I have been sorting through a few things (professionally) since I got back from the big US trip.. Which I will get around to blogging all about I'm sure. Still sorting through 3000 odd photos & numerous videos.
My current identity revolves around a logo, which I am not retiring in lieu of a new one - but it will be repurposed a bit; potentially used less, and with more specific applications in mind (watermarks for one).
As I delve further into self-employed work I'm finding that you have to be incredibly careful not to sell yourself short. There are many clients out there willing to take advantage of designers. In an environment where there is boundless competition, offering to undertake a job is an interesting game to play. If you quote a job, which you consider is scraping the barrel as far as reasonable remuneration and the client returns with a budget of a third of that quota do you take the job? You've really got to sit back and evaluate your communication with the client up to this point, and combine that with factors such as the time the job will consume, and the potential for endless tweaking to judge whether your time is better spent pursuing other endeavours. Sure, it feels like you're almost throwing money away - but if you're not smart about how you present your business you could find yourself severely out of pocket in both time and money.
(image - a style frame for a job that didn't pan out)
As you can see I have broken from my usual numbering system for my blog posts.
I grew quite attached to the system, but some posts just call for an actual title as a opposed to a serial number. Fear not! The system will remain for the most part, but I shall break from it from time to time.
I am currently employed to do some freelance illustration work (which I should really be doing instead of blogging) on a very exciting project which I'm psyched to be involved with. At the current stage that is all I cant tell you guys about that particular undertaking, sorry!
Still stuck at Liz's parents place, going to be for a while yet - have to house sit for a few months while they're on holidays. I'd kill to get out of here, insanity has well set in and I am well on my way to blown lunacy. I never intended on being here longer than March and yet here I am heading into July and not looking at getting out of here till October. I just can't put up with much more of this I'm afraid. There's an assumption that we don't know how to do ANYTHING which is killing me. I'm sorry, but after living on my own for 4 years to back to living under someone is just like walking through a sheet of glass and then rolling around in the shards just to make sure I'm bleeding enough.
Anyhoo.. Enough on that.
I'm very jealous of all of you who are in Melbourne and am regretting coming to Sydney instead of Melbourne (not for the first time). The Tim Burton Exhibition at ACMI opened yesterday and I would have loved to have been there to meet Mr Burton and get his signature. I have a NEED to get one of the limited copies of 'The Art of Tim Burton' but I don't like my chances of any being left by the time that I'll likely make it down to Melbourne (the long weekend in October). I may have to request one of my Melbourne-based buddies to grab me a copy. That could work. nb. Part way through writing this I was talking to Pam (she's in Melb) and she's going to pick me up a copy! Woo!
A few other things on my mind are what is going to be taking place in the next few years. By October 2011 I will have completed a short film and concurrently my Master of Arts Practice, something that is very exciting and feels very far away. I have been a bit slack in the past month and a bit on updating my Masters blog and I really need to get onto that before my supervisors get onto me about it. Sp far the project is proceeding reasonably on time, a few hold ups with ordering a book in have cost me some time (the book took 6 and a half weeks to arrive). If you're interested in seeing what is happening with that be sure to check out the afore mentioned blog, which will be receiving steady updates again throughout this week.
So that's happening and there is still this uncertainty in regards to full-time work, or at least regular weekly work that would allow me to live comfortably without fear of being income-less one week and thus unable to pay rent etc. I have landed a well-paying freelance gig which I mentioned in a previous entry which is going well, have been working on it for nearly a week now. It is unsure how long the work will go for and IF the project takes off there will be constant work for a reasonable time period. But I am obviously not betting on that as my only source of income, that would be foolish. I remain on the job hunt; if I could attain a regular flow of freelance work I would be quite pleased, it's obviously not ideal but it's more than I've got going at the moment.
Lastly, I checked out the new season of Futurama the other night and I did not come away disappointed. I was concerned for the new season (Season 5, not 6!) after the failure that was the 4 Futurama movies. That may be an unfair statement, I did enjoy Bender's Big Score - but it lacked the punchy pacing that makes Futurama flow. By the time the last film came out it was terrible and I was sad that the series would end on such an awful note which did not reflect it's successes for 4 years prior. 'The Devil's Hands are My Playthings' was one of the greatest Futurama episodes and the perfect unintended ending to the series back in 2003. However, after watching 'Rebirth' and 'In A Gada Da Leela' I am more than pleased to see Futurama back were it belongs; syndicated television. Doubly pleased that they followed up on Fry and Leela's relationship - which was something that after the end of Season 4 they ignored completely until throwing it into the end of the final film. That was poorly handled I must say.
Highlights of the 2 episodes would definitely be Zapp's Victory Yodel, Professor Farnsworth, Stem Cells, Robot Leela, hack on CSI Miami, V-Giny, Shrapnel-vision and most especially 'The Man With No Name' - Zapp Brannigan. Oh and also Bender taking a bit of a back seat unlike his overbearing presence in the films.
Finally landed some employment after how many months of hunting?
The irony is that this freelance gig is through an agency based in Melbourne, but the people heading up the project are luckily Sydney-based. So I am beginning to feel like something is working out for me (finally). It is an illustration job which I cannot go into detail about for confidential reasons, but the pay is good and the job should last a few weeks at least. It could be ongoing, or with the opportunity of further work at least but that is something that will not be seen for a while.
I cannot tell you all how happy I am to finally have landed something.
