International Womens Day Talk - Headrow House w/ Kristyna Baczynski

Myself and Eloise were having a great week of just celebrating that we're both women part of creative industries and through Facebook as well as seeing posts on the university Instagram account about events we thought it would be really useful to go to these to get a real insight from people who would be able to share their experiences, especially those based in the local area. 

Some of the notes I had made from this q&a/ talk included: 

• building up work bit by bit

-whether that's in spare time 

- even if you don't have time 

- trying to spin all the plates! (which I thought was a good way of visualising what she was explaining)

• Refusing to answer or read emails after 6/7 

- the importance of setting boundaries rather than working yourself all the time and not providing yourself with free time as well as working.

• Sending a sketch (or thumbnail?)

- This is to avoid getting clients asking for lots of changes if you have worked up something and it has been time-consuming - but with a rejection from a client it just turns into wasted time 

- Setting an hour rate 

-Contracts !!!

• Being pulled in different directions

- After getting quite a reputation for releasing a book 

• Is Instagram dying?

- trying to compete on a platform which has so many hidden algorithms and it is uncertain if you'll be getting paid work from putting your work on there

• Getting a print-based job 

- learning about setting up files for print - all these things which are learnt on jobs like that feed into the work that she produces 

• Fail better!

-chilling out with products as soon as you have made them 

• Giving yourself brain time to recharge!

-filling it with information that you like - exhibitions and books!

• Setting up boundaries - time (personal &proffesional)

-using spaces where you can hotdesk - where you can physically detach from doing work 

- doing this with social media ( mention within the social media workshop of the use of apps where you can schedule posts for insta so you don't get sucked into things like that and end up wasting your precious time)

- making time to just do stuff for yourself  - and not posting this online!!

• Don't undervalue yourself as this doesn't pay for rent!

- know your worth!

• Figure out a day rate

- quoting your work (not entirely sure what this word means but i remember in a session with john watters this term was mentioned and how providing a quote to someone is a legally binding contract- which can be good and bad depending on how you look at it)

- good thing for weeding out bullshitters

I think a lot of the advice which Kristyna had given was really useful as although she is primarily an illustrator and the course I'm doing is design based - I feel like the same principles of what she said applies.