There is no effort without error or shortcoming

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

Ang Lee: A Never-Ending Dream

Words from Ang Lee following his first Oscar win in 2006. Translation by Irene Shih, republished with permission.​

In 1978, as I applied to study film at the University of Illinois, my father vehemently objected. He quoted me a statistic: ‘Every year, 50,000 performers compete for 200 available roles on Broadway.’ Against his advice, I boarded a flight to the U.S. This strained our relationship. In the two decades following, we exchanged less than a hundred phrases in conversation.

Some years later, when I graduated film school, I came to comprehend my father’s concern. It was nearly unheard of for a Chinese newcomer to make it in the American film industry. Beginning in 1983, I struggled through six years of agonizing, hopeless uncertainty. Much of the time, I was helping film crews with their equipment or working as editor’s assistant, among other miscellaneous duties. My most painful experience involved shopping a screenplay at more than thirty different production companies, and being met with harsh rejection each time.

That year, I turned 30. There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘At 30, one stands firm.’ Yet, I couldn’t even support myself. What could I do? Keep waiting, or give up my movie-making dream? My wife gave me invaluable support.

My wife was my college classmate. She was a biology major, and after graduation, went to work for a small pharmaceutical research lab. Her income was terribly modest. At the time, we already had our elder son, Haan, to raise. To appease my own feelings of guilt, I took on all housework – cooking, cleaning, taking care of our son – in addition to reading, reviewing films and writing scripts. Every evening after preparing dinner, I would sit on the front steps with Haan, telling him stories as we waited for his mother – the heroic huntress – to come home with our sustenance (income).

This kind of life felt rather undignified for a man. At one point, my in-laws gave their daughter (my wife) a sum of money, intended as start-up capital for me to open a Chinese restaurant – hoping that a business would help support my family. But my wife refused the money. When I found out about this exchange, I stayed up several nights and finally decided: This dream of mine is not meant to be. I must face reality.

Afterward (and with a heavy heart), I enrolled in a computer course at a nearby community college. At a time when employment trumped all other considerations, it seemed that only a knowledge of computers could quickly make me employable. For the days that followed, I descended into malaise. My wife, noticing my unusual demeanor, discovered a schedule of classes tucked in my bag. She made no comment that night.

The next morning, right before she got in her car to head off to work, my wife turned back and – standing there on our front steps – said, ‘Ang, don’t forget your dream.’

And that dream of mine – drowned by demands of reality – came back to life. As my wife drove off, I took the class schedule out of my bag and slowly, deliberately tore it to pieces. And tossed it in the trash.

Sometime after, I obtained funding for my screenplay, and began to shoot my own films. And after that, a few of my films started to win international awards. Recalling earlier times, my wife confessed, ‘I’ve always believed that you only need one gift. Your gift is making films. There are so many people studying computers already, they don’t need an Ang Lee to do that. If you want that golden statue, you have to commit to the dream.’

And today, I’ve finally won that golden statue. I think my own perseverance and my wife’s immeasurable sacrifice have finally met their reward. And I am now more assured than ever before: I must continue making films.

You see, I have this never-ending dream.

Steve Jobs on creativity

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.”

​- Steve Jobs

Video Production Basic Tips

Originally posted in two parts on Be Up & Doing. Thanks to Allie for allowing me to share my tips with her readers.

I want to share a few of the basic lessons any hopeful videographer should learn. Much like photography, the best advice is to just get out and shoot shoot shoot, but following these simple points will give you a foundation to make your videos instantly better.

Audio

First and foremost is capturing good audio. Wait, what? This is supposed to be tips for shooting good video, what does audio have to do with it? Everything.

Audio is something that most people don't consciously call out, but in reality it's one of the first things a viewer picks up on. Believe it or not, viewers will forgive a video for not looking perfect, but if it has bad audio, they'll tune out and turn it off. So what can you do?

It's one of those tricky situations where you have to ask what comes first, figuring out how to get great audio or just getting better at framing your shots and overall composition (and editing, which we'll save for another day). Even if you do invest in an external microphone, which I highly recommend, they're not the end of the discussion. They will improve the sound quality over any on-camera mic, but DSLRs and entry-level cameras don't have great audio controls, which will nullify some of the benefits of an external microphone. To deal with this, professional videographers will record to an external audio recorder. You'll sync up the audio with the video track in post-production. This is why you've seen those clapper boards in behind the scenes for movies, to quickly mark the audio and video to later be synced.

But now we're talking about microphones, audio recorders, and clapper boards? Yeah, let's back up a minute. That should illustrate the importance of audio, and how it quickly becomes such a big piece of your video production. But you want to know what you can do on a budget to make your video sound better. I have two tips.

1. Don't use the camera's audio. If you're filming around town or even shots of your family, just mute the audio track when you're editing, and add a song to the background. I produced a video for Columbus startup Snapstagram that uses this technique. 

But what if you want to hear people laughing or clapping? Just lower the volume of the track to mix it in with your music and any flaws in the audio won't be as apparent.

Any music you select should be royalty free and you must have the proper permission to use it for personal or commercial use. You can find good resources at the Vimeo Music Store (free & paid) and The Music Bed (paid).

2. The second tip is something I've used in a pinch: Record audio using your iPhone (or other mobile device).

The audio quality isn't going to rival a professional microphone, but one of the biggest benefits is its small size and portability. You can stick it close to the audio source, such as on a table in front of a person speaking, and it will instantly sound better than your camera that may be three or five feet away. It's inconspicuous and you always have it on you. To me, that makes it a great backup option.

Quality microphones that plug directly into your phone are starting to become affordable, so this will only increase the viability of using a mobile device as a dedicated audio recorder on a video shoot.

Whew, that was a lot of time spent on audio basics. But hopefully it drills home one thing: audio is extremely important, and often the one thing people ignore or forget in their videos. I'll watch a video that isn't composed or lit like a Hollywood production. But if I can't hear what the person is saying, why would I stick around?

Christopher Nolan (Director of The Dark Knight and Inception) used a particularly good trick on his first film, Following. Since he knew the camera work and audio production weren't going to be exceptional, he shot the first key scene at his school. He used their professional grade audio and stabilization equipment to establish a level of quality, and to give him time to suck the viewer in with the story. Once you're drawn into the story, which happens during this scene and in the first 10 minutes, you're much more forgiving of the rest of the movie for some shaky handheld camera work and not-so-perfect audio. Don't be shy about using any trick you can dream up to make your video better.

