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Creative, Inc
As the hipster classic Craft, Inc. did for crafters, this book will teach all types of creatives illustrators, photographers, graphic designers, animators, and more how to build a successful business doing what they love. Freelancing pros Meg Mateo Ilasco and Joy Deangdeelert Cho explain everything from creating a standout portfolio to navigating the legal issues of starti...more
Paperback, 184 pages
Published
July 28th 2010
by Chronicle Books LLC
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Christine
rated it
Recommends it for:
freelancers, creative people interested in freelancing, start-up business owners
Shelves:
nonfiction,
how-to
When my sister and I run the world, all college students, no matter their chosen field, will take a basic business course as part of the mandatory freshman curriculum. Having zero business skills is a good way to invalidate any degree. In the freelance world, there’s much more to staying financially afloat than having all the necessary skills to pull off excellent work.
Creative, Inc. is a crash course in business for creative folk, and it’s refreshing to read authors who don’t pretend ...more
Creative, Inc. is a crash course in business for creative folk, and it’s refreshing to read authors who don’t pretend ...more
It was perhaps silly of me to read this book right after Craft, Inc. but I liked to see Meg Mateao Illasco's approach to building a craft business expanded to speak to creative freelance business in general. Similar to Craft, Inc. I liked the authors focus on mission statement and knowing when to stop. I also liked the author's thoughts about collaboration and how to balance your work and your life. I think they make the point very well that a creative person looking to make a go of it must defi...more
A greatly informative book for everyone wanting to start freelancing but have absolutely no idea how (like me!). And unlike other books on a similar subject, it directly pertains to creative professionals. There are chapters on seemingly everything and pros and cons for the different topics, so it's quite unbiased.
My only criticism would be where the interviews were placed within each chapter. They are distracting being so randomly placed within the information and would be better at...more
My only criticism would be where the interviews were placed within each chapter. They are distracting being so randomly placed within the information and would be better at...more
Essentially provides a checklist for starting your own freelance business (think graphic designers, photographers, animators, stylists, etc.) Covers everything from choosing a business name to weeding out bad clients to budgeting, pricing and bookkeeping.
My big complaint with this book is that the interviews with real-life freelancers highlight people who are earning $20,000 per job. Not too easy to relate to that sort of paycheck and definitely not typical of most freelancers!
My big complaint with this book is that the interviews with real-life freelancers highlight people who are earning $20,000 per job. Not too easy to relate to that sort of paycheck and definitely not typical of most freelancers!
For those who want to venture into the scary world of creative freelancing - this book is for you. Chock full of information - are you ready to freelance, picking a name for your company, insurance, how and where to publicize, should you use an agent, luring and keeping your clients - just tons of good advice. Plus, each chapter, profiles one or two successful freelancing companies. A great, little compact resource.
It's not just geared toward first-time freelancers, even though a lot of the information in the book is organized in a step-by-step way. It's encouraging and motivational enough for anyone who's been working for themselves for a while, too. Definitely a book I'll be keeping on my desk, as it was very pivotal in cementing my decision to quit my 9-5 and start up my own business.
I only got about halfway through this book, but not because it's bad - it's just not relevant to my life. I'm sure the freelancing advice is excellent, but most of the interviews are with photographers, graphic designers, and illustrators, fields I know (and care) next to nothing about. Don't get me wrong: the writing is friendly and the content is organized well. I just don't particularly enjoy reading books about business management, even those tailored to artsy people. Simply put, I am no...more
Maybe because I've been freelancing for the past 8 years, I didn't really get much out of this book but maybe for someone starting out it provides good information. I did think their example on how to do an invoice is so completely wrong - one shouldn't provide an itemized list, broken down by time spent to the client. However, I did find the interviews with established freelancers inspiring and interesting.
This gives actually stories of artists' types who freelance their work and how they recommend starting your own freelance business out of your home at first. Good comments. Reading slowly. Motivated me to get a brand for my business, while I'm still consuming the contents. Put it down from time to time to read other books. Using it mainly as a resource to go back to for next steps as I am beginning this freelance process. Getting the brand, next is preparing the portfolio. This book does an ...more
Probably good for freelance business owners, but I didn't find that the book really seemed to apply to my crafting business.
Kristine
added it
Much of this that was on my level of just starting out were actually topics just recently studied in my online classes. Perhaps in a few months or more, I'll try this again and more carefully review the advanced ideas.
good info... didn't go too in depth on most issues, but I just needed the basic knowledge for now, to be able to identify what I need to learn more about later.
Ik heb verbazend veel opgestoken uit dit boek. Nu de theorie omzetten in de praktijk.
view all 5 comments
I'm about 2/3 of the way through and so far this book is a slam dunk. It is helpful, well-organized and clear and has good interviews with creative professionals. I went to a freelancing workshop last week run by one of the authors. So encouraging for a creative who eventually would like to run a freelance business from home!
I skimmed through this one, since it dealt mostly with artists, but it had some good ideas for freelancers in general too.
Good, quick read. The tough parts about starting a business are glossed over (somewhat understandable when the legal and tax issues vary by state and can always change) but they do include references. Still provides a nice outline and food for thought though.
A Christmas gift, can't wait to dive in...
This book is exactly what I needed to read right now and so full of great ideas. I might even have to buy my own copy so I can reference it later!
This book could very well be the best friend a freelancer could have. I love everything Meg Mateo Ilasco does, and this book is no exception -- it's a perfect starter guide for an artist on the verge of a career. But even though I've been a freelancer for 9 years now, this book comes in like well-needed shoulder massage. It's motivating and packed with so many great reminders & tips & interviews. Highly recommended!
Crystal Klassen
added it
Geared towards Americans obviously, but still an interesting and informative read.
Great read for any type of freelancer - the etsy guy or gal, the freelance tax service, the freelance graphic designer, really business savvy information for those who have no idea which end is up but want to freelance. I think that it's a great starting point and not necessarily a complete guide. Great easy read too. Well done!
Nothing against it, but about half-way through I realized none of this really applies to me, and I'm not going to finish it. If anything, it just made me realize that I don't want to freelance. Possibly ever, lol. What I read was still good and definitely helpful, just not for me.
This book was interesting, but too designer/photographer-related for my taste.
Great book for creatives looking to start a biz or run their biz better.
Terrie
marked it as to-read
Diana
marked it as to-read
Clo
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Heather
is currently reading it
Melissa
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