Marching on through this Facebook crisis (sort of)
Hello
Facebook and Instagram are crumbling beneath the weight of expectation and frustration this morning. People are clinging to Twitter like a life-boat. Yesterday (and today) Google barely held it together.
I cannot ignore that I have this itchy, scratching sensation from this lack of access. So much of my freelance work and freelance advocacy relies on social media. But I am also quietly enjoying walking through the internet, enjoying articles without the background noise.
It’s such a funny relationship we have with social media, don’t you think?
Let’s explore it and other notions now.
Joyful activities with no connection in sight
Imagine your creative process without the fishbowl of the internet.
To me, it looks a little bit like:
Writing as though no one may ever read what is written (it’s delicious, btw)
Scootering into the nooks and crannies of my journals finding half written and undercooked ideas to play with
Have a planning day with pen and paper
Digging out the art supplies and sketching my way through
Making lists I’ll probably never use
Making friends with a not-so stranger
Talking freelance with cool people in a jazz club in Wollongong
What about you? What’s happening for you without the internet? Tell me how you're coping.
Things to soothe and calm
Feeling the pinch? I might have something for that. Let’s see…
It's not that you've lost the ability to dream. This is the potential symptom of something bigger. Let's see if you recognise them.
Could your life and ideas do with a little less noise and clutter? Click through and see.
When is too much self-control simply too much?
Shift the focus- practice the art of doing good things.
Get less stressed by the lack of access and entertainment by tackling our relationship with entitlement (while enjoying Neil Gaiman in the process).
Books + dinosaurs = amazing.
I talk to Bellingen 2bbb FM about mental health impacts on freelancers. Have a listen.
Learning by doing
Get creative (and draw a line around it).
You can still learn and succeed if you step away from the hustle.
Forget people that attempt to undermine you. Listen to those that understand you and believe in you instead.
Could you do what you do for 60+ years? These guys do.
Who would have thought SimCity would be a ‘learn by doing’ moment for town planning?
Interesting ideas to ponder
Picture yourself doing great things in Melbourne, Geelong, Adelaide, Wollongong and more with Renew Australia. Like this cool idea for book lovers & writers in Wollongong.
Pitch your idea in Sydney (and other cities) for the Awesome Foundation. You could walk away with $3K this June in Sydney. Or $1K in other places.
Got something you think is beneficial to share? Get in touch.
Meet other freelancers
Come and play this March in Wollongong (tonight!), Newcastle (next week 21st March), Adelaide (26th March), Cairns (28th March), Sydney (28th March), and the Central Coast (29th March). Book through Eventbrite or Facebook.
Business development tip
You don’t have to be extroverted to succeed at business development. A lot of people tell me they are too shy or hate self-promotion. You don’t have to be the life of the party or banging on about yourself all the time to get people to listen to you.
BusDev without razzle-dazzle jazz hands-
Make sure you solve your client’s problem. Once you realise your job is to help people and tell them what that help looks like, it stops feeling so much like sales and marketing
Remember your solution about them. It’s not enough to say, “I’m an award-winning designer” or “I love writing copy and I know SEO”. You have to know where your client is hurting and how you are there to fix that
Move away from I to you statements wherever you can. “My designs help clients like you stand out from the clutter” or “I can help your customers find you when they are doing their research with great content.”
If you know how you alleviate pain and are confident in your abilities, marketing yourself seems less naff. It takes practice though.
Need help? Book me as your coach.
Final thoughts
"Self-care, at its core, is giving yourself permission to do whatever it is that you need to be okay." ~ Jen Gotch
On creative process
“If the words aren’t coming easily, it’s not because I am struggling to write, it’s because I haven’t spent enough time in the gathering state.” -Jonathan Fields
Until we meet again in here in April, maybe I shall see you online at the Patreon and Jungle Jobs (secret group for Patreon members)? Or let’s connect at the Freelance Jungle).
Embrace the Facebook goofery and have fun,
Rebekah
Rebekah