Aside from audio, the other tips are a bit more simple and straightforward.

Lighting

Consider your lighting. You don't need a professional lighting kit to make a video look great. In fact, so many cameras like the Canon DSLRs are ridiculously good in low and natural light, so take advantage of it. 

If you have a big window, sit your subject in front of that window. The would be known as your "key light." Make sure it's at a slight angle so they don't squint from the sun shining in their eyes. Also, be on the lookout for shadows. Unless you specifically want the look of hard shadows on your subject's face, it's best to avoid it. What you can do is add another light source on the opposite side of their face, known professionally as a "fill light" to soften the shadows. A small lamp is perfect for this. I've even used an iPad at full brightness before.

If you're looking for something a little more concrete, the outstanding video production team stillmotion put together a tutorial on how to light an interview for $26. 

Stabilization

Finally, the last point is stabilization. A shaky shot can turn people off, and even make some people suffer from motion sickness. Once in awhile, this can be used to great effect, and is often most associated with movies like The Bourne Ultimatum. Chances are you don't want your video to look like an action thriller.

Place the camera on a table or counter. Find items to stack under it to raise its height, just make sure you hold it with both hands so it doesn't tip over. A cheap tripod from Amazon can work wonders. Anything that increases your points of contact with your body and stable surfaces like a table or the ground will improve the image quality. If you must shoot handheld without any type of camera support, tuck your elbows as tightly into your sides as you can, and avoid moving too much.

For now, those tips should help you get started. Technical details will come later. If you know basics of photography, most of those details translate. ISO, shutter speed, aperture, frame rate. I'll mention one more thing. Of those, there's one in particular you need to look out for and it's shutter speed. It should be as close to double your frame rate as your camera settings will allow. For 24p (24 frames per second), shoot at 1/50 (ideally 1/48) shutter speed. If you're shooting at 60p, set the shutter speed to 1/125 (ideally 1/120).

I'm always willing to answers questions as best as I can, so tweet me or email me with any you might have.

The role of customer service in cases of theft

I worked in retail for quite a while, almost 5 years. For a large portion of that time, I worked directly in customer service.

I came across a blog post today titled, "Your Kindle got stolen? Don't count on Amazon's help." To sum it up, a blogger named Ausir from Poland fell into the unfortunate situation of having their Kindle stolen. Ausir contacted Amazon support, who told them an official police correspondence was necessary to provide any information on the alleged thief. After filing a police report and the police contacting Amazon on the victim's behalf, Amazon reversed course and said it needed a court order to provide any information.

While that is certainly frustrating, Amazon's fault here is not being clear or accurate in their initial communication with the customer. Amazon is not at fault for not freely passing along user information at every request (even from a police officer).

Ausir writes: "I guess Amazon values the thieves as their customers more than they value me as one."

That's just so wrong.

Working in customer service, you, unfortunately and undoubtedly, come across at least one person who wants to report their device as stolen, and they want you to provide the information linked to the account.

Regardless of any proof one may have, this is not something a (potentially part-time, $10/hour) customer service rep should be handling. It's a matter for a police investigation and the company's corporate legal and/or customer service teams.

Perhaps more common than theft were these scenarios: Losing a device. Selling a device. Giving a device to a loved one (or formerly loved one).

Customer service providing the name, phone number, email, and physical address registered to a device every time someone said it was stolen would be reckless. It doesn't matter if you have a receipt. It doesn't matter if you have the serial number.

Consider this: You buy a used cell phone, hoping to save a little cash. You purchase it from someone you've never met, using some type of online listing service. You pay hard earned cash for that phone. Then the seller reports it stolen to Manufacturer X. They get your address or phone number. They start harassing you, or just come right over and take the phone back. Don't be silly, they kept your money, too.

While that may not be overwhelmingly likely, here's one scenario that may just be: A boyfriend buys a phone for his girlfriend. Six months later they break up. The boyfriend hears his ex has someone else in her life. He wants to find out. Since the phone was purchased on his credit card, maybe even registered under his name at one point, he goes to Company Y and requests the current registered user information. And because he seems so trustworthy, the customer service rep gives him the information. He goes to kindly introduce himself to the new boyfriend. 

Wait, let's back up. Maybe the girlfriend had a restraining order on the old boyfriend. Maybe he's not going to kindly introduce himself.

The point being, you can see there are reasons privacy laws and policies are the way they are. A customer service rep acting the part of detective is simply a liability, even if it's out of the kindness of their heart.

I've had my car broken into. Twice. The first time, the police caught the culprits a few days later with a truckload of stuff. They had proof they were the ones in my area. Could I come claim my stuff? Nope. Not unless I had a detailed inventory of every item in my car that was missing. Not worth it for what amounted to a radio and a few CD's.

The second time, I called the police to report it. They said they were busy and would call back, but there was probably nothing they could do. They didn't even call back.

Now, I'm not saying just because the police were less than helpful that all act in that way. I'm also not saying that it's a lost cause to try to get your stolen stuff back. I guess the point is, there is always the burden of proof on the accuser in these kinds of cases, and it generally should be that way. Otherwise simple accusations suddenly carry a lot more weight. 

And anyway, the only person who should be carrying out vigilante justice is Batman.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at 48fps

Before I write anything about the topic, you should read Vincent Laforet's in-depth post about The Hobbit. It's a long post. I'll wait. The man watched it in 3D HFR (high frame rate), 3D, and 2D all in the same day!

To quickly catch anyone up to speed who hasn't followed The Hobbit or isn't sure what 48fps is: Director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) set out to make The Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. At some point in the process, they decided to film the entire thing at 48 frames per second. Movies have always been filmed at 24 frames per second, so this is completely new territory. The goal Jackson hoped to achieve was for the film to be a more immersive, realistic performance. A big task, considering the main characters are hobbits, dwarves, orcs, and goblins.

I just have a few quick thoughts.

Someone referred to this as "The Hobbit situation."

Seriously. It's not a "situation." It was a choice by a filmmaker to try something new. That's what creativity has been about since the beginning of time: having an idea and trying it. Some are successful, some are downright failures, and others take time and iteration to make an impact.

As Vincent puts it:

I recommend any filmmaker out there try doing this – as it will reaffirm so many of the things that make film "magical" and ultimately what differentiates the medium from all other forms of entertainment and visual media.  For some, HFR will be a potential a new tool in their arsenal for telling certain types of stories in a new and exciting way, while others will be reminded of why the 2D format at 24 fps has stood the test of time for so long.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Peter Jackson's choice to film The Hobbit at 48fps, other than the fact that it's different than the norm. In a lot of cases it doesn't work. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say 15-20% of the movie just looks really awful at 48 frames per second. Other times, it's beautiful. Sounds a lot like 3D in general.

