Author: Portfolio Creative

One of our associates, Mike Christoff, recently had a pattern selected by Naked and Angry for an umbrella. Now available online, check it out!

Warning: I’m climbing up on my soapbox today. This is purely opinion, please prove me wrong!

I received essentially the same question twice in one day — “I’m thinking of leaving my job and hear there are a lot of freelance opportunities, is that true?” That’s a summary, each person has a different situation and reasons, but they are essentially wondering the same thing. Do job cuts mean more work for freelancers?

I’ve heard that a lot recently too, and there is a certain sense to the theory. Maybe people know something I don’t, but I’m not seeing it play out that way. The nature of creative work is such that there is always a need for supplemental staff or specific skills, but right now there are also a lot of people competing for that work. First there’s a whole contingent of people who freelance or work independently; they’ve made that choice and many have been doing it for years. Now add in all of the people who are no longer working in fulltime jobs and are either considering freelance as a stop-gap measure, or are taking this opportunity to start the independent business they’ve thought about for years. Suddenly there are a lot of people competing for freelance projects and onsite temporary work.

In addition, the reason many agencies and in-house departments have had to make the difficult choice of reducing staff recently is that there is less work or less money, or both. If agency clients are scaling back or putting projects on hold, then the agency has less work and income. If a corporation is seeing a reduction in sales, that affects the budget they have to spend even though the quantity of work may not have changed.

So I think the “job cuts mean more freelance work for everyone” theory is an urban myth. Maybe it should work that way, and it probably is for some people, but across the board I’m seeing a lot more people looking for work than companies looking for help. I know there are people out there who are seeing an increase in their workload, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment, let us know how things are working for you and any tips you may offer to your fellow freelancers or freelancers-to-be.

Don’t get me wrong, there are opportunities out there. And things will turn around. It’s just a matter of making the right choices for yourself in the meantime. Even in a good economy it can take a while to establish a consistent amount of freelance work, so I a big fan of knowing what you need to make and having a Plan B. Maybe a Plan C too just in case.

This event has been postponed for now, hopefully they’ll be able to reschedule in the future. The Professional Development Workshop is still scheduled for Wednesday the 18th.

The Columbus Chapter of The American Marketing Association is holding a Career Fair for marketing professionals seeking full-time, part-time or contractual employment. Recruiters and employers from The Greater Columbus Area will be on hand to meet and greet.

The event will be held on Saturday, February 21st from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm at the North Point Conference Center in Lewis Center.

In Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare, author Jeremy Butterfield says that many annoyingly over-used expressions begin as office lingo, like 24/7 and synergy. Researchers monitor the use of phrases in a database, compiled from books, papers, magazines, broadcast, the internet and other sources.

It seems that most people just get tired of a phrase when it becomes too popular and is overused. Review your resume and cover letters to make sure you aren’t overusing or misusing the following:

1. “At the end of the day”
2. “Fairly unique”
3. “I personally think”
4. “At this moment in time”
5. “With all due respect”
6. “Absolutely”
7. “It’s a nightmare”
8. “Shouldn’t of”
9. “24/7”
10. “It’s not rocket science”

I know I’m guilty of a few of these…I’ll be working on that. Absolutely.

Portfolio is proud to once again help sponsor The ADDYS! The Advertising Federation’s Award Show to honor creatives who rock the world of advertising. Come out and join us, we’ll be there (actually we wouldn’t dream of missing it!)

Thursday, February 26
The Columbus, A Renaissance Hotel
50 North 3rd Street
6:30: Cocktail & Preview Party
8:00: Presentation of Awards
Dessert Reception following the award show

RSVP at www.adfedcolumbus.org

The Columbus Society of Communicating Arts will feature Wink, a serious Minneapolis-based design firm that never takes itself too seriously. Its homepage is about as lo-fi as it gets. Its blog is woefully out of date. Its corporate story is retold with handheld KISS action figures.

But Wink’s work — that’s another story. The agency’s identity, packaging, poster, and environment design has been embraced by some of the biggest brands around (Nike, Target, MTV, to name a few). Wink delivers colorful, breakthrough work (whimsical and serious) that’s been celebrated in all the major design books, including CA, How, and ID.

Join us to hear Wink founders, Richard Boynton & Scott Thares on Thursday, February 19th in Knowlton Hall on the OSU campus.

Marcus Buckingham, author of NOW Discover Your Strengths (for my money the best “know yourself” book and system out there), recently wrote a blog post about opportunity. Specifically, the idea that difficult times are also times of opportunity. Before you say that’s crazy talk, hear him out.

Full article is here, key points below…

If you have a job you may not be able to control the economy, or maybe even your own company, but you can take charge of yourself. Make the effort to discover what you’re best and what you love, then find ways to build your career around those areas.

Even if you’re currently unemployed or seeing the writing on the wall about potential layoffs, there are ways to take charge and keep focus on your career. Take the time to understand your strengths and when you may be able to apply them. It may just be the time to make a change, perhaps a time of opportunity.

On Saturday, February 14th, Junctionview Studios assembles their friends to host a love themed show, highlighting the amorous to spiteful range of love themed artistic creations. Bring a date before dinner, or come and stay with your lonely self. They don’t mind either way.

For more information, please contact info@junctionviewstudios.com

First saw this on Seth Godin’s blog, originally from Jessica Hagy. I love the way she breaks down concepts into simple little diagrams that all of us visual people connect with!

The Columbus Chapter of The American Marketing Association has some exciting and informative meetings planned for the month of February. Member and non-member are welcome to attend! Click the links below for more information, location, times and costs.

2/12/09-   The Secret to Marketing in Tough Times

2/19/09-   The Importance of Defining Online Metrics

2/26/09-   Can’t Get Your Foot In The Door? Use a Wedge