04:35:59,053
out of the water.

6888
04:35:59,053 --> 04:36:01,450
And it encourages me to step up my game,

6889
04:36:01,450 --> 04:36:02,791
to try even harder.

6890
04:36:02,791 --> 04:36:06,205
To keep focusing on
learning and improving.

6891
04:36:06,205 --> 04:36:08,439
I've mentioned before the
importance of picking up those

6892
04:36:08,439 --> 04:36:10,938
juried annual books like Spectrum

6893
04:36:10,938 --> 04:36:14,406
or Society of Illustrators,
or Communication Arts.

6894
04:36:14,406 --> 04:36:15,298
And I've mentioned them

6895
04:36:15,298 --> 04:36:17,065
because they were great resources.

6896
04:36:17,065 --> 04:36:20,438
They're also great resources
for keeping you motivated.

6897
04:36:20,438 --> 04:36:21,860
They give you a really good idea

6898
04:36:21,860 --> 04:36:24,481
of what the field looks like as a whole.

6899
04:36:24,481 --> 04:36:26,411
It shows you some of
the quality out there.

6900
04:36:26,411 --> 04:36:28,951
It shows you some of the
variations out there.

6901
04:36:28,951 --> 04:36:31,165
It shows you what people are up to.

6902
04:36:31,165 --> 04:36:33,725
So I would recommend
picking those up every year

6903
04:36:33,725 --> 04:36:36,610
and having them on your shelf
to flip through occasionally.

6904
04:36:36,610 --> 04:36:37,910
It keeps you motivated,

6905
04:36:37,910 --> 04:36:41,904
and it keeps you inspired to
try to get in them yourself.

6906
04:36:41,904 --> 04:36:44,667
I would also say to read a lot.

6907
04:36:44,667 --> 04:36:48,446
Read art books. Read fiction.
Read stuff that inspires you.

6908
04:36:48,446 --> 04:36:52,265
Just read anything that
takes your mind off of work.

6909
04:36:52,265 --> 04:36:56,024
So much of creativity is an outpouring.

6910
04:36:56,024 --> 04:36:57,548
It's taking things from your mind

6911
04:36:57,548 --> 04:37:00,717
and putting them on to paper,
putting them on to the screen.

6912
04:37:00,717 --> 04:37:04,638
And it's important to read so that you can

6913
04:37:04,638 --> 04:37:06,467
put some information back in there,

6914
04:37:06,467 --> 04:37:10,164
so you can put some inspiring
ideas back into your head.

6915
04:37:10,164 --> 04:37:11,871
Furthermore, things like movies

6916
04:37:11,871 --> 04:37:13,435
can be hugely inspiring.

6917
04:37:13,435 --> 04:37:16,950
I know my own work is
majorly inspired by movies

6918
04:37:16,950 --> 04:37:20,770
and film, so I try to check
out films on a regular basis.

6919
04:37:20,770 --> 04:37:22,172
And not just popular stuff.

6920
04:37:22,172 --> 04:37:25,016
I try to go look back
at some of the classics,

6921
04:37:25,016 --> 04:37:28,145
and sorta educate myself
on that field as well.

6922
04:37:28,145 --> 04:37:29,445
So it's important to find things

6923
04:37:29,445 --> 04:37:32,412
that inspire you and motivate you.

6924
04:37:32,412 --> 04:37:37,023
And to really take time out of your week

6925
04:37:37,023 --> 04:37:38,893
to do a little bit of that.

6926
04:37:38,893 --> 04:37:42,123
Do a little bit of fun stuff
that keeps your work going.

6927
04:37:42,123 --> 04:37:44,134
Because by doing this,
you prevent yourself

6928
04:37:44,134 --> 04:37:45,861
from becoming just a drone,

6929
04:37:45,861 --> 04:37:48,685
just a drone who's doing
the same thing every day

6930
04:37:48,685 --> 04:37:50,534
no matter what.

6931
04:37:50,534 --> 04:37:53,115
And it's getting really boring.

6932
04:37:53,115 --> 04:37:56,268
So just try to keep things
fresh, keep things creative.

6933
04:37:56,268 --> 04:37:59,773
Keep things flowing. And have fun with it.

6934
04:37:59,773 --> 04:38:01,398
Another thing I recommend to do

6935
04:38:01,398 --> 04:38:04,136
is to find something in every assignment

6936
04:38:04,136 --> 04:38:05,965
to latch onto.

6937
04:38:05,965 --> 04:38:10,008
You will get boring, uninteresting
assignments at times.

6938
04:38:10,008 --> 04:38:11,633
I have done plenty of jobs

6939
04:38:11,633 --> 04:38:13,990
where I just didn't like them.

6940
04:38:13,990 --> 04:38:16,611
They were just boring, horrible jobs

6941
04:38:16,611 --> 04:38:18,256
that I had no interest in doing

6942
04:38:18,256 --> 04:38:21,121
but I did because it was a paycheck.