I have a difficult time trying to justify why Jackson would put out something that looks bad, and at times, The Hobbit just doesn't look right. But it's not a complete failure. It was trying something new, and will most definitely be improved in the future. Maybe it's going to take different camera, lighting, and set design techniques to make the extra frames blend into the picture.

When a change can affect the film in such a negative way, I understand the outcry against it. For me, the final nail in the 3D coffin was when I saw Captain America. It added nothing to the experience, and in many cases detracted from the film. To date, the only 3D experience I've ever truly enjoyed was watching Avatar. It felt like the best kind of theme park ride into a completely new world. Other than that one experience, it's distracting, unnecessary, and often times just plain bad.

I wouldn't recommend seeing The Hobbit HFR if you aren't curious about the look and the technology of the process. It will be distracting at many points in the film. If you are a filmmaker or film enthusiast, absolutely see it. This is the first time someone has tried something radically different in a major film since when? 3D has been around for 100 years. There's a lot to study in The Hobbit and figuring out what works and what doesn't and why with your own eyes is interesting, to say the least.

The great thing is, it's still being released in the standard 24 fps, so it is entirely possible to see the movie without even considering this attempt at advancing the technology of film. I'm discouraged reading so many reviews that only focus on the high frame rate, when many people won't even have that option at their theaters. The Hobbit was released on about 450 screens at 3D HFR. It's being released on over 4000 screens in total.

But, I guess it's something to talk about, which is why I'm compelled to write about it now.

And to me, that's the greatness of film. Films encourage debate, challenge ideas, thrill you, make you laugh, and bring you to tears. Whether with the storytelling, technology, or subject matter, each film is its own experience.

Look, 48 fps just didn't work as well as Peter Jackson had hoped (at least in audiences eyes), but that doesn't make it a bad thing. It's something different. Just like many say they hate films shot digitally rather than shot on film, it all comes down to personal opinion.

As for the movie itself? I liked it. It wasn't Lord of the Rings, but it didn't need to be. It definitely felt a little long, but I liked the characters and the story they set up, and I'm anxiously awaiting part two.

What to charge for freelance work

This is a question a lot of people ask. What should I charge? What am I worth?

If you've done any research, you'll probably realize that there's no one right answer. A combination of what you do, your skill level, and your client all make up an ideal rate for a project.

An hourly rate

The first thing you need to do is figure out what you feel is a good hourly rate. Maybe this is where you're stuck. That's ok, we'll work through it. What you first need to consider is: how much would you like to reasonably make? If you're just starting out, the best advice is to follow your gut. If $50/hour seems too high for the work you can deliver, maybe it is. If $30/hour seems a little low, again, it probably is. You have to consider that as a freelancer, you're no longer getting health benefits. You no longer have the guarantee of a full-time job offering you 40 hours a week. No sick pay and no vacation time. And don't forget taxes, which as a self-employed person, you now have to pay more, around a third of your income. You are also, theoretically, a specialist in your field that is being hired specifically for those skills. Maybe $50/hour isn't so crazy after all. (Maybe after considering everything relative to your skill level, $100/hour isn't so crazy, either.) 

The next thing to consider is: what is your bottom dollar? If someone hires you for $20/hour, booking 50 hours of your time will only cost them $1000. Charging too little will sink you. You'll get bad jobs and they will take up too much time. If you're dedicating all that time to one underpaying client, you won't be able to pursue other work, take on new projects, or have any time away from work.

Generally speaking, I try to avoid taking on projects on an hourly basis, and I'll discuss why below. Ultimately, this number should serve as your baseline. If you are consistently getting work and getting better, start to raise that number. After a year, give yourself a raise, just like any other job. If you have stuck with freelancing for a year, you've definitely learned a ton of lessons and should have almost certainly increased your skill level.

You might make some mistakes on your first few projects. We all do. You may charge too little, or they may just not turn out very good. That's nothing to be afraid of, it happens. But if it feels like you're not making what you are worth or are being taken advantage of, you probably are. The best advice I can give is to wrap up those projects and go your separate ways. Once you get a feel of how much time you're putting into work and how much you're coming away with each month is when you can make a truly informed decision on how much you should charge.

Your skill level

This is the big question mark, especially when starting out. How good am I? Can I do what they want?

You should have some idea of what you are capable of and what you can deliver. You will make mistakes and learn new things along the way. Some projects won't go as well as you had hoped, but hopefully that's a small number in comparison to the bigger picture.

This is the single biggest thing that will increase your rates. If you're a web designer, come up with some personal projects you want to pursue, or make a website for a friend or family member. If you're a videographer, make a short film with your friends, or just go film around your town. If you're a photographer, you have no excuse to not be taking pictures every single day. Make mistakes on these projects so you'll make less on the big ones. You'll learn about design, lighting, audio, etc.

As you have better projects in your portfolio, your value becomes more obvious. Sprinkle this in with some client work and you'll soon have an impressive website. Bigger companies and opportunities will come calling.

If you're not sure you're ready for freelance work or don't feel like you can charge a fair rate yet, this is even more important. Do as much as you can to improve your skills. Read, consume work from those that inspire you, and get involved in some communities built around your craft. As you get better, people will start noticing your work. Maybe a successful freelancer will bring you on to help out with their project when they get too busy or need more help. I know I've done this multiple times. This will build relationships and suddenly you have someone you can trust who you can just ask: "Hey, what should I be charging for this stuff?"

Freelance project rates

As I said above, I like to book projects on a flat rate rather than hourly. This can be a rate per day or for the entire project.

One reason is that it's much simpler. As you take on more work, you'll get a better idea of how long it takes you to complete a task. You'll also get better as you repeat those tasks and come up with systems for your work. You shouldn't be punished for working quickly, after all, your client should be paying for your experience as much as the labor of your services. Estimate how long you expect a project to take, including things like meeting times, travel, and revisions. Come up with a number based on your comfortable hourly rate multiplied by the total time you expect to take.

If you do this, then you're not tracking every minute in a spreadsheet or on paper. There aren't questions about if time spent on phone calls are charged by the hour, because they should be built in to your flat rate. A 15 minute phone call might not seem like it's worth charging for if you charge $40/hour. If your client makes six 15 minute phone calls over the course of a project, that's suddenly an hour and a half of your time that you didn't get paid for.

