Business for Self-Employed Creatives

When you hear the word budget, do you cringe? Does it make you want to run away? It seems the typical response, especially in the creative world, is a negative one. People associate budget with restriction. Or tedious scrutiny of everything you do wrapped up in a boring spreadsheet. Or rules. And we know how we all feel about rules. We got into business for ourselves so we could create them, not follow them.

But budget doesn’t have to be a bad word.

00:54 The real reason for having a budget is so you know where your money is going and can use that information to make a game plan of what you can and should do.

01:17 When you own your business, you generally don’t know exactly how much you’ll make at any given time, so you have to do reverse budgeting.

01:59 The first step is to figure out what your minimum number (break-even) number is. Personal and business accounting software will make this easier.

03:16 It's best to have a full year’s worth of information to form a proper budget because of the monthly fluctuation. Knowing those cycles can really help.

04:33 Start with your regular expenses - your mortgage or rent, car payment or any other debts, utilities, cable, Internet, monthly subscriptions, groceries, dining out, coffee trips, entertainment, clothing, household expenses, and all that other fun stuff. What is your realistic minimum you can spend each month for the necessities?

05:29 Saving is a necessity! Your budget should include money put aside for taxes, emergencies, and retirement. I always recommend saving a percentage of your income versus a flat amount each month. This helps with that fluctuation, because you’re putting more aside when you’re busy and that will help cover you when you’re slow.

07:23 From there, you can start figuring out your tiers. So after the necessities are covered, where would you spend your money next? Pay off more of your debt and start peppering in some of those fun things you want to get or do, but don't necessarily need.

07:50 If you're not bringing in enough money, you have two options - find ways to make more, or find ways to spend less.

08:15 Consider compromises with yourself, or practice deferred gratification - giving up something now for something much better in the future.

08:49 There are so many possibilities out there. But it starts with knowing what you have, what you need, and why it matters. Budgeting is not a bad word. It’s a starting point to help you understand what you have to do to get the things you want. And when you get the things you want, you’ll wonder why the idea of organizing your money ever seemed so cringeworthy.

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Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

 

 

 

 

We are taught to be polite. Stay humble. Don’t brag.

I think those are all important habits. Arrogance is a turnoff for most people. But we need to be confident, especially when we’re running a business. Where is that line? When is it okay to talk about yourself and when does it mean you’re being cocky if you do? With the current climate of social media and personal branding, self-promotion has become necessary. But how do you promote yourself without sounding like you’re bragging?

It used to be that talking about yourself like, “Hey, look at me! Look at me!” people would think hmmm… you’re full of yourself. Now, if you don’t post about what you’re doing, it’s a missed marketing opportunity. It’s all a little too much.

What do you do when something great happens and you want to share your excitement? How do you do it in a polite, humble, non-braggy way? Especially when you don’t want to resort to a passive aggressive “humble brag,” which is when you’re basically trying to draw attention to something you’re proud of by pretending to be self-deprecating about it. We see right through that.

You don’t want to hint around and hope someone will ask you. At least I don’t – one of my pet peeves is when people hint at something instead of being direct about whatever it is they want to say. It bugs me so much that if I pick up on someone trying to get me to ask about something, I intentionally won’t. Just tell me what you want to tell me! I also don’t like the guessing game, so you know. “You’ll never guess what happened!” Nope. I won’t. Just tell me!

But, my personal nuances aside, why is it so difficult to come out and say that you’re proud about something you’ve done? If you’ve accomplished a goal, landed a big client, been asked to participate in a cool project, or whatever it might be, don’t you want people to share in that happiness with you? Especially these days, when it’s been pretty bleak for so many, isn’t that the kind of thing we all want to hear? Don’t we want our friends and family and colleagues to be excited about what they’re doing?

