The Power of Your Network

Even amidst unpleasant surprises like the pandemic, wonderful surprises can happen too.

Last month a freelance project came to me TOTALLY OUT OF THE BLUE by someone I hadn’t seen in at least 6 years.  It was an animation project.  I hadn’t even DONE animation in that many years due to people expecting so much work from one creator for so little $.  At first I was hesitant to take on the project, as I didn’t even have an updated reel to show my friend. 

But I just asked more questions about the project and we agreed upon me creating character and scene designs with a few extra motions of arms and moving elements.  Then he’d pass it on to another animator.  This worked SUPER well and fast too!  Animation was really meant to be created in a team environment, not just one person doing everything themselves.  I really liked being part of a team again & the crazy deadline felt very energizing & motivating (although I wouldn’t want that lifestyle all the time… just eating TV dinners with no time to cook isn’t healthy long term!)

The animation was part of a video series called “Behind The Cover Art” by @art on Instagram.  This episode featured Kenny Gravillis’ story creating “The Tipping Point” album art for The Roots.  See the video with animation here.

My animation story is an example of how we already have an amazing network of people even if we don’t realize it or think of them as a “network.”

If you’re on unemployment and are currently job hunting, applying to jobs online is a joke.  I feel like it always has been, but now even more so.  Some state unemployment sites like to see evidence that you’ve applied to jobs online because that’s something that they can measure, but it’s still not really an effective strategy to actually get you a job, especially with the unprecedented competition with our tanked economy. 

I don’t know the ultimate solution, because the unemployment crisis is larger than any one solution.  But I do know that it’s always been the case for me that my own network has come through for me over the years.  A project coming from out of the blue isn’t all that uncommon when you know a lot of people that know what your talents are.  If people know that you’re skilled at x,y, and z, then they’ll come to you for those things.  If you’re stuck, just start talking with people about anything, then talk about what projects you’re working on.  They may say “oh my friend needs a designer” or something. 

You may have heard the advice of “ask people what they need help with, then help them with it.”  This will lead to a lot of unpaid work.  You can do this, but it’s more of a long-term strategy.  I don’t really do that strategy mainly because usually I have a que of projects always going.  It may not be a que that makes me “rich” monetarily, but it’s something that keeps me afloat and makes me rich in fulfillment.  This is also one of the strengths of freelancing.  If you have a fulltime job and the rug gets pulled from under you, you have nothing.  But if you freelance, you can still keep juggling the eggs still left in your basket, even if it’s only a few.

In other news, this is one of my last few blog posts using my current method and mailing list.  Many thanks to those who have expressed interest in joining my new and improved mailing list!  If you haven’t replied already to keep getting these updates, please do so.  Just reply to this email and I’ll put you on the new list.  Many thanks and stay safe!

Follow-Up Tips

Do you have a bag of business cards hiding in some corner of your room?  This is a bag of business cards, flyers, and pamphlets I've accumulated from comic conventions, art shows, and more over about 6 years.  In years past, I was not the best at following up with all of these people (that's what the cards are FOR, right?).  But recently I've optimized my follow-up strategies!  Here are some tips to help you avoid the overwhelm of following up when you find yourself with like 50 cards after any event:

1.  Pick the TOP 5 most important people you met and get back to them the week after the event.  How you define "important" will vary based on your priorities and goals.  Your criteria could be people from major companies, people most likely to lead you to a job, or just new friends you felt a strong connection with!

2.  Pick the NEXT 5 most important people and get back to them in the following month.  Beyond a month and you risk them not remembering you.  A month seems like a long time, but a solid follow-up email requires more work than you'd think.  For my follow-ups, first I review all notes I took when I met Person A (if you don't take notes, START!).  These notes usually include recommendations of people and companies Person A said to check out.  Next, I check out said peeps/companies online, which can be like going down a rabbit hole.  One cool link leads to another, and before you know it, hours have gone by!  Make sure to keep track of your time to not get too caught up in this research step, but have enough knowledge to mention something about it in your follow up email to Person A.  They'll see that you're more serious about taking their advice.

3.  For all other business cards beyond those 10, just follow them on social media.  Think quality, not quantity.  With my busy schedule, there's no way I can write a thoughtful email to every person I've met, which is why in the past sometimes I just put it off entirely, which lead to that gigantic bag of cards.  It makes me wonder what happens to all of my business cards...  

The next step after following up is... will you actually DO the advice those top 10 people gave you beyond just checking out so-and-so?  Granted, take all advice with a grain of salt - you may even get conflicting tips.  Pick what advice feels right to you.  Make a list of specific steps you can do to improve your artwork (or any other skill!) and begin implementing them.  All too often in the past I've just let this last step go, but it's important to moving forward in my career.  That could be a whole other blog topic of project organization and implementation, but that's for another time!

Oh yeah and that note on the bag is an idea I had one time to scan all the cards.  It's a project on my "rainy day" to-do list.  Considering following everyone on social media, or just throwing it out.