I’m not one of those freelancers who is always on holiday, but in the past few years, I have gotten to visit some pretty interesting destinations, and see some new places. As a freelancer, I’m always taking my work with me, and this makes traveling with work a little different than traveling with a regular job. I’m going to walk you through how I successfully travel and work from anywhere.
Read MoreIn My Bag // Wedding Photography Edition (UPDATED)
Wedding season is officially underway, and a lot of clients want to know that you have the tools you need. Not every client does but occasionally you get the client asking about what kind of gear you have. They may recognize your tools of the trade, they may just want to know that you're prepared and not just bringing your iPhone to their big day. I thought I would give a rundown of what I carry with me on wedding days and how I prepare to capture my clients' most valuable moments.
Read MoreCairn vol. 17 // March Was Fiery.
When we shirk our own desires and beat ourselves into submission of sociocultural norms, the status quo and conventional living, we fail to make our lives our own. As we age, the reality of our choices sinks in and becomes regret. When it comes to our careers, it’s 47 years that we won’t get back. That’s most of our lives. That’s not a kind realization when you’re in your golden years. You might have a nice retirement account, but what is money when you realize you were too bound to convention to really live?
Read MoreBlack Sheep // dealing with the naysayers.
When I started my own company, I fully expected to meet resistance. I didn’t expect who it came from. I expected it would come from people who think I’m overpriced, who think I don’t have a real job or that freelancing is just a fancy word for lounging around all day. Some of those lines of thinking were true, but they didn’t come from people in my professional life. They came from people closer to me in my personal life. I’m not writing this to air my dirty laundry about what people have said. My purpose in sharing these things is to offer people a way to deal with the people who push back, because it can be really hard to deal with sometimes.
Read MoreTrip Report // Port St. Lucie, FL + Being the Black Sheep
Vacation for an entrepreneur in a creative field is just a fancy way of saying, “I’m working away from my home turf.” That’s okay with me because I think as long as you love your job, it doesn’t matter where you go. That being said, I like a poolside office.
Read More5 Tools I Love for Running a Small Company
Starting a small business is a daunting task. There is so much to do, and so much to think about. It’s overwhelming. The place to start is organization. These are five tools that I use daily to help keep me organized, focused, and on track with everything.
Read MoreGood Photography: Skill or Hardware?
A business doesn’t come in the box with the camera, and neither does skill or education. It’s not something that you can simply buy and just have. You can pay for mentoring, you can pay for classes, but in the end you have to do the work, and be disciplined to learn. If your camera is going to be the one making professional images, you have to teach it everything it needs to know.
Read MoreWhy Cheap Design Sites Are Usually Bad News
We’ve all seen ads on social media for “$5 logos.” Fiverr and Logotournament are just two of them but they are everywhere. As designers and especially creative entrepreneurs just starting out, it can be extremely tempting to participate in these kind of gigs through companies commonly known as logo mills. As unsuspecting business owners, it can be equally tempting to get a logo, for little more than your morning joe. Seems harmless, right? You get a cheap logo, a designer gets work. What could possibly be wrong? Well, let me tell you.
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Cairn // vol. 16.5: new posts.
Cairn is going monthly! It will give me time to focus on more valuable content, and let’s face it. It hasn’t been weekly in a while.
Read MoreCairn // vol. 16.: new year, new everything.
The start of the year has been a very good rocky. My passion for aviation is developing further, and I’m continuing to prepare for work in Phoenix, whenever it is that I end up down there. I admit I’ve found myself bouncing between distraction and illness. It seems this year is particularly bad for whatever it is that is making the rounds in Central Iowa. Falling more in love with aviation has introduced some new opportunities and new paths I can take in my career, and like I mentioned, it’s also been a bit distracting.
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