We should be able to celebrate our successes. Now more than ever, we need to take the wins where we can get them, and be proud of what we’ve achieved despite the craziness going on in the world. But I’ve heard a lot lately from people who feel they should apologize for doing well. “Hey, I did this great thing, but I’m not sure it’s in good taste to talk about it when so many other people are struggling.” Or, “I really want to share this, but I don’t want it to seem like I’m rubbing my good fortune in everyone’s face.” And, the worst, in my opinion, “I can’t talk to my friends about this because they’ll be jealous.” Don’t be friends with someone who doesn’t want you to do well. Ever. That’s not what a friend does.

There are so many reasons why people try to diminish their accomplishments. They shy away from acknowledging how incredible it is that they achieved a goal, because it’s “not the polite thing to do.” Or because they’re worried about how someone else might react. Or because they’re afraid that saying it out loud will jinx them somehow. But I don’t think it’s fair to you to keep it inside. So just like we’ve been encouraging everyone to open up lately – to be vulnerable about what they’re feeling when it comes to struggles and hardships – shouldn’t we also encourage everyone to share what’s going right in their lives?

Your success is not my failure. Just like my success is not your failure. There is room for all of us to succeed. And if someone else is having trouble, our success stories might actually be encouraging. Your accomplishment might be a huge inspiration to someone who needs it. Sharing something positive might motivate someone else to get out of a funk and move forward. Someone who is having a hard time might find hope in your story. Give yourself the opportunity to be that good example.

There is so much bad news in the world right now and we need to offset that with everything we can that’s good. Instead of sharing complaints, why don’t we share more compliments? Instead of targeting potential clients with questions like, “Why are you struggling?” and “What’s holding you back?” why not ask “Why are you thriving?” and “What’s propelling you forward?”  I know we all want to solve their problems, but we can do that without being condescending. How about we stop assuming everyone is failing and starting talk about our wins, no matter how small they might seem. Let’s encourage everyone to share all the goodness! That’s what we all really need.

And when someone does share something they’re excited about, be excited for them. Don’t dismiss them or put them down or say their idea is dumb. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s ridiculous. Some of the best ideas are ridiculous in the beginning. Remember that people can be fragile, especially when it comes to sharing a new business idea or passion project. Your quick negative reaction, even if you don’t intend it to be harmful, might shatter their confidence and shut them down completely. If they ask for your opinion, be honest, but be polite. There’s that word again.

While we’re talking about celebrating successes, remember to also acknowledge the people who helped you get to where you are. It’s that whole saying of give credit where credit is due. Let them celebrate with you. That little shout out might mean a whole lot to them, especially when so many feel unappreciated.

Or if you did it all on your own, don’t be afraid to say I DID THIS! It’s a great feeling when you make things happen for yourself. And sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. You can’t expect people to ask you about it, or to even realize that it’s a big deal to you. We’ve become a quick-scroll, low attention span society where it seems like we’re always connected, but we’re actually missing quite a bit. So don’t assume others will figure it out. Tell them. Share your wins. Celebrate your successes. You deserve it.

And I mean that quite literally. I’d love it if you’d send me a quick email to info@aardvarkgirl.com or DM me @aardvarkgirl to let me know something good that’s happening in your life – big or small. I’ll celebrate your success with you!

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Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

He's a Grammy and Emmy winning post sound mixer and sound designer, a composer, a voice actor, a professor, a killer harmonica player, and all-around cool dude. He loves working on podcasts, but this time he gets to be the guest. Please enjoy the musings of John McClain. We're talking about the importance of having fun as a business owner, using your tools, and making sure you're working with people who are simpatico. He also shares the two rules he's given to his kid and applies to everything in life: 1- Have fun. 2 - Don't be a D.

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Connect with John

Website: Dog & Pony Studios

Instagram: @dnpsound

Facebook: DogAndPonyStudios

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00:51 "As an entrepreneur, I've had the bottom of the trough as well as the top of the trough. And you have to learn that it's going to be okay, no matter what."

02:10 "My expectation is not the audience's expectation."

