Are You A Master Freelancer?

Master Freelancer Award

Back in the day, when I was a freelancer, I remember how lonely I got at times. I missed getting feedback from team members. It was hard to get recognition and at the time I couldn’t afford (or justify) entering the prestigious awards that cost hundreds of dollars. That’s why CreativeMornings and FreshBooks launched the Master Freelancer Award: It is completely free. All you have to do is show the best piece of freelance work — the website you designed that bends the rules, the photo you took that made it on that billboard, the copy you wrote for the poster that went viral.

If you’re one of the three winners CreativeMornings will share your story and your work with their global audience in every corner of the Internet. Plus, you’ll receive a trophy AND a free FreshBooks subscription for one year.

Enter to win or suggest a freelancer over at freelancer.creativemornings.com

And, the Freelancer Award page, is curating a list of helpful articles, resources and talks for Freelancers.

The Growing Pains of Deaf Musician

Hardship can either brake you or make you. This is the story behind the sign language musician Signmark. Beautiful CreativeMornings talk from our Helsinki chapter.

The Economy of Generosity

The above video is me asking the 600 people CreativeMornings NYC audience at our most recent event to support CreativeMornings and its volunteers.

I am being told on a daily basis that the business model I have set CreativeMornings up on, is bound to fail. CreativeMornings is fueled and can grow because of the generosity of companies that believe in this creative community, our global partners Mailchimp, Freshbooks and Shutterstock. And, only for the second time in 7.5 years, we are asking our community for help.

I believe in the economy of generosity and that it can sustain an organization like CreativeMornings. If you do too, show your support, over on our CreativeMornings Kickstarter.

We reached our goal yesterday, which means we can secure a venue for our Organizer summit, but now, we need to raise money for AV equipment, chairs, food etc. Support the volunteers that put on thousands of events every year. It all will come back to you, in form of even better CreativeMornings events in your local city.

Please Support Our CreativeMornings Kickstarter

Full disclosure: I am not someone that asks for help easily, writing this post has me feeling all the feels:

On Friday my team and I launched a Kickstarter campaign to support and celebrate our 1,500 CreativeMornings volunteers around the world. Every month, they pour time and heart into each and every event, which are open to anyone, at no cost. They passionately and tirelessly fuel this engine of generosity.

Just last year alone, we hosted over 1,600 events, in over 50 countries. Did I say CreativeMornings events are free? As in ZERO DOLLARS? And come with free breakfast? Free coffee? And even hugs?

We often try to imagine how many lives CreativeMornings must have touched. How many people found new jobs? New friends? Spouses? Or simply a place where to feel safe and understood. My team and I believe in the power of meeting up, in the power of creating a safe, kind space to share and connect.

Have you ever been inspired by a CreativeMornings event? Or watched our talks online? Then please, consider donating to our Kickstarter which will help us put on our bi-annual Organizer Summit. It’s a two day chance for all volunteers around the world to get together and compare notes, learn from each other and make your local events better.

We put together some pretty neat rewards, have a look. If you have ever been touched by a CreativeMornings event, please consider giving back.

And, if your company might be interested in sponsoring our Summit, and in that case, be invited to participate and meet our hosts from around the world, please email us!

Thank you! (/ Exhale)

CreativeMornings: Bill Ury

Do yourself a favor and take 30mins to watch this incredible talk by Bill Ury. I had the pleasure to meet Bill and spend two days with him at a small conference a few months ago. While he might not realize it, but meeting him has had a huge impact on how I think about negotiations, listening and the way we should go about life. He is one of the most remarkable humans I have ever met. Watch the talk. I think you’ll understand…

CreativeMornings / San Diego

This video on the CreativeMornings/San Diego chapter just took my breath away. It’s been almost 8 years since I had the simple idea of opening my co-working space to host a small breakfast gathering. And now, it has spread in over 55 countries, happening in 133 cities every month. Put on by our incredible hosts and their volunteer teams. The world is a magical place. You just have to find your people. So much love for this community.

CreativeMornings with Mac Premo

My friend Mac Premo recently spoke at CreativeMornings/NYC. In his talk he discusses the relationship between his art and commercial practices, and how they enhance each other.

Please note the podium he is standing next to. I would tweak the slides of my talks forever, he builds a podium that holds his hat and drink. –> !!!

If you are not familiar with Mac, watch this short, personal documentary done by Bas Berkhout. Mac is one of the most creative and talented people I’ve met. Good people.

CreativeMornings Podcast: John Forté

And here it is, our last episode of our first season of our CreativeMornings Podcast. Listen to the charming and deep John Forté speak on Humility. In his talk, he reminds us that no matter where we are in life, we should never take it for granted.

CreativeMornings Close Up: Wesley Verhoeve

Our CreativeMornings/NYC videographer Ben Hallman has recently started creating short mini documentaries on some of our chapter volunteers. The first one was on Yoko Ohama and a few weeks ago he launched this one on Wesley Verhoeve.

Ben has been documenting our NYC talks for years. He is a hard worker. Super reliable. And, it’s his birthday today. So, Happy Birthday Ben!

CreativeMornings Podcast: Steve Larosiliere

Steve Larosiliere is a dear friend of mine and a person I truly admire: He is the founder and president of STOKED, an award winning development organization for underserved youth that seeks to inspire these teens through action sports.