6943
04:38:21,121 --> 04:38:23,884
But even in those jobs
that are really miserable,

6944
04:38:23,884 --> 04:38:25,855
and you don't really wanna do,

6945
04:38:25,855 --> 04:38:29,085
you can usually find
something to latch onto

6946
04:38:29,085 --> 04:38:32,682
that you can really enjoy,
that you can take pride in,

6947
04:38:32,682 --> 04:38:36,738
and that you can keep motivated with.

6948
04:38:36,738 --> 04:38:39,074
For instance, even though the entire piece

6949
04:38:39,074 --> 04:38:41,553
might be really, really boring,

6950
04:38:41,553 --> 04:38:44,275
there might be a hand in it or something.

6951
04:38:44,275 --> 04:38:45,657
And you take that hand

6952
04:38:45,657 --> 04:38:50,594
as an opportunity to paint
the best hand you ever have.

6953
04:38:50,594 --> 04:38:54,109
And you put a lot of pride
and practice into that hand.

6954
04:38:54,109 --> 04:38:57,745
And so in a sense, you get
something out of that assignment

6955
04:38:57,745 --> 04:39:00,895
that would otherwise just
be another assignment.

6956
04:39:00,895 --> 04:39:03,028
So I try to do this on all my jobs.

6957
04:39:03,028 --> 04:39:05,710
I try to find something,
some little aspect,

6958
04:39:05,710 --> 04:39:07,985
some little trick of light

6959
04:39:07,985 --> 04:39:09,692
that I really enjoy

6960
04:39:09,692 --> 04:39:12,313
and I'm gonna have a blast working on.

6961
04:39:12,313 --> 04:39:14,974
And by doing this on every
job that you take in,

6962
04:39:14,974 --> 04:39:17,778
you ensure that no matter how miserable

6963
04:39:17,778 --> 04:39:19,444
the job might seem at first,

6964
04:39:19,444 --> 04:39:22,065
you're gonna take some
enjoyment out of it.

6965
04:39:22,065 --> 04:39:25,763
Now another general
tip/warning about freelancing.

6966
04:39:25,763 --> 04:39:29,846
And that is, always back up your work.

6967
04:39:29,846 --> 04:39:33,036
You will probably talk to many freelancers

6968
04:39:33,036 --> 04:39:35,210
who will have horror stories

6969
04:39:35,210 --> 04:39:38,481
about that time that they
didn't back up their work.

6970
04:39:38,481 --> 04:39:40,756
And they lost the file
that they were working on

6971
04:39:40,756 --> 04:39:42,463
two days before the deadline

6972
04:39:42,463 --> 04:39:44,759
and had to completely redo it.

6973
04:39:44,759 --> 04:39:47,278
This is a really, really bad situation.

6974
04:39:47,278 --> 04:39:48,883
And nobody wants to be in it.

6975
04:39:48,883 --> 04:39:50,305
Because it's not like the client

6976
04:39:50,305 --> 04:39:51,809
is gonna pay you extra money

6977
04:39:51,809 --> 04:39:54,694
because you lost the file.

6978
04:39:54,694 --> 04:39:56,807
It's on your shoulders.

6979
04:39:56,807 --> 04:39:58,514
So it's up to you to make sure

6980
04:39:58,514 --> 04:39:59,773
this doesn't happen.

6981
04:39:59,773 --> 04:40:01,358
And my solution to this problem

6982
04:40:01,358 --> 04:40:02,882
is Dropbox.

6983
04:40:02,882 --> 04:40:07,270
Dropbox has saved my hide
on several occasions.

6984
04:40:07,270 --> 04:40:10,785
Dropbox is free. You get like
2 gigs free or something.

6985
04:40:10,785 --> 04:40:12,492
You can put it on all your computers.

6986
04:40:12,492 --> 04:40:14,787
It'll sync all of your files.

6987
04:40:14,787 --> 04:40:18,526
You can even get all your files
on your iPhone or something.

6988
04:40:18,526 --> 04:40:20,192
It is a great program.

6989
04:40:20,192 --> 04:40:23,901
And in the worst case,
your computer explodes,

6990
04:40:23,901 --> 04:40:26,380
you're still gonna have your work files.

6991
04:40:26,380 --> 04:40:28,330
And this has happened to me.

6992
04:40:28,330 --> 04:40:33,330
And I always back up my
work files in Dropbox

6993
04:40:33,369 --> 04:40:36,296
just in case something like this happens.

6994
04:40:36,296 --> 04:40:38,794
So I put a link again on the
resource page to Dropbox.

6995
04:40:38,794 --> 04:40:41,089
Go ahead. Take a look at it.

6996
04:40:41,089 --> 04:40:43,812
And back up all your files today.

6997
04:40:43,812 --> 04:40:47,774
So many people realize that
they should back up their files

6998
04:40:47,774 --> 04:40:50,212
the day after they lose them.