03:04 "We cross a threshold where we're not making it any better. We're just trying to satisfy our need for perfection."

05:27 "I kind of suffer from shiny object syndrome."

07:29 "All the kids have grown up with these very simple rules, but we also apply those rules in the rest of our life. Don't be a d, and have fun. Because you only get one time around on the big blue marble, so go out there and enjoy it.

08:47 "Just like with the team, find clients you like working with, too."

10:35 "I don't need to be rich. I just need to be comfortable."

12:47 "No is by far the most powerful word that we need to learn in order to take control of our own lives."

15:53 "I don't think you become a proper businessperson without being a proper person in general."

17:10 "Learn your tools."

20:25 "We actually tend to jump around between a handful of different digital audio workstations, just depending on what is required for the job, as opposed to trying to take one tool and cram our work into somebody else's idea of how you're supposed to do sound."

22:57 "Spend a little more money up front because that gear lasts longer, so ultimately you end up spending less."

26:19 "I'm getting better at knowing what I like, and what suits me."

27:32 "I don't want to put something on social media unless it's something I find really interesting, something fascinating."

29:32 "The biggest thing that I miss is when everybody's at the studio and everybody's working on a project. That energy is palpable."

32:54 "I had a new employee contract I was supposed to sign, and I just ignored it and figured let's see what happens."

34:01 "Bad things happen. Turn it into something good."

34:42 Cooking paella

37:08 "Make sure you're having fun. Because if you're not having fun, why'd you start a business?"

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Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

I’ve been watching a documentary on HBO called “The Vow.” It’s your typical feel-good story where a bunch of people get involved with a self-help guru without realizing they’ve actually joined a cult, despite some obvious red flags like… well, I don’t want to give anything away. You should check it out though. It’s fascinating.

Watching this, it’s easy to wonder how anyone can possibly get into this situation and not know that something isn’t right. I always do my best to understand other points of view. I try to put my own judgment aside in attempt to find an explanation that makes sense. That’s not an easy thing to do. We all place some level of judgment on everything – it’s part of having a human brain. In this particular situation, however, it’s hard for me to see how they got so far into it before they realized that what was happening was wrong. That’s not to say I blame these people – I wasn’t in that situation, so I can’t criticize their choices.

This happens all the time, though. Usually it doesn’t get to cult status, fortunately, but people do tend to get caught up in these fads of self-improvement while searching for ways to change their lives and businesses for the better. They look to others for inspiration, motivation, and some magical advice that will help them reach their goals. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with looking for input – if someone else is able to give you a different perspective that helps you move forward, that’s fantastic. Where it gets dangerous is when you take everything someone says as certainty without questioning if it really makes sense or if it’s really the right way for you.

The inherent problem with some of these self-help books and groups and courses, in my opinion, is that they enable people to look outward to find what’s right for them. It’s normal to want others to guide us - to tell us how we should run our businesses, how we should make decisions, and what we should do to get ahead. But, while all of these people can give us ideas, no one else can tell us what’s right for us, especially when their content is generalized. If you’re working one on one with someone who is taking the time to learn about you and your business workflow, that’s different because they are, hopefully, tailoring their advice to you. But keep in mind that being an expert in your field doesn’t mean you have a one-size-fits-all process for what you do. We all have to inject our own needs, personality, thought process, and so much more into crafting our success. The best answers are found by looking inward because you know yourself better than anyone else can.

So instead of looking up to others, why not be your own hero?

Looking for external validation can be dangerous because, in most cases, people are trying to fit you into their box. They’re teaching you from their point of view and what they’ve experienced. It makes sense, but the specifics of their situation might not be applicable to you. It’s also easy to get caught up in the images we see, which aren’t always reality. You can look at someone’s website and social and think, wow, they have it all figured out. But we don’t see what’s going on behind the scenes. It’s best not to make assumptions, whether they’re for the best or worst (or somewhere in between). Even if you do your research, you never really know. Think about how many of these well-known people have been outed for acting in a way that goes against everything they teach, and then all of their readers, listeners, or viewers feel betrayed because they believed in what they were selling. No one is perfect and no one has all the answers. Be leery of anyone who is pretending they do, or promising their system is guaranteed to make you six figures or any other outlandish claim. If you dig into the fine print, you’ll usually find something along the lines of “results shown are not typical.” We can’t expect anyone to be perfect or exemplary of success all of the time. But we should be able to trust ourselves to do what’s right for us.