In this CreativeMornings talk from November 2014 in New York City, Steve speaks about the chances he’s been given in life — about the things that happened to him and the things that happened because of him — and how each one informed his mission to close the opportunity gap and pay it forward in his community.

Have a listen. It’s well worth it.

CreativeMornings GIF Channel

CreativeMornings GIF Channel

I am really excited over the launch of our CreativeMornings GIF Channel. I include GIFs in my emails regularly. I find them often way more efficient as words. They bring lightness and fun to what otherwise would be a very serious and dry message.

We launched the GIF Channel with the help Freshbooks, one of our global partners. Check it out and submit your own GIFs! I did already.

Does Someone in Your Community Need a Website?

Cover pages CreativeMornings

This week, Squarespace launched Cover Pages, by far the simplest way to create a small online presence for just about anything in minutes.

To celebrate Cover Pages, CreativeMornings is running a campaign encouraging the community to create a web presence for people or organizations that should have one. Know someone in your community who could benefit from a small site? Make them a Cover Page and share their story with the world! But here’s the kicker: In the spirit of generosity, Squarespace is offering the CreativeMornings community a free year* for your Cover Page.

CreativeMornings will be featuring some of the best-ofs throughout the month of November. Get Started!

*Once you’ve signed up for a free trial, select the “Settings,” “Billing and Accounting,” and finally, “Billing.” You’ll need to enter your credit card info and the code DESIGNSOMEGOOD to receive 100% off your first year. Don’t worry, Squarespace will only charge your card when your year is up, and give you plenty of notice beforehand.

CreativeMornings Podcast: Ben Chestnut

One of my favorite CreativeMornings talks went up on our CreativeMornings Podcast last Friday. It features insightful and funny lessons learned by Ben Chestnut, Mailchimp CEO and co-founder.

Kevin’s CreativeMornings Story

Kevin, my first hire at CreativeMornings shares his story and the tools required to build a thriving global creative community. Needless to say, this talk made me cry.

CreativeMornings Podcast

creativemornings podcast

It’s a very exciting day here at CreativeMornings HQ: Starting today, we will be releasing some of our favorite archived talks in podcast form! We’ll be featuring the best-of the best in the first season of the podcast, while simultaneously shining the spotlight on the CreativeMornings community. Check back every Friday morning from October 2nd through December 18th for a new episode!

You can listen to it on our site, subscribe on iTunes, follow us on Soundcloud, find them on your favorite Podcast app, or download for offline listening.

The first episode is with Casey Gerald on how purpose is the new bottom line. We are off to a powerful start. Tune in! And let us know what you think!

Creative People Around the World

creativemornings instagram stream

I am loving the new and improved CreativeMornings Instagram Feed highlighting a creative person a day from around the globe. If there’s someone you think they should feature, leave a comment below. (If possible link to their CreativeMornings Profile.)

What Will You Teach the World?

Skills

There is a lot of excitement in the air here at CreativeMornings HQ as we just soft-launched SKILLS. It is an attempt to highlight all of the creative talent in our community, by inviting anyone, in video form, to answer the question: What will you teach the world in two minutes or less? Here is one of the example videos by Adam J.K:

How To Draw A Ladder (Sort Of)

So, what will you teach the world? creativemornings.com/skills

CreativeMornings: Wilson Miner

In this CreativeMornings/SF talk Wilson Miner talks about collaboration and it’s crossover with appropriation.

And if you enjoyed this talk, make sure to also watch this one by him titled When We Build from 2011.

Purpose Is the New Bottom Line

Watch Casey Gerald deliver a powerful speech inspiring all of us to give a damn. He received the first standing ovation in CreativeMornings/NYC history. Trust me, watching this is 20 minutes well spent.

CreativeMornings: John Forté

In this beautiful CreativeMornings talk, former Fugees band member, John Forté shares his story, from his humble beginnings, to his successes, his 7 years in jail and to where he is now. This is the first time we had a musician perform on stage at one of our New York events. For me, it’s been one of the most magical CreativeMornings I had the chance to experience to date.

(Big thank you to the AV team at Google in providing Ben with some extra awesome footage for this video)

Make a Seat The Table For An Apprentice

The idea of “every company needing to make a seat at the table for an apprentice” really stopped me in my tracks. Switzerland has an apprentice system in place for young folks that don’t want to go to college and the USA is really lacking a similar track in my opinion.

EI is a project inspired by Victor Saad’s Leap Year Project, a self-made MBA he completed in 2012. Check out more at The Leap Year Project. And here’s where you can watch Victor Saad’s CreativeMornings talk.

CreativeMornings: Paula Scher

I am thrilled to share Paula Scher’s CreativeMornings talk in which she takes us through different types of ink she’s worked in and the way she feels about them.

You can see all the talks on INK, last month’s global theme, over on the CreativeMornings theme page.

Paula Scher’s event was generously hosted by the MoMA.

CreativeMornings: Elle Luna

In this CreativeMornings talk Elle Luna describes her path from designer to artist, following her dreams and choosing ‘must’ over ‘should’.

Makers of Things

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Powerful quote from Dave Peth’s CreativeMornings talk.