6999
04:40:50,212 --> 04:40:52,020
And failures do happen.

7000
04:40:52,020 --> 04:40:53,523
Hard drives do die.

7001
04:40:53,523 --> 04:40:55,047
So it's a good idea to back up

7002
04:40:55,047 --> 04:40:57,627
as soon as you possibly can.

7003
04:40:57,627 --> 04:40:59,456
Next, if you're a freelancer,

7004
04:40:59,456 --> 04:41:02,118
you need to have some kind of calendar.

7005
04:41:02,118 --> 04:41:04,738
I don't know what sort of
calendar works best for you.

7006
04:41:04,738 --> 04:41:07,278
Some people will want physical calendars.

7007
04:41:07,278 --> 04:41:09,675
Some people will just do it online.

7008
04:41:09,675 --> 04:41:11,931
I personally prefer Google Calendar.

7009
04:41:11,931 --> 04:41:15,811
It allows me to get it on
any computer at any time,

7010
04:41:15,811 --> 04:41:19,468
and keep everything synced
up and nicely organized.

7011
04:41:19,468 --> 04:41:22,109
But whatever you do, make
sure you have a calendar.

7012
04:41:22,109 --> 04:41:25,543
And make sure it's something
you check frequently.

7013
04:41:25,543 --> 04:41:27,981
And you wanna put all of your deadlines

7014
04:41:27,981 --> 04:41:30,704
on here as soon as you get them.

7015
04:41:30,704 --> 04:41:33,203
I have made the mistake of
just assuming I would put

7016
04:41:33,203 --> 04:41:34,848
the deadlines on there later.

7017
04:41:34,848 --> 04:41:37,957
And then I realized a few
days before the deadline

7018
04:41:37,957 --> 04:41:40,476
that there actually was a deadline.

7019
04:41:40,476 --> 04:41:42,651
So be sure to put those deadlines

7020
04:41:42,651 --> 04:41:45,007
on your calendar immediately.

7021
04:41:45,007 --> 04:41:47,607
It's also not a bad idea
to put on your calendar

7022
04:41:47,607 --> 04:41:51,650
some of the submission dates
for competitions or books.

7023
04:41:51,650 --> 04:41:55,043
And you can even schedule some
of your marketing materials.

7024
04:41:55,043 --> 04:41:58,741
For instance if you're doing
a mailing every six months,

7025
04:41:58,741 --> 04:42:02,967
every six months put a
scheduled mailing on there.

7026
04:42:02,967 --> 04:42:07,340
Put some time to design
it, some time to print it,

7027
04:42:07,340 --> 04:42:09,088
and then the time to mail it out.

7028
04:42:09,088 --> 04:42:11,343
So try to schedule out your life like this

7029
04:42:11,343 --> 04:42:14,939
so that you're keeping on a
regular basis on these things.

7030
04:42:14,939 --> 04:42:16,281
Another aspect of freelancing

7031
04:42:16,281 --> 04:42:19,815
people usually take for
granted is their health.

7032
04:42:19,815 --> 04:42:23,208
Sitting around all day
at a desk or an easel

7033
04:42:23,208 --> 04:42:26,052
is actually incredibly unhealthy.

7034
04:42:26,052 --> 04:42:28,003
So it's important to take some time

7035
04:42:28,003 --> 04:42:30,299
and take care of your body.

7036
04:42:30,299 --> 04:42:32,290
And there are a few
ways you wanna do this.

7037
04:42:32,290 --> 04:42:34,382
For one thing, you wanna
take frequent breaks

7038
04:42:34,382 --> 04:42:36,150
from whatever it is that you're doing.

7039
04:42:36,150 --> 04:42:37,978
Some people are gonna
recommend different amounts.

7040
04:42:37,978 --> 04:42:39,909
Some people will recommend

7041
04:42:39,909 --> 04:42:41,677
every hour you take a little break.

7042
04:42:41,677 --> 04:42:44,317
Sometimes every 20 minutes take a break.

7043
04:42:44,317 --> 04:42:46,735
But regardless of what system you go on,

7044
04:42:46,735 --> 04:42:48,950
be sure to take a lot of breaks.

7045
04:42:48,950 --> 04:42:51,652
It's good for you, and it's
also good for your work.

7046
04:42:51,652 --> 04:42:53,948
Because it gets you to
step back from your work.

7047
04:42:53,948 --> 04:42:57,605
It gets you to refresh and
reset your brain a little bit.

7048
04:42:57,605 --> 04:42:59,393
And it makes sure that your body

7049
04:42:59,393 --> 04:43:01,648
stays healthy while you're working.

7050
04:43:01,648 --> 04:43:04,025
Another thing, if you're
working at a computer,

7051
04:43:04,025 --> 04:43:05,935
blink a lot.