My podcast here is a perfect example. I’m sharing with you what has worked for me. And I hope that it helps you in some way. But I know that not everything I suggest will work for you, because we’re not the same person. If you’re still here at this point, you must resonate with what I say to some degree, and that makes me happy. But I also want you to be honest with yourself and if you implement any of my tips, make sure they are in alignment with who you are and what you need. That’s why I find myself repeating sentiments like “find the system that works for you” or “it has to make sense for your brain.” I don’t want to be repetitive, but I think it’s so important to include that kind of disclaimer for transparency. I’m not in the business of giving anyone false hope and I encourage everyone to think for themselves.

I’m not trying to be a guru or pretend to be someone with all the answers. I just want to help by sharing what has led me to this point, where I’m happily running my own successful business and enjoying my freedom. Basically, I want to be the mentor I never had. I’ve had to figure everything out for myself. I’ll always be grateful for that, because that’s how I got here in the first place. But a big part of why I decided to start coaching and to do this podcast is because I want to help people bypass some of that trial and error period and avoid some of the headaches. There will always be some of that, especially if you’re pushing yourself to try new things and expand in new ways – which I hope you are. But I know how much I’ve learned from running other people’s businesses for so long, and now my own for the last several years, and I believe that a lot of the ideas I talk about can at least help lay the foundation for you to build upon throughout your own journey.

When people ask me who I look up to, I don’t really have an answer. I can’t name a book that’s changed my life. There isn’t an entrepreneur who has inspired me to change how I run my business. I haven’t listened to an interview that motivated me to do something completely new. Honestly, when I’m looking for content, I look for entertainment or education about anything that isn’t business. Because my work takes up most of my life already and it’s just not how I want to spend my free time. That doesn’t mean I don’t hear stories about other people’s accomplishments and think, wow, that’s great. I wonder how they did that. Or man, it’s really cool they were able to do that. But I focus more on myself and don’t get too caught up in what other people are doing.

I don’t mean that to sound selfish. I just mean that I’m not comparing myself to others. Of course I care about other people and do my best to acknowledge and support everyone I know in whatever way they need. But, while I have great people in my circle, they aren’t the ones pushing me every day to keep growing my business. I am. They aren’t there to tell me if what I’m doing is the right move or not. I have to figure that on my own. And they can offer advice, but they can’t have the same investment as I do – they aren’t the ones who have to deal with the repercussions if I make a bad decision. So I have to be able to rely on myself. I’m not trying to be anyone’s hero but my own. I have to live with myself and the choices I make. What better motivation is there than that?

So where do you start if you’re not looking to others for inspiration? Start by figuring out who inspires you and why. What are the common traits and values of the people you respect? Do you hold those same values? What are they doing that you want to do? And if you aren’t doing it, what is stopping you? Are you clear about your goals and doing the work to achieve them? Are you living your life in a way that makes you proud? Can you take some of the time you’re spending reading, watching, or listening to these people you admire and spend it on the things you need to do to move ahead? Are you the type of person you look up to?

You don’t always need to find examples of what a successful person does. Sometimes you can be the example. Find validation in yourself. Trust your instincts and run your business in the way that makes sense to you. Prove to yourself that you are a success.

Be your own hero, because your opinion of yourself is the only one that really matters in the long run.

