career

3 steps to a more effective to-do list

September 23, 2015 by Angela

Like I said in my post about prioritizing as a freelancer, I’ve been going back to basics lately in how I organize my day. A simple to do list has proven the most effective for actually getting stuff done—not dreaming or planning or goal setting, but actually doing the work. Of course, I’ve learned the hard way (if only you could see the amount of notebooks I’ve filled with incomplete to dos, sorry paper) that not all lists are effective. Assuming you create your list at the beginning of each day and prioritize that list based on deadlines and urgency, this 3-step process will guarantee a much more effective to-do than both a post-it and your most intricate planner.

Time blocking vs. detailed prioritizing

September 8, 2015 by Angela

I’ve written posts over on inspiring resources for self-employed creatives + freelancers, and I’ve read up on how to be efficient + productive. Time blocking has been the #1 method I’ve seen for freelancers to organize their day-to-day. It’s this idea that when you zero in on a high-priority project for x amount of time, you’ll be more focused and effective. You don’t switch gears every five seconds, you work the entire time period, whether it’s an hour or three hours. [Read more…] about Time blocking vs. detailed prioritizing

How perfectionism can paralyze your work

August 17, 2015 by Angela

Perfectionism is rampant in creative circles and it’s the killer of production. There’s advice floating around about making your creative passions careers, treating your blog or craft or art like a j-o-b. To me, this seems like the worst idea. Job has such bad connotation. The only good thing about a job is that you get a paycheck (which I think is where that stems from). But why, why would I want to turn the things I love so very much, into jobs? Do you get what I’m saying? Do what you love has turned into make what you love a job. What does this have to do with perfectionism, anyway? I think when you create art you have to accept that it’s messy and unfinished. A lot of artists feel their work is never finished. A lot of writers get published but that doesn’t mean it feels finished. But as creatives who are doing this for a living, we want everything to be perfect. We want to publish perfect blog posts, create perfect DIYs or perfect products to sell on Etsy (which by the way, I get, but also, it’s handmade, we should appreciate that it doesn‘t look like a machine made it), etc.

Is freelancing fulltime really right for you?

August 12, 2015 by Angela

Freelancing, one of the fastest growing careers, is entirely different for each person. It can mean long-term contract work that seems more corporate than freelance, on going projects, or quite literally living paycheck to paycheck. And you can basically freelance in any industry, though of course writing and blogging is where I can say with most certainty: it’s a ride. Freelance life can be very hard. But it grants us freedoms that a lot of people don’t have. Growing up in a family full of people with truly difficult, sometimes thankless jobs, I’m grateful that I’m able to spend my days either writing or editing or creating. It’s simple as that. I get to do what I’ve always wanted to do. [Read more…] about Is freelancing fulltime really right for you?

My photography gear on The Blog Market

April 29, 2015 by Angela

Just popping into say I wrote way too many words on my favorite photography gear over on The Blog Market today. Head over to see my fave camera, lenses, and a little bit about my obsession with my iPhone 6. I couldn’t even get into editing, but maybe one day. If you’ve got a must-have camera or lens, please add!

The ups & downs of working from home

January 14, 2015 by Angela

Working at home is always a roller coaster ride for me, and one of my goals this year is to fully enjoy it. The benefits outweigh the drawbacks just in the most basic sense—who wants to be at an 8-5 all day and commute home?! But as anyone will tell you, the lack of work/life balance, the restlessness, and for some of us, the lack of a space to even work from, are frustrating. I thought I’d kick off the topic of creative careers by sharing my experience so far: [Read more…] about The ups & downs of working from home