7052
04:43:05,935 --> 04:43:07,296
I know it's kind of weird.

7053
04:43:07,296 --> 04:43:09,836
But you really do need to
remind yourself to blink.

7054
04:43:09,836 --> 04:43:13,411
So many people complain
about tired eyes and dry eyes

7055
04:43:13,411 --> 04:43:14,508
and stuff like that.

7056
04:43:14,508 --> 04:43:15,727
And the real problem is

7057
04:43:15,727 --> 04:43:18,226
is that you're not blinking enough.

7058
04:43:18,226 --> 04:43:19,791
If you're staring at a screen,

7059
04:43:19,791 --> 04:43:21,518
remind yourself to blink.

7060
04:43:21,518 --> 04:43:23,631
Do your eyes a favor.

7061
04:43:23,631 --> 04:43:24,385
And lastly,

7062
04:43:24,385 --> 04:43:25,807
try to have good posture.

7063
04:43:25,807 --> 04:43:27,555
Especially if you're sitting all day long,

7064
04:43:27,555 --> 04:43:30,013
it's important to have
pretty good posture.

7065
04:43:30,013 --> 04:43:32,817
You don't have to have
absolutely perfect posture,

7066
04:43:32,817 --> 04:43:35,336
but it wouldn't hurt.

7067
04:43:35,336 --> 04:43:37,388
And along those lines,

7068
04:43:37,388 --> 04:43:40,415
it wouldn't hurt to buy
a really nice chair.

7069
04:43:40,415 --> 04:43:44,499
Now chairs can seem really
unnecessary to a lot of people.

7070
04:43:44,499 --> 04:43:47,892
Because a really, really good
chair, a really good chair

7071
04:43:47,892 --> 04:43:50,188
that's gonna support
your back for a long time

7072
04:43:50,188 --> 04:43:52,504
might cost a thousand dollars

7073
04:43:52,504 --> 04:43:54,800
which seems like a ton of money.

7074
04:43:54,800 --> 04:43:56,222
But if you break down the cost

7075
04:43:56,222 --> 04:43:59,229
and realize you're gonna be
sitting in that same chair

7076
04:43:59,229 --> 04:44:03,170
every day, all day for years,

7077
04:44:03,170 --> 04:44:05,893
all the sudden that cost
becomes a lot more reasonable.

7078
04:44:05,893 --> 04:44:08,900
And when you think about
it, if you buy a nice chair,

7079
04:44:08,900 --> 04:44:13,613
and it saves you countless
back aches and pain and misery,

7080
04:44:13,613 --> 04:44:15,686
isn't that kind of worth it?

7081
04:44:15,686 --> 04:44:18,571
So not only is it an
investment in yourself,

7082
04:44:18,571 --> 04:44:22,146
but it's also an investment
in your own well-being.

7083
04:44:22,146 --> 04:44:23,888
Now I wanna talk about the realities

7084
04:44:23,888 --> 04:44:26,367
of freelancing for a little while.

7085
04:44:26,367 --> 04:44:30,268
Most people don't understand
what freelancing entails.

7086
04:44:30,268 --> 04:44:34,636
They often think it's a life
of bliss, and minimal work,

7087
04:44:34,636 --> 04:44:36,505
and absolute freedom.

7088
04:44:36,505 --> 04:44:38,801
And while that's somewhat true,

7089
04:44:38,801 --> 04:44:40,833
there's also a lot of realities to it

7090
04:44:40,833 --> 04:44:45,546
that you need to realize,
and do something about.

7091
04:44:45,546 --> 04:44:50,443
For instance, freelancing is
a very solitary lifestyle.

7092
04:44:50,443 --> 04:44:54,709
My average day involves interacting
with another human being

7093
04:44:54,709 --> 04:44:57,371
exactly zero times.

7094
04:44:57,371 --> 04:44:59,240
I don't talk to anyone on the phone.

7095
04:44:59,240 --> 04:45:01,353
I don't have any meetings with anyone.

7096
04:45:01,353 --> 04:45:04,096
I might send some emails to people.

7097
04:45:04,096 --> 04:45:05,762
That is all the human interaction

7098
04:45:05,762 --> 04:45:09,114
I'm gonna have on an
average day of freelancing.

7099
04:45:09,114 --> 04:45:11,227
And this can really get to people.

7100
04:45:11,227 --> 04:45:14,132
A lot of people can't handle this much

7101
04:45:14,132 --> 04:45:17,017
solitary confinement in their life.

7102
04:45:17,017 --> 04:45:19,232
So if you're an average human being

7103
04:45:19,232 --> 04:45:22,198
and you actually need other
human beings to survive,

7104
04:45:22,198 --> 04:45:23,864
which is perfectly normal,

7105
04:45:23,864 --> 04:45:25,632
there's a few things you can do about it.

7106
04:45:25,632 --> 04:45:28,435
For one thing, get outside sometimes.