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Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

 

I think I’ve mentioned before that I have a lot of email addresses that I have to maintain regularly. I have my personal address, my business address, my spam address, and 10 or more client addresses. Clients often give me an email from their domain so when I’m communicating with their clients, vendors, or whomever else, it’s more cohesive. It may sound like a lot, but I don’t really mind. It actually helps me keep everything separated so I can focus on one client at a time without one massive inbox.

I’m pretty organized with my email. My inbox is my to-do list. Everything that’s been addressed gets filed into an appropriate folder, because you never know when you’ll need to reference something again, sometimes years later. I only delete things that would never have another use (like all of those “thanks” replies from everyone in a group email). It’s always a goal to have an empty inbox, or to at least be able to see some white space at the bottom of the list.

The inbox in my personal email tends to be the most cluttered. This is for all those things people send me that I mean to get to, but don’t always have time. All the articles I want to read, recipes I want to make, songs I need to hear, or videos I need to watch. I probably have stuff in there that’s at least a couple years old. I plan on getting around to it. I really do.

Last week, I finally had a bit of a break between jobs and thought about going through that inbox to clear it out. To do the things or delete them. I started, and then, of course, some work came up and I didn’t get back to it. I had every intention to do it, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. Can you sense the foreshadowing here?

When I’m managing multiple projects, the “All Inboxes” folder in Outlook is helpful – it lets me see anything new that comes in so I can keep that open on my laptop while I’m doing actual work on my iMac. It’s part of my system. For one of the projects I’m working on, we use a site called frame.io – it’s lovely if you’re working with videos and want the client or your other team members to be able to see the current version for review and make comments at the exact timecode where it’s needed. It also emails notifications so you know when someone has responded or has a new question or note, so you don’t have to remember to log in to the site. It’s pretty handy.

But, on the first round of a video, especially a longer one, there can be a lot of comments, which means a lot of emails. Fortunately, those automatically get sorted into my “other” tab so they’re not in the primary section. But I do like to go through and delete those when I’m done. I dislike digital clutter as much as physical clutter.

So yesterday, we’d sent out the first version of a video and all the feedback had come in. I did what I normally do and hit command+A to select all, followed by delete. As I saw the little progress bar pop up, I realized something wasn’t right. Yep. I was still in the “All Accounts” folder, so I deleted all of the emails in every single inbox I have. There is no “undo” option for that mistake, in case you were wondering. I could go into the “Deleted Items” folder and move messages back into the inbox, so they’re not completely lost, but there is no identifying which emails had been there.

Fortunately, it was simple to retrieve the emails I needed for my client addresses – those are always up to date and almost everything gets filed, so there’s very little in the deleted folder. But my personal email? With everything I’ve saved for the last however many months to get to later? There’s no way I can remember or figure out everything that was living there waiting for me.

My initial reaction was to laugh. What else can you do in a situation like that? I had been meaning to clean out my inbox, so I guess I took care of that. Realistically, if something was in my inbox for that long, it probably wasn’t anything too important anyway. I think that was my unintentional way of starting over. Now I have all that white space I wanted and suddenly everything feels more manageable.

Sometimes things have a way of working out exactly how they’re meant to. It’s not always in our control. Sometimes it’s because of a mistake we made. Sometimes it’s because of something someone else did. And sometimes there isn’t an explanation at all. But putting things off, or doing nothing, just compounds everything and makes it into a bigger deal than it needs to be.

I know a lot of us are feeling the weight of everything going on, and little things that used to be simple suddenly seem like too much to manage. I’ve been talking to a lot of clients and friends who feel the same way. I know I seem to have forgotten how to read a calendar. I never seem to know what day it is and I keep mixing up dates for one reason or another. Then when I point it out, I’m usually met with a response that says, “Same” or “Me too.” If this sounds like you, first give yourself a break. Then, try to figure out some small steps you can take to get more organized, so you don’t feel like you’re falling behind. Utilize your calendar, email tools, or other apps. Schedule everything with alerts and reminders, even things you think you’ll remember. I have a weekly reminder in my phone to take out the trash. You’d think that would be an easy one to remember, but they changed my trash day and I kept forgetting until I heard the trucks outside and it was too late. And if you can’t get to something when the alarm goes off, set a new one so you don’t forget to do it later. Get those to-do items done so they’re not constantly looming over you.