I base my day rate on 10 hours. On some projects, a day may be 12 hours, others it's 8 or 9 hours. You'll feel this out as you get more work.

Another advantage is that it's easier to manage your schedule. If someone hires you for 20 hours of your time, they may need two hours a day for the next 10 days. Or, you could say 20 hours is two full days or four half days, and that you'll exclusively work on their project between these times. I've found this to be really helpful during revisions. When I say, "Ok, I've blocked off 10 hours on Tuesday to make any necessary changes, I'll need all your feedback by then," things are much more organized than if I add one bit of feedback on Friday, get more on Monday, add it, more on Wednesday, and so on. 

In the end, you might be making what you made if you charged hourly. Occasionally, you'll make less. This can suck, but it happens. The lesson here is to be very clear up front about your services and terms. Usually this happens when tasks continue to be added to the project, it wasn't represented correctly, or you just miscalculated. The first two issues can be resolved with a clear contract. The third, you'll just have to learn for the next time. To avoid this as much as you can, be clear not only about the terms, but also what any extra charges may be if, for instance, there is an extra set of revisions. As long as the reasons for another round of revisions aren't you fault, the client should understand that it's outside of your original agreement and be ok with paying you for the extra time.

The magic with charging a flat rate, though, is that on some projects, you may make more than your normal hourly rate because things went smoothly. That's great, because if things went well that means the client should be thrilled. Guess what? They no longer care if they just paid you $100/hour. You totally wowed them.

So, what should I charge?

Sadly, there is still no exact answer. Hopefully some of my writing has brought up points you didn't consider, or maybe didn't consider strongly enough. Like with all areas of freelancing and creative work, a large part of it is following your gut and listening to your head. If you keep thinking you should be making more money, you probably should. If you're afraid you can't offer good value, you may want to proceed with caution.

Figure out a good hourly number. How many hours do you want to work to make a living? Figure out how many projects you can reasonably take on, and be smart about scheduling out your time. Improve your skills, hone your craft, and maybe even focus in on a niche market. As you can better serve your clients, you can ask for more money. It's a process, and with some practice, you'll figure out what works for you.

(Disclaimer: I shouldn't have to say this, but here it is anyway. If you need financial advice, you should always seek out a trusted, professional financial advisor. I am not one. I am simply sharing some practices that have worked for me as a freelancer.)

Before you steal my video

I recently came across multiple YouTube videos where the uploaders had ripped my video from Vimeo, added their own music, and re-uploaded it as their own.

To their credit, a couple of the videos listed my name in the description, and one even linked to the original video. But some of the videos ran YouTube ads, which meant these people were, theoretically, directly profiting from using my work.

I issued a copyright claim through Google, to which they quickly responded and took down the offending videos. I had one of the uploaders email me to apologize and asked that I reconsider or at least explain why I filed the claim. It comes down to one simple point: I make a living making videos, and my reputation as a filmmaker is all I have.

It's a funny problem to have, someone stealing your work. On one hand, it's kind of flattering. Knowing that you made something good enough that people want to steal it. I'm all for a free and open internet, which is why I give away all of my videos for free, including my 25-minute documentary that I spent thousands of dollars and nearly a year making.

The problem is that without knowing how my video is being displayed (and where), I don't know what image is being put forth of my work. Particularly the people who have participated in my videos as models, actors, or themselves. Their image is now being used to promote a song or website that they may not be comfortable with.

It's a problem that will never go away, and will only increase as I make more videos, hopefully increasing both in quality and popularity. It's kind of like critics – once you have some, you finally feel like you've arrived.

But my message to anyone who wants to take my work without permission is simple: just ask. If you want to collaborate on a project, I'd gladly consider it. Some common courtesy goes a long way. I never want to stop people that are enthusiastic about sharing my work. Let's just work together, instead of against each other.

Thoughts on Filmmaking

Over the past 12 months, I've realized that my passion is directing and producing projects. While I love the technical aspects, learning how to use new equipment, and having my hands directly on how something looks or sounds, I really enjoy bringing a team of people together and letting them work on the project with me. It allows me to focus on the overall vision while building a relationship with people that are extremely talented in their areas of expertise. In the end, the product is much richer and greater than the sum of its parts. Hopefully I'll be able to continue down this path and bring even bigger projects and teams together. That's the plan, anyway.

Bringing a team together is an exciting and challenging experience, especially in the realm no-budget filmmaking. These are people that are passionate about their craft and like your idea enough to dedicate all of their energy to it. Magic is the only way to describe it. As the director, you have to be conscious of providing your team something challenging enough that will be rewarding and valuable to them, but being mindful of the fact that they providing their time for little or no money.

Any person that creates something, whether a movie, a song, or an iPhone app does so because they want to connect with people. They have a talent and they want to use that talent. They want people to get something of value from what they've created, whether it's a deeper meaning behind the song they've written that helps them get through a difficult time, or spending a few minutes of their day watching their short film and enjoying the ride. 

I recently made a 25-minute documentary on photography, Portrait. It was an awesome experience that I've written about in detail. I considered the option to enter it into film festivals, and I may still decide to do that, at least for ones that don't mind if your film is already available freely online. At 25 minutes, Portrait was at an interesting crossroads. It was too long to really be considered a "short" film (though by definition, it is), and it was far too short to be a feature-length documentary. But at 25 minutes, it was exactly as long as I felt it needed to be. I felt everything in the film had its place, and I did not want to destroy that to satisfy some qualifications of a film festival that Portrait may not be accepted to screen. It was also risky, though, to release a 25 minute film online, considering the attention deficit disorder inducing nature of the internet. 

Working as a freelance videographer, you fight for videos for be shorter and shorter. When a client says a video needs to be "about 10 minutes," you die a little inside. And it's true, if a video is longer than a few minutes, many people won't watch it. Others will bookmark it for later and may come back, or may not. Certainly, if it doesn't appeal to them in the first minute or so, they won't bother to watch the remaining 24. But people watched it, and they loved it. In the first week, over 30,000 people watched it. After the first month, Portrait is at just a hair under 50,000 views. Multiple people said it was the perfect length, that it let the film have room to build naturally and not be rushed. I can only recall two comments that said it was too long, and of them, they only said it could have been "about five minutes shorter." Not twenty. I have even more respect for a filmmaker like Peter Jackson who dares to make most of his movies three hours long. For one, it's incredibly hard to cut things you love, and I now have better appreciation for that. But two, and more importantly, is that people can have a longer attention span than we give them credit for. It's just a matter of telling a story worth sharing.