7107
04:45:28,435 --> 04:45:32,641
Don't get trapped in your
studio all day every day.

7108
04:45:32,641 --> 04:45:36,379
Get out. Take a walk. Go to a coffee shop.

7109
04:45:36,379 --> 04:45:38,127
Hang out with people.

7110
04:45:38,127 --> 04:45:39,589
Hang out with friends.

7111
04:45:39,589 --> 04:45:42,109
Referring to the last point,
having some good old fashioned

7112
04:45:42,109 --> 04:45:46,314
human interaction will actually
do you a world of good.

7113
04:45:46,314 --> 04:45:47,838
Since you're not in an office,

7114
04:45:47,838 --> 04:45:50,033
you're not gonna be
surrounded by people all day.

7115
04:45:50,033 --> 04:45:52,125
So you need to get out and force yourself

7116
04:45:52,125 --> 04:45:53,933
into social situations.

7117
04:45:53,933 --> 04:45:56,127
And you need to schedule time

7118
04:45:56,127 --> 04:45:58,566
to interact with other human beings

7119
04:45:58,566 --> 04:46:02,141
so that you're not some
hermit all day long.

7120
04:46:02,141 --> 04:46:04,865
Now somewhat along those lines is

7121
04:46:04,865 --> 04:46:08,380
the idea of actually getting
a separate studio space

7122
04:46:08,380 --> 04:46:10,249
from your living space.

7123
04:46:10,249 --> 04:46:13,276
And there's proponents
again to both sides.

7124
04:46:13,276 --> 04:46:15,369
Some people prefer to work at home

7125
04:46:15,369 --> 04:46:17,218
because there's less expense.

7126
04:46:17,218 --> 04:46:19,493
They don't have to pay
for the extra space.

7127
04:46:19,493 --> 04:46:21,667
They don't have to deal
with commuting to work.

7128
04:46:21,667 --> 04:46:23,272
But there's also the downside

7129
04:46:23,272 --> 04:46:27,884
that you really start to
mix work and life together.

7130
04:46:27,884 --> 04:46:30,078
You don't really have any off hours

7131
04:46:30,078 --> 04:46:32,679
'cause you're constantly at work.

7132
04:46:32,679 --> 04:46:33,817
So some people recommend

7133
04:46:33,817 --> 04:46:36,356
getting an entirely separate studio space

7134
04:46:36,356 --> 04:46:38,266
so you can keep up that routine

7135
04:46:38,266 --> 04:46:40,237
of going to work.

7136
04:46:40,237 --> 04:46:42,391
So it really is just a personal decision

7137
04:46:42,391 --> 04:46:43,792
on what you prefer.

7138
04:46:43,792 --> 04:46:47,246
I prefer to work from home
and not have a studio space.

7139
04:46:47,246 --> 04:46:49,421
But that's just me.

7140
04:46:49,421 --> 04:46:51,554
And one of the last
issues I wanna deal with

7141
04:46:51,554 --> 04:46:54,357
is to work weekends or to not,

7142
04:46:54,357 --> 04:46:57,120
to work nights, to not work nights.

7143
04:46:57,120 --> 04:47:00,412
And it really comes down
to again personal taste.

7144
04:47:00,412 --> 04:47:02,525
Some people like to set boundaries.

7145
04:47:02,525 --> 04:47:04,942
Some people like to work all the time.

7146
04:47:04,942 --> 04:47:06,466
And this is really tough.

7147
04:47:06,466 --> 04:47:09,737
But I would say that when
you're first starting out,

7148
04:47:09,737 --> 04:47:13,090
be perfectly willing to
work weekends, and nights,

7149
04:47:13,090 --> 04:47:15,142
and insane hours.

7150
04:47:15,142 --> 04:47:16,543
But as you progress,

7151
04:47:16,543 --> 04:47:18,169
it really is important to start

7152
04:47:18,169 --> 04:47:19,815
maintaining those boundaries,

7153
04:47:19,815 --> 04:47:21,399
especially if you wanna have

7154
04:47:21,399 --> 04:47:23,959
anything resembling a normal life,

7155
04:47:23,959 --> 04:47:26,519
especially if you have a family

7156
04:47:26,519 --> 04:47:27,962
that you want to interact with

7157
04:47:27,962 --> 04:47:29,953
that you wanna spend time with.

7158
04:47:29,953 --> 04:47:31,781
But it really is perfectly common

7159
04:47:31,781 --> 04:47:33,610
to work yourself to the bone

7160
04:47:33,610 --> 04:47:35,926
when you're trying to get off the ground.

7161
04:47:35,926 --> 04:47:37,836
And as you become more established,

7162
04:47:37,836 --> 04:47:41,086
and as the work becomes
a little more steady,

7163
04:47:41,086 --> 04:47:43,301
it's a lot easier to set those boundaries

7164
04:47:43,301 --> 04:47:46,044
and reign yourself in a little bit.