I’m not suggesting to delete everything, but if there’s a way you can declutter your life, your business, your computer, your brain, or whatever feels too messy, make the time to do it. You might be surprised how much all of those little things are weighing you down.

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

In this episode, I am talking with the multi-talented musician, radio host, businesswoman (and so much more) about wearing a lot of hats, adapting to the current climate and being forward-focused in your career. Beth is a well established French horn player with the Las Vegas Philharmonic. She toured with Wayne Newton, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and has played with a range of artists - Metallica, the Who, Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti, and so many more. Beyond her musical career, she works as a voice actor, a radio personality, a writer, a teacher, and a business consultant. She's currently the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at the UNLV School of Music. And she was nominated for an Emmy for playing herself, which is just a cool thing to mention.

Connect with Beth on social:

Facebook: Personal profile 

Facebook: Music page

Twitter: @bethlano

01:24 "I have a lot of interests. But I also realized that, in order to have a decent amount of income as a musician, especially as a freelancer, you need to wear a lot of hats. So why not explore those things that you want to explore? Why not use the talents that you have, and earn money for doing them, and enjoy them at the same time?"

03:53 "If someone suddenly loses their sight, the other senses takeover. Having a lot of irons in the fire is the same way. The other irons are taking over and help us get through a situation like this. I'm really grateful that there are other things that I can do besides playing music."

05:35 "Where my attention is focused has been in teaching. I've had students who have shown improvement beyond what I thought they would show, because I think psychologically they depend on these lessons as feeling that they can actually express themselves, which does my heart good, too."

10:13 "I think it's important for everyone to remain nimble, and flexible, and adaptable. This is survival now. No one knows what the future is going to bring. Going back to normal may not ever happen. So what we have to do is face the fact that with so much uncertainty, we can only take a day at a time and make it the best we can."

12:20 "I really hope that people can learn to adapt. When technology goes bad, you can't get ticked off about it. You have to just roll with it. And that's kind of where we're at right now with everything. We have to learn how to roll with everything. I understand frustration levels and everything, but this is just a fresh set of challenges. So be patient with it and work through it."

17:37 "I've gotten rid of nearly half of my stuff, either throwing it away or bagging it up and getting it ready to donate. And realized in doing that, that's a real metaphor for how I want to be in every aspect of my life, but especially in in business. Moving forward, I want to be agile. I want to be able to go in whatever direction that I need to go in, in order to contribute to the world but also to contribute to my own well-being, my own evolving."

18:57 "Regardless of which of my hats I'm wearing, I have spiral notebooks, and I'm taking notes on everything." 

21:48 "One thing that I've always done is, I put everything in my phone. I put everything in my calendar. I think all of this prioritization, and note taking, and reinforcing ideas that you have, is really critical to us as we go forward in this digital age. We can't space out on things. People depend on us too much."

24:29 "It's really important to stay focused as much as you can. Let yourself go every once in a while, and dive into a movie or a TV show and decompress, but when you're on guard, be focused. Be focused - not fearful, but focused."

28:06 "When I see questions on job applications and stuff, 'Where do you see yourself in five years?' I just look at that and I go, oh, that's adorable. Because that probably was a great question to have, maybe 20 years ago, but it's so outdated now. The honest answer is, I don't know."

28:52 "With the unknown, you can choose to be afraid about what's unknown, or you can choose to embrace what the possibilities are. And I think it's great to reflect on the past, but you can't live there. And if you cling too hard to what has happened, and the way things used to be, and all of that stuff you are… you're condemned to be stuck there. And I truly believe that my favorite gig is definitely the next one. I've had some wonderful experiences, but I'm excited about what the future holds."

29:38 "I love all of the different things that I get to do. But I think it's important to take time for yourself."