All of this is to say that filmmaking is an intensely passionate and personal thing. You make a film because an idea or a subject takes hold in your mind that you can't shake. A story you want to tell or a topic you want to explore. For me it was looking at the creative process through the lens of photography, and how different people with different objectives approach it. Decisions I made, with respect to resources, budget, time, and scope, were ultimately personal decisions. 

I put Portrait online, for free, because I wanted as many people to watch it as possible. I am happy and humbled to sit here today, knowing that 50,000 people watched Portrait, with one description of it as "...a beautifully shot documentary that may remind many of you of why you fell in love with the art in the first place." The alternative was to go the festival route and try to sell it. I could have made a few bucks that way, and maybe even gained more "acclaim" if it had been accepted to festivals. If it had won awards, I guess I could call it my "award-winning" documentary. But how many people would have seen it? 1,000? 5,000? Maybe. Probably not. And I'm guessing not 50,000.

I took a chance, and it was the right choice for this project. Portrait is about creation in a digital age, and what better way to share it than to embrace the internet's ultimate equalizer: freedom. Portrait is free to all with internet access and a web browser. It can help someone on their journey or be thought-provoking. Or they can not watch it at all.

That's the scary part of this, particularly when you're also trying to make a living doing what you love. Maybe one day I'll make something that one million people watch. Or, more likely, maybe my next video will get under 100 views.

As I was approaching the end of post-production for Portrait and preparing for its release, I started focusing on what my next major project would be. I just recently finished the first draft of a script for a film. I sent the first draft to a couple friends to read, and then I started thinking: what if no one likes this idea? What if I put all this time and effort into it and it goes nowhere?

I guess that's the nature of filmmaking. And all creative pursuits, really. To block out both rational and irrational fears. To follow your gut and know that if you push forward through the uncertainty, good things will happen.

I read two blog posts recently that moved me and helped push me forward on my journey. I'd like to share them, with some thoughts as they relate to these very creative pursuits.

Writing

"The blank page of any project — writing, exercising, making, learning, doing — is paralyzing. It’s the weight of great expectations and unmet aspiration. It’s the fear of finding out that you’re no good, of failing, of looking stupid. It’s laziness. It’s the specter of busyness that looms over your shoulder saying you don’t have the time and energy for this, to do it “right” — and you listen."

- Janet Choi, "Getting in the Writing Place Every Day"

Writing, or more specifically starting to write, as the quote above states, can be paralyzing. Working on my first narrative feature-length script (outside of a previous screenwriting class in college), knowing that it's on me to come up with interesting ideas and to tell a compelling story was, at times, pretty frightening. It still is, as a few people are just now starting to read the words I've written. I have no idea if what was in my head came out on paper in the way I had hoped.

Writing is a process. Doing is the most important thing of all. Write, write, write. If it's not good, you can delete it. But every idea is worth writing down. You never know when you'll come back to it. I have also found that the more I write, the more ideas tend to come to me. Once I start writing, I sometimes can't write the ideas down fast enough. I thought of this sentence at least two sentences ago, and now it's probably different than I originally had in mind.

That's the great thing about writing. It's organic, and it can be whatever you want. Creativity is nothing more than taking your ideas and actually making something from them. Writing, photography, film... it only takes true skill and talent to become great. It takes very little skill to get started.

Leading

"The combination of clarity and freedom is what makes work a joy; one without the other is where you find frustration. When you have great freedom, but an incomplete understanding of the goal, you’re likely to invest hours of effort in a futile attempt to hit a target you can’t see."

- Brian Bailey, "Clarity and Freedom"

If I am going to be a director, I need to understand what qualities I do and do not like in a leader. I need a better understanding of how to continue to foster creativity, passion, and enjoyment towards these projects as my teams and budgets (hopefully) grow.

Be thoughtful in what you say, but don't regret saying what needs to be said.

There's being mean and then there's being truthful. Some people will interpret truthiness as meanness. Generally they have a very narrow perspective. This is both true when talking about being a leader and being led. Vague instruction or direction leads to confusion, lack of inspiration, and lack of trust.

It can be scary, but do it.

This relates both to the point above and to working as a creative in general. It never really gets less scary. As you get better, the stakes just get higher. It's not always easy to say what needs to be said, or to try a project and potentially fail, but if you're following some combination of your brain, heart, and gut, you'll do ok.

"The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It's the same thing, fear, but it's what you do with it that matters."

- Cus D'Amato

If you say what needs to be said and follow your heart, people will respect you.

People will respect you and your principles. If they don't respect you speaking up, if they try to take advantage of you, or only care about themselves, you don't want to work with them. Everyone is programmed to look out for themselves first, and that's ok. But as someone trying to get their start or to build a business or an idea into reality, you can't lose sight of that fact either. Don't let someone take advantage of you and convince yourself that it's all in the name of "progress."

As long as you are being reasonable, there are no consequences to speaking your mind. 

You may find out, however, that certain people don't want to work with you when they realize they can't walk all over you. Be proud of that fact. If you consider losing that relationship or that work a consequence, then so be it. You shouldn't want to work with someone that doesn't value open communication.

Follow through with what you say.

The most frustrating part of being on a team is when someone else doesn't follow through. "Things will be different next time." ... "We're working on changes and improvements." ... "You'll get more responsibility in the next round of projects." 

If those promises don't see the light of day after 6 months, start looking at your options and consider if you want to continue down this road.

These are the types of people or projects where the promise of the future is always better than the present. This is always a major reason why I don't take free or discounted work, even if it will apparently "lead to more paid work in the future." I also don't ask people to work for free if they're going to work for me. The rare exception is when there is a mutually beneficial end goal or if someone offers to volunteer their time. Ultimately, if you're not invested, you're going to lose interest. If you're not taking steps towards the next progressions in your career, you'll get burnt out.

Working as a creative

The feeling that the floor is always about to fall out from under you... does it ever go away? I don't think so, and it probably shouldn't. It is what keeps you moving. If you sit and think about it too long, you'll think you can't handle it. If you just keep moving, everything keeps working.

Ben Affleck was a so-so actor. Some hits, some big misses. He's an incredible director. His movies, Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo have been huge successes and excellent films in the minds of critics and fans. He's cast himself as the lead in two of his three movies. When asked why, he responded that he never knows if this might be his last chance. He's going to cast himself because he doesn't know if anyone else will.