7165
04:47:46,044 --> 04:47:48,929
I also know freelancers who will only work

7166
04:47:48,929 --> 04:47:50,432
standard work hours.

7167
04:47:50,432 --> 04:47:52,403
They will only respond to emails,

7168
04:47:52,403 --> 04:47:54,496
check emails, and do work

7169
04:47:54,496 --> 04:47:57,787
on nine to five on weekdays.

7170
04:47:57,787 --> 04:48:00,042
And this is pretty normal actually.

7171
04:48:00,042 --> 04:48:01,607
I personally don't do this.

7172
04:48:01,607 --> 04:48:03,638
I respond to emails at all times.

7173
04:48:03,638 --> 04:48:06,666
But if you want to actually
maintain a social life,

7174
04:48:06,666 --> 04:48:09,727
maintain a family life,
then I don't blame you

7175
04:48:09,727 --> 04:48:13,546
at all if you only wanna work
those standard work hours.

7176
04:48:13,546 --> 04:48:15,761
Because it really is good
to separate your work

7177
04:48:15,761 --> 04:48:18,016
from your normal life.

7178
04:48:18,016 --> 04:48:19,926
Because remember at the end of the day,

7179
04:48:19,926 --> 04:48:23,034
you really are freelancing
to support a better life.

7180
04:48:23,034 --> 04:48:26,813
Not so that you can
work all day every day.

7181
04:48:26,813 --> 04:48:30,613
Again, work to live, don't live to work.

7182
04:48:30,613 --> 04:48:32,583
So the last thing I wanna cover today

7183
04:48:32,583 --> 04:48:34,615
is avoiding burnout.

7184
04:48:34,615 --> 04:48:36,423
Similar to my topic earlier

7185
04:48:36,423 --> 04:48:38,679
on avoiding stagnation,

7186
04:48:38,679 --> 04:48:42,295
avoiding burnout is one of
those long-term goals of yours.

7187
04:48:42,295 --> 04:48:45,241
Because if you burnout,
you're not gonna be able

7188
04:48:45,241 --> 04:48:46,196
to make money.

7189
04:48:46,196 --> 04:48:48,004
You're not gonna be able
to do creative work.

7190
04:48:48,004 --> 04:48:49,792
And you're just gonna become completely

7191
04:48:49,792 --> 04:48:52,982
disinterested in the entire thing.

7192
04:48:52,982 --> 04:48:55,968
And it's really a common
ailment among freelancers.

7193
04:48:55,968 --> 04:48:59,646
Because working excessive
hours, doing tons of work,

7194
04:48:59,646 --> 04:49:04,481
and striving to succeed can
really take it's toll on us.

7195
04:49:04,481 --> 04:49:05,944
So for our own sake,

7196
04:49:05,944 --> 04:49:10,470
it's a good idea to avoid
burnout before it ever occurs.

7197
04:49:10,470 --> 04:49:13,045
And I've got a few ways
that I think are good

7198
04:49:13,045 --> 04:49:14,853
to avoid burnout.

7199
04:49:14,853 --> 04:49:17,819
And one of them is vacations.

7200
04:49:17,819 --> 04:49:20,420
I know it's really hard
to turn off the computer,

7201
04:49:20,420 --> 04:49:23,305
turn off the cell phone,
and say no to that awesome

7202
04:49:23,305 --> 04:49:26,292
new job offer, and just walk away.

7203
04:49:26,292 --> 04:49:29,319
But it is really worth it in the end.

7204
04:49:29,319 --> 04:49:30,700
Get away for a week or two

7205
04:49:30,700 --> 04:49:32,244
and just recharge.

7206
04:49:32,244 --> 04:49:33,992
Don't work. Don't think about work.

7207
04:49:33,992 --> 04:49:35,942
Just relax.

7208
04:49:35,942 --> 04:49:37,832
Now if you really can't stop creating,

7209
04:49:37,832 --> 04:49:39,051
which is perfectly fine,

7210
04:49:39,051 --> 04:49:40,554
go ahead and bring a sketchbook

7211
04:49:40,554 --> 04:49:42,809
in case you really feel
like being creative

7212
04:49:42,809 --> 04:49:45,938
and doing some drawing
or doing some painting.

7213
04:49:45,938 --> 04:49:47,157
And that's perfectly fine.

7214
04:49:47,157 --> 04:49:50,062
But don't you dare do any real work

7215
04:49:50,062 --> 04:49:52,277
while you're on your vacation.

7216
04:49:52,277 --> 04:49:54,248
Now I know vacations can be really hard

7217
04:49:54,248 --> 04:49:56,198
for a freelancer to justify.

7218
04:49:56,198 --> 04:49:57,844
Because when you're freelancing,

7219
04:49:57,844 --> 04:49:59,550
you're only making money

7220
04:49:59,550 --> 04:50:01,095
when you're actually working.