32:38 About revenue streams and bartering: "Look around and see what you need help with. And if you have a service that you can provide to somebody else who can help you, then allow that to happen."

37:16 "The French horn sort of chose me."

40:14 "I think more than anything right now, because I'm not playing to earn money, when I play I play because I love it. And I play to explore music that I love. It’s not for anyone else, it's for me."

42:15 "When this first started, I think everybody was just - was and still is - we're all thrown into all of this uncertainty. And I was thinking, what can I control? Well, I can control what goes in and out of my body, and I can control how I treat my body. If you don't feed your body good pure food right now, your brain is not going to respond very well, and right now you need your wits about you."

43:51: "Be open to learning. Don't be afraid to say 'I don't know how to do this.' But make it your business to learn how to do it. Just be prepared. Don't ever stop learning because with that learning comes growth, and comes so many opportunities."

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Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

 

One of the most common business discussions I see online is about rates - how to price your services, how to get clients to pay what you’re worth, and why sometimes you have to say no and walk away.

This especially happens with those who are just starting out. There seems to be an inherent fear that if you charge too much, you won’t get any clients and your business will fail. But it’s so much harder to sustain a business when you’re undervaluing your services. You have to work twice as hard, and who wants to do that?

00:26 “I can’t charge that much” is usually more about imposter syndrome than the value of your services.

01:01 The right client is not going to trust someone whose rates are too low.

01:54 Charging low rates makes it harder for you to charge more in the future, can be a strain on your mental health, and can hurt your entire industry.

02:48 “If I do a job in 30 minutes, it’s because I spent 10 years learning how to do that in 30 minutes. You owe me for the years, not the minutes.” - Davy Greenberg

03:31 Charge project rates versus hourly so you aren't penalized for efficiency.

04:40 Rates should be based on a number of factors - your experience, skill level, expertise in a specific industry, and market value. Do your research.

06:02 Don't underestimate the value of your time, and make sure you and your client are on the same page about what they are paying for and what you are delivering.

06:42 Be confident that you are worth it and you will connect with the people who understand and appreciate you for what you have to offer.

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

Thanks for listening!

 

We often have many, many thoughts going on in our heads at once, so that's what this episode is - a collection of thoughts from the week. 

00:38 How do we find that balance that's so important in the middle of the chaos?

01:06 One of my solutions for everything is just to find humor in a situation. A couple of my go-to videos when I need to laugh: https://youtu.be/KOOmaBbqYBk (Michael Stipe's dance moves around 1:50) and any Future Islands performance: https://youtu.be/GK4lD3Uf8_o

02:57 Changing your mood is helpful, but sometimes you have to understand why your mood is what it is in the first place. I had this big realization this week that certain notification sounds are triggers for me

04:04 If you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it's most likely because of all the work you have to do. But is there something else that is contributing to that stress that you can control?

04:57 People often say the reason they started their business is because they want to be their own boss. But what does it mean to be a boss?

06:09 It all comes down to how you communicate with the other people, and understanding that being the boss does not mean that you're better than everybody else.

07:18 When you're working on a team, whether there's somebody in a position of power or not, it's never okay to treat anybody as if they are less than. 

07:42 If you feel that somebody on your team is being disrespectful or condescending, before you go into defensive mode, stop and think about the person's intent.

09:03 You don't have to keep working with people who don't align with the way that you like to work. 

10:00 If you're one of those people who doesn't have an inner monologue, can you describe what "abstract" thoughts are like? It seems like it would be peaceful.

10:39 How do you find balance when you're busy? I think you have to take it in the moments where it’s available to you. 

11:24 Sometimes I think we have to bargain with ourselves and remember that, even though we're running businesses, we don't have to work all the time. It's not just about work-life balance, it's about work-work balance. 

11:57 While I'm grateful to be busy, sometimes I almost wonder if it's a gift or a curse - but I always choose to look at it as a gift.

