GUINNESS IS THE BEST!!!!
what the hell were we talking about again?!?!

Queen's breasts.

how could i have forgotten that!?!? duh, must have been the guinness blinding me

sounds like I should have had a few extra votes on my Black and Tan Guinness dog bella!

Rey....what kind of freelance do you do? I could use some extra income due to bad case of poverty. are you getting that for photo repair or is it for something else?
I could use some marketing advice ...I think I am going to try and make some extra $$$
fixing and restoring photogs. give advice please !
Queen I would love advice from you as well being that we are neighbors & both of a pure line! I am of the McCracken clan( No I dont know anyone named Phill).
Please advise
Michael

I do everything from Illustration to photo retouching. (photo realistic illustration)
I've gotten many connections through the agency that I work in. Get a portfolio together and go show it to anyone who will look. If you think something in your portfolio is not good enough to show then it probably isn't. Only put your best stuff forward. You can have a whole book of terriffic stuff but if there is one dud in there, that is all they will remember. Do something for someone really cheap or even for free. It will get you in the door. After that, If your work was good, they will call you back. Then you hit them with a good price. Because of the location I am in I just get calls from people I never heard of saying so and so told me about you, can you work for us. The creatives in ad agencies rotate like tires. As they leave they go somewhere else and will spread your name if they liked you. Soon your name will be all over and you will have more work than you know what to do with. I am lucky enough to work in an area where there is an ad agency on every corner.

great advice thank you sooooo much. I would love to be able to make money at this stuff.
I dont enjoy my work now but it pays good and I can put my brain on cruise controll to do my job. But I dont want to go through life on cruise control, And I wouldnt have to listen to anymore corperate ass kissing anymore! I think I am going to go and get proactive! I appreciate your response, you are a good guy for that advice! most people would say figure it out ....I had too! you da man!
Michael

Rey Rey, you have just described my modus operandi to a T--seriously. A guy came to one of my painting shows, and he was about to open this new place. So we got talking about how he wanted a stained glass piece of his logo, and wanted to hire me for that. Without his asking, I designed a logo for him, and told him he could have the jpeg of it, so that his businesscards, menus, and stained glass would all have a consistent logo. Next thing you know, he hires me to do not just the stained glass, but his bidness cards, menus, and several full-sized color ads for newspapers and magazines! I did the first magazine ad for free. That's how I got my first print ad, which is portfolio pay dirt. Two other ideas are: make a mock business card or ad for a new business in your area, and go give it to them. Say something like, "I'm a local graphics person, I'm sure you'll need signs or ads or letterhead, so I made you this as an example of my work. Welcome to the neighborhood!" If what you make for them is nice, and doesn't have your name or logo all over it, you've actually given them something for nothing. As the drug dealers say, "The first one's always free." This will generate lots of work, and also really good word-of-mouth, because no one gives something for nothing these days.

Another thing-if you live in (or near) a big city, there are lots of companies that are basically temp services--business owners call these places when they need a graphics person for a day or two, or for a specific project. Bring or send your portfolio to these agencies, and tell them to keep you in mind if they come across projects that you might be good at. You'll probably have to register, but that's usually free. Rule of thumb: when dealing with an employment agency, NEVER PAY A FEE. All fees should come from the companies that use the temps--otherwise, it's a scam.

Okay well I'm more than a couple of fried eggs, maybe. Then again, maybe not. And nubie, I voted for black/tan Bella. Bella looooves Guinness.

beat ya both combined (will be 16 years in April)

congrads and condolences tofu ...I would ask you how does your spouse deal with your PS time requirements...but after 16 years I'm guessing that too much time on the computer is not a problem.
thank you Queen your are great. awsome advice....I am feeling inspired today.
Looking foward for tomorrow. I am going to start Nubies pro career!!!!
can someone make me a buisiness card for free????? Just kidding
I'll keep y'all informed of my progress. keep the great advice coming!
Michael
P.S. I kno9w you did Queen...and I am truly grtefull

I make $ 450.00 and hour with 15 min breaks every 15 minutes.........only worked one hour last year!javascript:emoticon('')
Sad

Rey Rey and Queen ...awesome advice........you are both class acts !!!!!! KUDOS!

Couldb5150

Good start

You guys are VERY entertaining. None of us make what we're worth and I'm with Sean...working close to home and being there for the family is totally where I'm at now. Washn't always that way but it is now. Right now, I'm working in the newspaper biz and it doesn't pay well and it's a lot of work 'cause we're producing a new product every day. I liked working in the publishing field--more money and I worked for people who had brains (well, most of them, nothing's perfect). Way back, I did a lot of freelancing but protect yourself with contracts once your career starts taking off. Some people are unscrupulous and want your ideas and work for free.

There's my 2¢

One last thing, this is the ONLY industry, where people are so generous with their helpfulness and guidance. One of the many reasons I love it and can keep sane (well, that's a highly subjective statement.)

Love all you guys!

Gotta disagree a bit with you there Eve. I work as a computer programmer. I've met/seen thousands of people willing to help solve problems, guide new programmers, etc.

I think there's people like that in several industries. I think that the crowd you associate with will define whether or not you'd get the help you need.