7221
04:50:01,095 --> 04:50:02,700
You don't get paid time off

7222
04:50:02,700 --> 04:50:04,183
when you're a freelancer.

7223
04:50:04,183 --> 04:50:07,982
So you really have to
force yourself to do this.

7224
04:50:07,982 --> 04:50:11,131
If you're kind of cheap and
don't feel like losing out

7225
04:50:11,131 --> 04:50:13,244
on all that potential money,

7226
04:50:13,244 --> 04:50:15,622
you just need to force yourself to do it.

7227
04:50:15,622 --> 04:50:17,470
Because vacations are gonna help you

7228
04:50:17,470 --> 04:50:19,624
maintain your own sanity

7229
04:50:19,624 --> 04:50:21,960
so that you can keep working.

7230
04:50:21,960 --> 04:50:23,138
Another thing I recommend

7231
04:50:23,138 --> 04:50:25,516
is to try new mediums or tools.

7232
04:50:25,516 --> 04:50:27,385
For instance, if you're a digital painter,

7233
04:50:27,385 --> 04:50:28,929
try doing some 3D work.

7234
04:50:28,929 --> 04:50:32,627
If you're a designer, try to
find a letter press nearby you

7235
04:50:32,627 --> 04:50:36,202
and go do some traditional typesetting.

7236
04:50:36,202 --> 04:50:37,767
Just try to break out of your common

7237
04:50:37,767 --> 04:50:40,550
day to day routine in some small way.

7238
04:50:40,550 --> 04:50:41,911
Try to keep things fresh.

7239
04:50:41,911 --> 04:50:44,634
Try to keep those creative juices flowing.

7240
04:50:44,634 --> 04:50:46,442
Another thing you can do is doodle.

7241
04:50:46,442 --> 04:50:47,905
Just have a sketchbook with you

7242
04:50:47,905 --> 04:50:50,892
that you don't show to anyone at all

7243
04:50:50,892 --> 04:50:54,467
and is absolutely packed
with terrible drawings.

7244
04:50:54,467 --> 04:50:56,946
Just let loose. Give yourself permission

7245
04:50:56,946 --> 04:50:59,181
to do really, really bad work.

7246
04:50:59,181 --> 04:51:00,786
And just have fun with it.

7247
04:51:00,786 --> 04:51:03,102
And that's really the
point of avoiding burnout:

7248
04:51:03,102 --> 04:51:07,064
is to somehow find ways that
it keeps things fun for you,

7249
04:51:07,064 --> 04:51:09,583
that it keeps things enjoyable for you

7250
04:51:09,583 --> 04:51:11,249
so that it doesn't turn into misery.

7251
04:51:11,249 --> 04:51:13,789
It doesn't turn in to just another day job

7252
04:51:13,789 --> 04:51:17,000
that you're really
dreading doing every day.

7253
04:51:17,000 --> 04:51:21,204
And with that, we have wrapped
up part four of this series.

7254
04:51:21,204 --> 04:51:24,516
And that brings us to the conclusion.

7255
04:51:24,516 --> 04:51:28,580
Now I couldn't possibly cover
everything about freelancing

7256
04:51:28,580 --> 04:51:30,164
during this time.

7257
04:51:30,164 --> 04:51:32,765
There is just too much to cover.

7258
04:51:32,765 --> 04:51:33,964
But I really hope

7259
04:51:33,964 --> 04:51:35,609
I have been able to shed some light

7260
04:51:35,609 --> 04:51:38,230
on how to get going in
the right direction.

7261
04:51:38,230 --> 04:51:40,851
And what to do when you get there.

7262
04:51:40,851 --> 04:51:43,675
If you're still at this point
a little bit intimidated,

7263
04:51:43,675 --> 04:51:45,605
a little big scared of the industry,

7264
04:51:45,605 --> 04:51:46,966
just try and relax.

7265
04:51:46,966 --> 04:51:48,673
It's not too scary.

7266
04:51:48,673 --> 04:51:51,050
And really, it's okay to
be a little bit scared.

7267
04:51:51,050 --> 04:51:53,874
It's okay to be a little bit intimidated.

7268
04:51:53,874 --> 04:51:56,994
But try to relax. Try to have fun.

7269
04:51:56,994 --> 04:51:59,354
And just know that if
you keep working hard,

7270
04:51:59,354 --> 04:52:01,894
you keep trying, you keep
taking all the advice

7271
04:52:01,894 --> 04:52:03,702
I've tried to give you today,

7272
04:52:03,702 --> 04:52:06,465
that eventually you are gonna succeed.

7273
04:52:06,465 --> 04:52:08,680
And if you blow it on your first contract,

7274
04:52:08,680 --> 04:52:11,260
you mess up, you do something really bad,

7275
04:52:11,260 --> 04:52:12,865
it's not the end of the world.

