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The Freelance Series: Work For the Job You Want

03-Feb-12

Up ’til now, I’ve written about practical matters; cost, taxes and time off. I did a lot of Flash work in 2011 as I have done, historically, since I started in this industry. So I got to thinking of the kind of work I want for 2012 and beyond. Last year I collaborated with Displacer [...]

2011 in Retrospect

02-Jan-12

I am Repetitive In my two previous end of year posts, the first sentence tells that I had a strange year. Mostly due to the transition to freelance and all that entails. This year I was fully prepared for how weird freelancing is and was ready to rock and roll the highs and lows. So [...]

The Freelance Series: Praycation

06-Dec-11

Today I begin a month-long Praycation. What’s that? You’ve never heard of a Praycation? Maybe in some religious circles, a Praycation refers to something else entirely, but in freelance terms, a Praycation is what happens when you intentionally take time off. You spend that entire time worrying no work will follow it. I have been [...]

The Freelance Series: Do Your Work. Pay Your Taxes.

04-Dec-11

Whenever I speak to someone with a full-time job and they get that wistful look on their face and say “I might try working from home”, I kind of smile. If they notice, I’m generally asked “What’s so funny?” I’ll respond with “Do your work. Pay your taxes.” Mostly they’ll wave their hand and give [...]

The Freelance Series: Yeah, I know. I’m expensive.

01-Nov-11

That does sound like a great project, for sure I’m interested. What’s the timeline? I can work with that. What your budget? What’s that? My hourly rate? It’s $90 an hour. Yeah, I know. I’m expensive. You can find developers in, like, 10 minutes that cost 30 or 40 bucks an hour? Hey, that’s awesome. [...]

DisplacerCode

05-Sep-11

Last year I was invited to make visuals for an old acquaintance, Michael Morton, who is a musician. Displacer is his stage name. Last year, I hemmed and hawed about helping and just couldn’t commit. As a freelancer (or contractor depending on your preference) it’s not a good idea to accept work (free or not) [...]

Kitchen Renovation

05-Sep-11

We’ve been renovating our kitchen. It’s exhausting. When I have time, I will come back and add more to this post. In the meantime, if you intend to do a renovation yourself, here are some pieces of advice: 1. It will take longer than you think 2. It will cost more than you think 3. [...]

FITC 2011 – The Aftermath

11-May-11

A week later and I am still unable to fully use my voice for anything other than the occasional croak. FITC, you are a beautiful beast. Due to scheduling conflicts, the HotDOCS documentary film festival was also running, I did not attend as dutifully as I normally would. I was honoured to speak at FITC [...]

Wilk Watchworks Collaboration

05-May-11

During my FITC Influxis Voodoo Lounge session, I showed a couple of slides concerning my collaboration with Scott Wilk, a toronto-based silversmith and watchmaker. His shop is called Wilk Watchworks. I am incapable of doing justice to how impressed I am by Scott. He has shown an insane amount of patience for a non-watch designer. [...]

Blackberry PlayBook

05-May-11

I’ve had my PlayBook for a week and although my usage hasn’t been high due to FITC obligation (read: drinking & shenanigans), I have some reactions. 1. Size Although I will never stop making juvenile comments when someone says “7 inches is enough.” I do think the PlayBook has an adequately-sized screen. *snicker*. I don’t [...]