I can appreciate this sentiment even more after working my first year as a freelancer. To sum it up with a quote from David Fincher's The Social Network:

"Yes. Everyone at Harvard's inventing something. Harvard undergraduates believe that inventing a job is better than finding a job. So, I'll suggest again that the two of you come up with a new new project."

- Larry Summers, as played by Douglas Urbanski

It's more than that. It's not just "better" but it's required. The process of creating a job for oneself is critical in the creative world. No one is just going to hand you a title or money to pursue a project. You have to convince people that you and your projects are worth something. Because that is a never-ending journey, you have to pursue what matters to you, and be willing to pass on what is not. If you keep taking on the same projects, you'll never break out into what you really want to become.

Make time for side projects. I have two websites that are for fun. If I learn and grow from the experience, even in failure, it's been worth it. If just one person gets something out of what I produce, it's been a success in some way. And don't ignore that side projects can become your main projects. I may be wrong, but I believe this is the key is happiness. 

Everyone has a lot of little things that make them happy. What if you could make a living out of it? Chances are, you probably can. You just need to be willing to work, learn, fail, and grow before you can succeed. Make the small steps everyday to progress on each of those goals. Eventually one or more will be successful. Anyone who's transitioned from a full-time job to freelance has done this. You take small steps, small projects, and eventually you can maintain a lifestyle from your work. The even better part is that these things can change over time. Whether small, like my preference to direct projects instead of handling the cinematography, or huge, like deciding you don't want to do web design and decide to work towards becoming a photographer.

There is no single path. There is no one right answer. The key is to keep moving forward, through the good times and the bad. Take the time to learn from your progress, but don't dwell on mistakes for too long. The lessons you learn from those mistakes will be put to task on your next project, or the one after that. 

It all comes down to getting started, and if you take those first steps, you've already achieved more than most.

Don't stop there.

ShipStation

I was recently contacted by the awesome team from ShipStation. They were interested in putting together a promo video featuring one of their customers – Allison Alexander of KidsFlyToo.com.

The team at ShipStation couldn't be nicer, and it showed not only through our collaboration, but also in all the wonderful things Allison had to say about their support.

I can’t recommend ShipStation enough if you are running an online e-commerce business. I'm just glad I had a chance to help them out with this video, not only to connect with new customers, but to share a little bit of Allison's awesome story.

A few words from ShipStation:

After spending countless hours searching for, and researching video companies that would help us bring our shining customer testimonial to life, we found Andy Newman! At first we were highly drawn to his unbelievable portfolio, his observant eye, his artistic style, and his knack for bringing out the best in his subjects. Well, we were absolutely right about Andy. His filming process was articulate and professional. He was very respectful and considerate of our timelines, expectations and our vision, and his work was amazing! He provided a final video that simply blew our socks off!  It was cutting edge and exactly what we wanted! More importantly, this is what our customer, KidsFlyToo, had to say: “Today was so much fun! Thanks for including me! You guys picked an awesome crew to work with!” Well, thank you Allison, and thank YOU Andy, for helping ShipStation tell yet another successful story of how we are changing the lives of online business owners everywhere…everyday.

What people are saying

Last Tuesday, I released a 25 minute documentary online. Portrait is about exploring the approach and mindset of a professional photographer and an avid Instagram user. I was so lucky to be able to follow Andria and Cory, to share their feelings, and connect with a lot of people. A lot of people.

I've been blown away by the response. It's risky to release a video that is 25 minutes long and expect people to sit at their computers and watch it. But if it's good enough, engaging enough, and people care about it, they will watch it. And they have.

As I write this, halfway through the sixth day after Portrait's premiere, over 27,000 people have watched it. That's amazing.

As I was planning and making Portrait, I had a few objectives. I approached the topic because I was truly interested in it. I'm fascinated by the creative process, and if I can uncover bits and pieces of different people's creative process through filmmaking, I will continue to do so. I also knew a lot of people would be interested in something like this. But I didn't want to just use this as a teaching tool or to prove some type of point like many documentaries. More than anything, I just wanted to show that normal people with drive and passion can follow their dreams. They can do whatever they want if they channel that passion into the energy they put into their work.

One of the most amazing feelings is hearing someone say you or your work has inspired them. Inspired them to follow their dreams, to make their own movie, or to become a better photographer. Those are the types of comments that have been directed towards Portrait and the people that put their time and energy into making this film (thank you Andria, Cory, Zach, Jonathan, all who made appearances in Portrait, and my awesome Kickstarter backers).

I've linked to a number of blogs that have mentioned or featured Portrait over the last six days, including Instagram, Photojojo ("Fantastic"), PetaPixel, FStoppers ("Intriguing"), ISO 1200 ("Amazing"), Columbus Alive, Filmmaker IQ, Digital Photography Review, and many more. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and below are some of my favorite comments, including some taken from Portrait's comments on Vimeo.

- - -

"...a beautifully shot documentary that may remind many of you of why you fell in love with the art in the first place."

"...a lesson in inspiration and how to find it, when to say no to certain projects, and how to define your art in a world of artists."

"...a beautiful story showing Instagramers and Photographers are not living in two different worlds and really just share the same feelings and passion."

“Thank you for the coolest 25 minutes of my day!”

"Love this! So interesting and very inspiring."

"Highlighted all the reasons I love photography"

"I love this documentary, out of all the ones I've seen this one I could watch over and over."

"It was personally exactly what I needed to see right now."

"Beautiful shots, incredible story--was engaged, inspired & blown away. Thank you for this--what a life this universe has born..."

"I want to thank you for making such an inspiring film, it answers some of my question regarding to my photography path as I've been stuck for quite a while."

"The stories being told are so genuine and true."

"Pictures from her are a speciality, something you can't get everyday, pictures from him are the everyday that everyone else can join in on and be a part of. Neither are better over the other, but compliment each other in the field of photography, one is more specialized while the other is 'connected' and with less of an emphasis on photography itself. But, both are still focused on people and their lives, the human factor will always be the most important."

- - - 

From San Francisco to Hong Kong, from Honduras to New Zealand, from Germany to Spain. This is what people are saying about Portrait.

I'm blown away.

All I can ask of you is this: Go inspire someone today.

Thank you.

If You Want A Discount, Read This First

From "Speaking for Yourself" by Merlin Mann (via Marco Arment):

Things cost money. People either pay for them, or they don’t.

We are gentlemen, and we can disagree on value, but it’s unseemly to tell another gentleman what he’s worth. Learn this fast fast fast.

