Creative Freelancer Conference Blog

CFC on the WWW

Hard to believe it's been a week since we were all finishing up our first few days together.

We figured this would be a good time to do a round-up of all the stuff that's been posted about the CFC since then. So (deep breath), here goes...

PHOTOS!

• All photos tagged "CFC08" (case-sensitive tags!) on Flickr (link)
• NEW! Direct links to CFC Flickr sets (email me if you want yours added): dyanavalentine |pennycooke | sreece30 | nsquaredesign | lloyddangle (cartoons!)

Also, there are a bunch of photos on Facebook!

• Bryn Mooth's photos
• Nicholas Nawroth's photos
• Ian Arsenault's photos
• NEW! Ivette Cortez's slideshow (to ABBA!) on YouTube

BLOG POSTS, RECAPS, ETC.

• Richard Romano (Day 1 | Day 2 | "Marketing Machine" session)
• Heather Lapham Kuhn (Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3)
• Bryn Mooth/HOW (Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3)
• Cedric Hohnstadt (general | resources | book reviews)
• Nicholas Nawroth (general)
• Stephanie Cockerl (general | resources)
• Alisa Bonsignore (recap | bonus followup with great story!)
• Stacey King Gordon (recap)
• NEW! Ed Creatives (recap)
• NEW! Sarah Daly (recap | CFC in action)

RESOURCES

• Jeff Fisher (handout & other stuff)
• "Marketing Machine" presentation (download slides at Slideshare)

SOCIAL NETWORKING/GROUPS

CFC Group on LinkedIn
CFC Group on Facebook
CFC Group on Ning

What have I missed? More, people! More!

UPDATE (9:52am, 9/5): Already with the stuff I missed. I'll flag all adds as "NEW!"--partly so you can tell, partly because hacky old copywriter habits die hard.

"Reaping the Rewards" resources

As a speaker, I had a great time at the Creative Freelancer Conference.  It was incredible sitting in on the presentations of the other presenters, meeting so many of the participants in person, having the opportunity to answer so many of your questions on a one-to-one basis, and getting to review some great design and photography work. 

In the course of my presentation "Reaping the Rewards of Creative Independence," and my "Marketing Through Social Networking" roundtable, many Creative Freelancer Conference attendees requested additional information. I mentioned I would make links to those resources available.

Many people requested the handout I created for the social networking roundtable.  That information is available in my blogfolio post "Marketing through social networks & social media".

I was also asked about the online portfolios I use to market my identity design work.  That information may be found in the article "Marketing logo design efforts with online resources." The marketing packet I send out to potential clients is described in the entry " Prepare for any marketing or promotion opportunity with a customizable "media kit."

A few of you requested a copy of my project agreement - which includes the wording of the rights clause I include to ensure I can use all work for self-promotion purposes. The text of my contract is detailed in the piece "Signing on the dotted line…"

StartupNation and biznik were the two general business networking sites I discussed in my presentation. "Real world" networking events are a possibility in your local area as a result of biznik, if there are enough nearby members.

I did have questions about my personal Facebook presence and my Jeff Fisher LogoMotives Facebook Page. These are two different entities - and any Facebook member may have a personal profile and a business Page.

I hope that all attendees got a great deal of value out of the Creative Freelance Conference.  I really appreciate all the feedback I have received in the form of emails, posts on forums and other sites, and in person from those participating in my roundtable and attending my session. Thanks also for the many positive comments about my books, blogs and forum postings.

Awesome, zero-cost resource for DIY resume design

I know there are lots of designers coming to the Creative Freelancer Conference. But I'm guessing there are also some non-designers in the group, perhaps even some who (gasp!) don't own a copy of InDesign or Quark.

So when I saw "investigative designer" David Seah's recent post about how to create a good-looking, super-readable resume using nothing more than baling wire and an old handkerchief--er...I mean, PowerPoint, I knew I had to share.

This is some really impressive stuff. And while you're there, check out the myriad resources Seah offers to aid productivity, like the Printable CEO Series (planners and trackers for corralling goals and projects) and the Compact Calendar (for estimating/plotting out long-term projects).

All beautifully designed, simply explained and F-R-E-E!

Helpful Linkage

Those of us of a certain age recall the days before the internet—heck, before the computer—was such a huge part of our everyday lives. Seriously, do you remember researching, say, a term paper before you could just Google the topic? (OK, probably not.) Can you even imagine what running any business, let alone a freelance gig, would be like without online tools at your disposal? Horrors.

But, of course, the web provides endless opportunity for information, connection, distraction ...

Oh, sorry, I wandered off there for a minute.

Here's the thing: We've begun compiling a list of online resources for creative freelancers. What other sites and sources do you rely on?

Resources for freelance gigs

From an article called "Freelancing Tips" posted recently on Biznik, I found an excellent collection of job boards and other places to get work online.

What are your favorites?