7276
04:52:12,865 --> 04:52:14,368
Life will go on.

7277
04:52:14,368 --> 04:52:17,071
You'll be able to get
your career going anyways.

7278
04:52:17,071 --> 04:52:19,468
It's not that bad.

7279
04:52:19,468 --> 04:52:20,789
So just try and relax.

7280
04:52:20,789 --> 04:52:22,902
Have fun. Enjoy it.

7281
04:52:22,902 --> 04:52:26,173
Freelancing is really a
great way to make a living.

7282
04:52:26,173 --> 04:52:27,981
And I consider it way better

7283
04:52:27,981 --> 04:52:30,175
than a nine to five day job.

7284
04:52:30,175 --> 04:52:32,227
So just consider yourself really lucky

7285
04:52:32,227 --> 04:52:34,360
every time you get to sit
down at your computer,

7286
04:52:34,360 --> 04:52:38,952
make something, and
somehow get paid for it.

7287
04:52:38,952 --> 04:52:42,446
Now if you have any
questions, or any comments

7288
04:52:42,446 --> 04:52:44,478
about anything I've said today,

7289
04:52:44,478 --> 04:52:47,424
or perhaps something I didn't say today,

7290
04:52:47,424 --> 04:52:50,350
please do not hesitate to email.

7291
04:52:50,350 --> 04:52:52,382
And you can send all of your questions

7292
04:52:52,382 --> 04:52:54,718
or comments or critiques

7293
04:52:54,718 --> 04:52:58,944
to Noah@TheArtOfFreelancing.com.

7294
04:52:58,944 --> 04:53:01,484
I'm planning to send out
additional content to everyone

7295
04:53:01,484 --> 04:53:03,373
who's purchased this for free

7296
04:53:03,373 --> 04:53:06,766
so that they can have
any answers to questions

7297
04:53:06,766 --> 04:53:08,757
I might not have covered in here.

7298
04:53:08,757 --> 04:53:10,667
Or maybe some additional video content

7299
04:53:10,667 --> 04:53:12,983
that I'm gonna record in the near future.

7300
04:53:12,983 --> 04:53:15,116
So be on the lookout for that.

7301
04:53:15,116 --> 04:53:17,676
Also be sure to check
out the resource page.

7302
04:53:17,676 --> 04:53:18,691
Which is again:

7303
04:53:18,691 --> 04:53:21,983
TheArtofFreelancing.com/Resources.

7304
04:53:21,983 --> 04:53:25,397
I have tried to put the absolute
best resources on there.

7305
04:53:25,397 --> 04:53:27,895
And I've also put on there
a lot of my own thoughts

7306
04:53:27,895 --> 04:53:30,800
about them, a lot of
the good and bad things

7307
04:53:30,800 --> 04:53:32,466
about each of the different sites.

7308
04:53:32,466 --> 04:53:33,888
So check that out.

7309
04:53:33,888 --> 04:53:36,164
And if you have any suggestions
on things to add to that,

7310
04:53:36,164 --> 04:53:39,313
don't hesitate to send me an email.

7311
04:53:39,313 --> 04:53:42,239
Because I'd really love it
to grow as a group effort.

7312
04:53:42,239 --> 04:53:43,986
And if you have a really good suggestion,

7313
04:53:43,986 --> 04:53:46,139
I'd love to hear it.

7314
04:53:46,139 --> 04:53:48,578
And with that, we come to the conclusion.

7315
04:53:48,578 --> 04:53:50,934
So thank you so much for watching this.

7316
04:53:50,934 --> 04:53:54,510
I know it's been long, but
I really genuinely hope

7317
04:53:54,510 --> 04:53:56,156
you got something out of it.

7318
04:53:56,156 --> 04:53:58,147
I hope in some way this helps you

7319
04:53:58,147 --> 04:54:00,280
in your own freelancing career.

7320
04:54:00,280 --> 04:54:03,571
Freelancing, for me, has
been an incredible lifestyle.

7321
04:54:03,571 --> 04:54:08,571
It's allowed me so much freedom,
and joy, and downright fun.

7322
04:54:09,689 --> 04:54:11,782
And so I hope that somehow you too

7323
04:54:11,782 --> 04:54:13,549
can experience some of that.

7324
04:54:13,549 --> 04:54:16,719
So I wish you the best
of luck with your career.

7325
04:54:16,719 --> 04:54:19,990
I wish you the best of luck
becoming an amazing freelancer.

7326
04:54:19,990 --> 04:54:22,123
And if you ever have any questions

7327
04:54:22,123 --> 04:54:25,740
or any comments, don't
hesitate to email me.

7328
04:54:25,740 --> 04:54:28,625
Again, Noah@TheArtOfFreelancing.com.

7329
04:54:28,625 --> 04:54:31,652
Go ahead and send me an
email any time you want.

7330
04:54:31,652 --> 04:54:34,583
And now, with that, go get to work.