Any creative professional knows what it is like to have someone ask for discounted or free work.

There are a lot of problems with working for a discount. Below are just a few that come to mind.

Everybody is less invested with the project. It's very simple when you think about it. Have you ever had a really nice pair of sunglasses? I used to go through pair after pair of cheap sunglasses worth $20 or less. I would drop them, break them, and lose them. I didn't care. I picked them off the shelf at the drug store, so I'd just replace them with another pair. Over the course of a few years, I couldn't tell you how much I spent on sunglasses. So when I bought my first "expensive" (over $100 but less than $200) pair of sunglasses, I suddenly cared. In three or four years of owning them, not once did I drop or scratch them.

I was invested. I knew the value of the product and that they couldn't be easily replaced by another cheap alternative.

Creative services can be similar. If you can't afford a videographer that wants to charge $3000 for a wedding, that's ok. But don't ask that same videographer to work for a fraction of the price. For any reason.

(Read: Why Video is Expensive)

It's ok to seek out someone that's in your price range. Just realize that a cheaper alternative may not be able to provide the quality, experience, or value you are looking for out of your project. So is the money or the quality more important? (It's totally fair if the answer is that the money is more important.)

I appreciate it when people realize my time is as valuable as their time. When someone does their best to figure out how we can make a project happen in a fair situation, I do everything I can to make it work. 

(Tip: Don't just ask what it would cost to create something. Explain what you want and send any relevant details. Then ask for a rough quote based on the information provided. I can just give you my "day rate," but that number may seem high unless you realize what I'm providing and what it will take for the project to be a success.)

Another issue, especially for video, is that it often takes a team of people to complete a project. So if you're asking me for a discount on a big project that requires multiple resources, that means you're also asking me to ask those people for discounts. I don't want to be someone who asks friends and colleagues for free or cheap work.

Regarding work for charity or non-profits... a lot of people assume this means you should want to work for free. I care about a lot of causes.

But if I want to donate my time to a project or a charity, I will offer it. Just because it is your charity doesn't mean I'll jump at the chance to donate my time.

If you think, for some reason, that you should be given a discount on your project, write me a five paragraph essay explaining why. I'll read it. But, if that sounds as ridiculous as I think it does, please reconsider before you ask me to work for free. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, a "great piece for my portfolio" is still not an accepted form of payment for my rent.

Succeed Until You Fail Again

You'll learn more from your failures than your successes.​

I'm positive some famous figure from history or a Chinese proverb has said as much before.​

Create constantly. Think. Be curious. Consume what inspires you. Fail. Try again. Succeed until you fail again. And then do it again.​

Jungle Jack Hanna

As part of OnScene Productions, I had the opportunity to cover Content Marketing World in Columbus last week.

"Jungle" Jack Hanna was the closing speaker for the conference and he brought along his animal buddies for a visit.

We had the chance to sit down with him for a brief interview, and he shared this valuable lesson: Be yourself.

Produced by OnScene Productions, Director Eric Leslie

Andy Newman, Camera – Zach Frankart, Camera & Audio – Dan Hoffman, Editor

Why Video Is Expensive

There are some great articles as to why photography isn't free or cheap.

Let me start by saying video isn't expensive. Including the companies that spend a million dollars on a thirty second commercial. It's all about value. If you don't consider value as your top priority (or as the producer can't communicate valu), the numbers really don't matter. Value can be had for $1,000 or $1,000,000 depending on your situation and perspective.

But to talk about some numbers for a minute, video production is very similar to photography. Especially in today's world where so many videographers (myself included) actually shoot video on a DSLR, a lot of the equipment and costs are the same.

Here are some things to consider when looking to schedule a video shoot:

The camera. That's the most important thing, right? good, professional (and current model) camera is going to cost at least $3,500. Many production companies and people with the money to afford it are moving to the Canon C300 or RED cameras. They cost the equivalent of a new Honda Civic (or more).

You can get by on less. I did for awhile. Eventually it will catch up to you, usually at the worst possible moment.

The lights. Lighting is the single most important thing in making a video look great. To get a professional kit, you're looking at another $2,000 or more. There are lights for photography that can cost over $10,000 a piece. Crazy, huh?

The audio. This is actually the most important thing to a great video. Wait, did I just say the camera, lights, and audio are all the most important things to a great video? (Yes.)

A basic audio setup ith a professional grade microphone and recorder is another $1,000. If you want to get wild, well, the sky is the limit.

The people. The people! They are the ones you've hired, after all. It's their years of experience that you're relying on, the mistakes they've made in the past that they won't make again, their efficiency, resources, quality, and creativity. They're the real secret sauce!

But before they can even walk in the door, they need that experience, and all the equipment listed above. And batteries, memory cards, enses... you get the idea.

The time. The big multiplier in the equation. A small production will usually take a half day, anywhere from 3-5 hours. Other productions may require much more time, and possibly travel.

After the production is complete, on to post-production. The editor can spend anywhere from a single day to weeks mporting, organizing, syncing, editing, color grading, adding graphics, exporting, revising, exporting, revising, and exporting again. All on a computer powerful enough to render high definition video and software ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

This isn't to say a good video needs to cost $20,000. Quite the contrary. The point is those budgets exist, and are often totally justified. The key is to recognize and respect all the components that go into a production to determine its true value.

If the goal is to attract new customers with your video or to remember your wedding day forever, consider the true value that represents to you.

Just don't be surprised if you contact someone and their rates are much higher than you expected. They probably wouldn't be asking that much f they weren't confident in their abilities and of the value they have provided previous clients. Chances are, if you want to hire them, a lot of other people do, too.

We also won't be offended if your budget just doesn't match our rates. Just don't ask us to sacrifice the quality of our work in order to get a discount. And never ask someone to work for free. We value our time as much as you value your own.

The point here isn't to talk down to anyone. It's also not about trying to nickel and dime a client. The point is that there is fair value for everything. What you can afford may not match up, so it's a matter of determining what is most important to you.

How I Would Run Twitter

Twitter has been undergoing a lot of changes lately. They're shifting from being a startup that hopes to make money to a company​ that generates revenue and profits. This isn't a bad thing, especially if you like using Twitter (I do), and hope it sticks around. Most people won't really notice the changes. Even the in-stream Promoted Tweets (ads) aren't really that distracting.

