Laura Silverman, Writer: Fashioning a freelance life

When you’re sitting there in a cubicle, daydreaming about breaking out on your own, the wish list usually goes something like this: Chuck the job and flee all the noise and nonsense. Maybe to a serene place in ski country. Check. Work for big-name clients who want you. And on relatively classy projects. Yes. Take [...]

Steven Pressfield asks Seth Godin

For ideas on the marketing side of freelancing, read Seth Godin.  The refrain:  Be unforgettably remarkable or go home. For help with the head-game, creative, staying-sane part, read Steven Pressfield:  Amazing stuff happens when you quit diddling and do your work. Today Pressfield interviews Godin as part of a new series on the creative process. [...]

Designer Paul Rand: Client Handling 101

An interview with a younger Steve Jobs, about working with legendary Paul Rand on designing an identity (called a ‘logo’ back then) for NeXT Computer. Spoiler:  The sticky-note quote:  “I will solve your problem the best way I know how.  And you will pay me.  You don’t have to use it, but you will pay [...]

The ultimate low-crap web site

How much stuff do you need on your freelance web site?  How many words, pictures, samples, blog posts and pages does it take to prompt a phone call or inquiry? Probably a lot less than you think.  (Well, way less than I used to think.) I’ve been all over the map on this question. I’ve [...]

The Moo approach to freelancing

For me, business cards are about as useful as typewriter ribbons. In the past two years, I needed an actual, hand-outable business card maybe three times. But when I saw what Moo was doing with business cards, I simply had to buy 50 of them.  Twice. With Moo, you design your cards with an ingenious [...]