13:38 It's all about perspective - choosing to find the good and believing that things happen the way they're supposed to.

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

Thanks for listening!

Joining me today is a filmmaker, entrepreneur, and author. His latest book, “A Filmmaking Mindset: The New Path of Today’s Filmmaker” is available on Amazon now. I’m talking with Kelly Schwarze about how the film industry is shifting and what we can do to adapt.

Buy "A Filmmaking Mindset: The New Path of Today's Filmmaker" on Amazon

Connect with Kelly:

Indie Film Factory website and Facebook

Instagram @directorkelly

00:36 "Like everybody else, when the pandemic hit and we were looking at job cancellations and productions getting shut down, the first thing I thought was, 'Okay, how do I innovate?' I've always thought of myself as kind of always having to hustle. I've never really rested on my laurels ever. So I think for us, it's always about been innovation. For me personally, it's been about trying to evolve and do different things and try different things in terms of production." 

01:45 "I get the idea of it being a very scary time, but it is what it is. And you have to look and figure out ways that you can innovate and do things that are productive, but also to reflect on how you can do things better when things do get back into practice. And I think that's another takeaway from all this, and it's definitely put the spotlight on the fact that we're able to do things that we didn't think we could do." 

03:35 "I think what we're seeing now is this big question mark, whether or not this industry has to change course, dramatically."

05:38 "Everybody is waiting for permission. And I think a lot of people are so afraid looking foolish, being intimidated by the technology of it all."

08:47 "Film School teaches you perfect world scenario. When you start having to pay for things, and you have to start looking at the economy of making money back on a project, that's when you start to really think about the reality of things."

10:51 "This is a lifetime, a career of trial and error, and missed opportunities, and bad decisions, and mistakes. But it's all a part of that process. And if you don't understand that, it makes it very difficult. So I always say like, just go out, make mistakes, and embrace every one of them."

13:34 "I believe talent is something that is acquired over time, too. But it's really about your focus and your interest. You know, if you're passionate about telling stories, you're going to figure out a way to tell stories. And if you focus on it enough, you're going to end up being the best you can be. And that's all you can ask for."

15:48 "I make a commitment to getting up every day and incrementally doing things in my life. And I think that's what we have to try to do to stay on point."

18:59 "Not every day is going to be your superstar day. You just have to be in a position to understand that and relate to it and move on. And not everything's going to turn out perfectly. It's trial and error, but also giving yourself that time to be calm. 

22:51 "We may go back to set, but it may also be a hybrid of things. You may start to see that the cost economics of keeping somebody remote is far more beneficial."

27:12 "I think it's really people's unwillingness to adapt, and to accept change, that's going to be the death to a lot of aspects of people in this industry."

31:27 "So the good thing with 'Abigail Haunting' is that it just took off, and it happened to be in the midst of a time where not a lot of new content was coming out. So we had the opportunity to, for several weeks, be in the most popular film category on Amazon. And then over Memorial Day weekend, we were like the third most popular movie. And I'm sitting there thinking this is nuts. I mean, this is crazy. We have at least over a million people that have seen this movie on that platform alone. So it's incredible, the opportunity that this whole thing has provided us in a way on a filmmaking level."

33:52 "With the way things are going with production, it's going to have to be about storytelling."

I thought it would be fun to do something a little differently, so this episode will be a bit of a Q&A session. I posted a poll on social to find out what you might want to know from me, and here are a few of the suggestions.

00:16 How did you know it was time to go out on your own?

06:33 How long did it take you to get started?

08:07 What is the best and worst advice you were given when starting out?

13:35 What is the most overlooked skill you need to be successful?

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

Would you like to hear more Q&A episodes? What are some of the questions you would like to ask me or that you would like to know about?

Please send them to me on social @aardvarkgirl or email info@aardvarkgirl.com.

I really want to know if this is something that you would like to hear more of, or if you prefer the single topic episodes instead.

Thanks for listening!