​What has been a little concerning is how Twitter is changing their attitude in regards to how people interact with the service. Without apps like Tweetie, Twitterrific, and Tweetbot, Twitter wouldn't be where it is today. Tweetie was so good (and is what got so many of us hooked on using Twitter regularly), they bought it. That's not all bad, except for now they've decided to kill off Twitter for Mac (formerly Tweetie for Mac), while also putting restrictions on what apps companies are allowed to create while connecting to their APIs.

​Essentially, they've placed their bets on becoming a walled garden (AOL, anyone?) rather than focusing on other ways to add value to their service.

A discussion popped up on Branch that caught my interest, asking: "What might you have done differently were you running Twitter six months ago?"

My​ answer: put an emphasis on local, events, and discussions. If an event like Lollapalooza is going on, allow Red Bull (an official sponsor) to sponsor the stream of tweets. This could replace the Promoted Trends, which are useless anyway. Build a conversation around that event that adds more context, rich media, and interaction. Let the official sponsors of these events pay to have their name and logo plastered all over the page.

This is a way to add a Branch or Quora-like ​element to Twitter that encourages engaging with people rather than using it as a personal soapbox. It can work for sports, concerts, festivals, conventions, and just about any other event that generates a lot of interest.

Twitter has a chance to be an evolution in communication. I'm afraid they're more worried about building a company ​than changing the world.

Connecting the Dots

One of my favorite Steve Jobs' quotes was from his Stanford Commencement speech:​

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

It's amazing how accurate this is, how one experience leads to another. Often at just the right time in your life you'll see the dots connect. I always try to remember this quote when things don't go the way I hope they will. Looking back, it usually makes a lot more sense the way it turned out.​

​​I just read the blog post "Better Answers & How I Learned to Defrag My Brain." In it, Alex Hillman talks about the Spark File from Steven Johnson. He writes down any idea that comes to mind. It's saved to a file that amasses all the ideas he's had for years. 

He found that when he looks back – and this is the important part – some ideas will start to make more sense. An idea he had today may be the missing piece to an idea he had in 2009, and now he can act on it. He makes it a point to re-read the file in full every few months.​

As a creative, there are inevitably ruts where you feel like you can't create. ​Most of us probably write down ideas in one way or another. But rather than having notebooks, old emails, and the Notes app on my phone having a random collection of ideas, actually implementing a process as to how I curate those ideas makes so much sense.

I'm taking today to re-organize all my old ideas so they can live together. From this day forward, I'll be writing down every bad idea, too. You never know when the dots may connect.​

The Secret to Freelancing

There isn't one.​

The first thing a young freelancer needs to realize is that nothing is one-size fits all.​ Some projects (or budgets) won't fit you and what you're trying to do with your career. Maybe they're above your head, or a step backwards. That's OK. Likewise, not all advice will fit you. 

This is the best advice I can give to a fellow freelancer:

• Read as much as you can.

• Learn from other people.

• Find people that inspire you.

• Don't sacrifice high standards for anything.

• Work harder and smarter than everyone else.

That's all.​ It's up to you to figure out what specifics fit you best. Whether you like charging hourly or per project, and what rates you charge. What services you want to offer and what type of projects are best suited for you. Whether you prefer to meet in person or collaborate in other ways.

There's a lot of information out there about what works and what doesn't work. Some of it is true. But it really is up to you on how to approach things. I can tell you how I do things, but that doesn't mean it will work for you. So take it all in, digest the information, and figure out your own plan.​ The important thing is this: don't waste time making mistakes other people have already made. That's where the advice comes in handy.

I recently wrote a post about my first year of freelancing. It seemed to resonate with a lot of people, and I appreciate the replies, mentions, and emails I received. My goal has always been to share as much information as I can with anyone who wants it. But just remember, only you can decide what works best for you.​

Linked in this article are some people that have inspired me recently. They're all worth a follow on Twitter: Kevin Rose, Variable, Sam Soffes, and Jared Erondu.​

Why I Prefer Email

A lot of people hate email. Understandably so. It can be a distraction and a never-ending pit of messages and requests. But I have a secret.

I love email. Let me explain.

In my profession, I'll often be out filming with a client, traveling by plane or by car, or sleeping at odd hours because I just spent 3 days straight filming on a bus. Because of this, phone calls can be a big disruption, or simply not possible at the time.

Email also allows me to keep things in order, something I've found especially useful when editing video projects or working on projects over many weeks. Countless times have I been saved by having the ability to go back and read someone's actual words.

When working in any creative field, collaboration is key. I like to think I take good notes, but if I'm honest, I got good grades in college because I pick things up quickly and I have a knack for figuring out correct answers. Not because I took good notes. I'd rather have the cheat sheet and have your notes on our project together.

I couldn't tell you how many emails I get a day, because I don't keep track. I respond to them as I get them, delete them if they're not needed, and aggressively unsubscribe from all mailing lists. In the end, this means I generally only get messages that matter, from people who are actually interested in having a dialogue with me. Isn't that the point?

And emails allow me to respond to, or at least read, all messages that come in, regardless of my location. Most emails take about as long to write as a couple text messages or tweets. I don't have to schedule a time, or make sure all parties are available, or worry about being in a good service area.

I know there's a huge importance to a phone call in certain situations, especially during the early stages of a project when discussing its scope, or to discuss a specific point that is difficult or lengthy to explain in writing.

But email can be done right. It doesn't have to be a burden.

Go ahead, email me. Let's chat about something interesting, share some ideas, talk about work, or just send me a funny YouTube video.

I'll respond.

Design Is A Job

​Design Is A Job is a book by Mike Monteiro that talks about many of the things people don't talk about in the creative field. A lot things you wish people would tell you early on in your career. From money, to contracts, to feedback, it's a straightforward look at what works when selling your creative talent for money.

Although the focus of the book is web design, it applies to every creative field. Just sub out the word design for film, photography, or writing and you'll see the dots connect. It's especially useful for new freelancers, but even seasoned professionals may find a new perspective in Mike's short and to-the-point book.​

​From the foreword, Erik Spiekermann:

"We ​thrive on constraints, but we hate compromise. If a design project is to be considered successful–and success is the true measure of quality–it must not only add an aesthetic dimension, but solve the problem at hand."

And from Mike:​

"At the beginning of every visual design presentation, particularly in the early stages, we give a little speech, some variation of, "Today, we are going to show you some things that may not be right. If you see something that isn't working, you need to point it out. If you don't tell us what you think isn't working, we will show you the same thing again and again until we are out of time and money and you are stuck with it."

​I highly recommend buying this book. It's worth its weight in gold.