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SHOWING NEWS 321–330 OUT OF 732

THINK AGAIN

The new insightful book Think Again, written by organizational psychologist Adam Grant, is essential reading for all freelance knowledge workers.

The book exposes the flaws in human thinking that lead us to overlook evidence and solutions to problems we are trying to solve in everyday work.

But there’s more. Grant boldly redefines what modern wisdom is. It’s not some folksy folklore, but rather an ability to think more like scientists, carefully reevaluating data and evidence, as we gather them.

In other words, Think Again is a book on how to think in an ever-changing environment and information overflow. It also explains that making (and admitting) mistakes is not only human but also necessary for becoming a better expert.

Superb book, expertly written, extremely valuable for all freelancers who earn their living by cognitive work!

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MIDJOURNEY (AI IMAGE GENERATOR)

Midjourney is a new AI image generator surging into global popularity.

It enables beta users to view and download images generated by artificial intelligence from a simple text prompt, such as: Hermione Granger excited about her first gig as a freelance wizard. To try out the beta, you just need to sign up on Discord and follow simple instructions.

2022 seems to be a breakthrough year for AI tools such as DALL·E 2, Google Imagen, or Midjourney, to be used by creative professionals for developing and testing their creative ideas. There are still many software and legal issues to be cleared, for sure, but the emerging technology seems to be exciting enough for creators to explore its boundless possibilities:

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ADVICE FROM AN INTERNATIONAL FREELANCER

Our new member Jan Onesork has published 3 spot-on tips for freelancers:

“It’s been exactly 15 years since I started freelancing and doing SEO. What advice can I give you after all these years?

1. Find a field that interests you. Get better at it. Keep at it. The better you get, the more you’ll enjoy it. In his book So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Cal Newport says passion sucks. Learn something, do it well, and happiness will come. Don’t give up.
2. Don’t be afraid to be your own boss. After a few years in business, freelancing is a safer choice than most jobs. And in the beginning, you can work evenings and build it up gradually. What’s the worst that could happen? Getting hired again…? So what. Freelancing as a career choice is ideal if you want freedom and self-determination.
3. Focusing on international freelancing was the best decision. It was a step out of my comfort zone, for sure, but in retrospect, it was the best thing I could have done. If it makes sense in your field, skip your local market and go global.

For this anniversary, I got myself a profile on Freelancing.eu — check it out.”

Note: In 2020, Jan wrote an article on How to Become an International Freelancer.

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FREELANCERS VS. CREATORS VS. GIG WORKERS

As explained in the talk European Freelancers & Where to Find Them, independent professionals don’t like to be called “gig workers”, and only few are engaged in the so-called creator economy.

What sets freelancing apart is also nicely explained in Benek Lisefski’s insightful article titled I'm not a “creator” or “gig-worker”—I’m a freelancer.

Benek first outlines the well-known flaws of the gig economy (Platform lock-in; Mirage of flexibility; Linear pay and limited growth; Not a passionate career choice). Then he does the same for the creator economy (You’re at the mercy of algorithms and virality; Hamster wheel burn-out; Inconsistent income; Great for extroverts, not so much for introverts).

He observes that “freelancing is way more than gig-working, and it doesn’t require content creation or growing an audience. I’ve been doing it for over 20 years, and it’s the best career in the world.”

Finally, he points out huge upsides of independent freelancing (Maximum flexibility; No reliance on platforms; Avoid the attention economy; Unlimited earning potential; Ultimate job security), and concludes:

“Being self-employed will never go out of style. No matter how many ’new economies’ they announce, we’ll keep doing our thing and making our money, not caring how much attention we get.”

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FREELANCE AWARD-WINNING PUBLISHER

Barbora Baronova is an award-winning writer and independent publisher whose books have been acquired by well-known libraries, museums, and collectors worldwide. In this talk for Freelance Friends, Bara shares some hard-earned business lessons that brought her international success while keeping her artistic integrity.

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HOW TO ASK FOR REFERRALS

In many European countries, freelancers are not really used to asking clients for referrals to other people who may use their service. In the USA, however, it is way more common and we can easily get inspired. The article titled 3 Stress-Free Ways to Ask Clients for a Referral outlines the essential good practice:

1. Choose the right timing — for example, after (successfully) finishing a project, when renewing a contract, or after receiving positive feedback
2. Be direct and specific — don’t leave the client confused what you want
3. Make it easy — possibly building the referral request into a standard operating procedure

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DREAM JOB

Some compensations for star independent professionals in the movie industry are quite jaw-dropping. For example, here are the highlights from Robert De Niro’s contract for the “Savage Salvation” movie, according to Los Angeles Times:

• $11 million for 8 production days (incl. pre- and post-production)
• Round-trip private air transportation on Gulfstream IV jet
• Right to retain all nonrental costumes, apparel, clothing, props, prosthetics and wigs after picture lock
• Travel, per diem, ground transportation and accommodations at Ritz-Carlton for personal trainer
• Travel, per diem, and accommodations for personal assistant
• Seven-day vacation for De Niro and his family at Ritz-Carton following production with all expenses
• One round-trip private jet flight between NY and LA… — and much more

As the personal-finance writer Ramit Sethi commented on Twitter: “This is one of the most insane contracts I have ever seen.”

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PRICING IMPROVEMENTS

Gradual improvements in freelance pricing and business negotiations usually beat price jumps and unmanaged sales. The basic recommendation is therefore simple: Avoid risky jumps, and keep improving by manageable steps every time you can.

Here’s a relevant tip from The Freelance Way, chapter Business Negotiations:

“So next time, try saying: For this job, I’ll try to do it differently and negotiate for a better price or terms.”

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FUTURE OUTLOOK FOR FREELANCERS

Here’s our question of the week:

How would you describe the outlook of your freelance business for the next 6-12 months in just one word?

Drop your answer on our Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

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CAREER BUILDING

There’s a free online e-book entitled The Self-Improving Developer, written mainly for developers. However, one part in particular may be relevant for all freelancers:

The chapter You’re not building a career argues against the stereotype of career building, claiming that “Success is always a product of two things: luck and effort.” It then argues for embracing uncertainty and placing various small bets while also playing it safe — good advice.

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