Creative Cantina

Creative Cantina

Marketing is about saying it over and over and over and..

You know that thing you keep talking about online? The thing you sell.. You know the thing you’re 100% sure people are tired of hearing

Feel better about your marketing by focusing on how you make people feel

This you..? You post once about your latest project then never talk about it again..You see people who need your service but haaaate to message

Sometimes it’s right to break your own rules

You know me, I’m not one to work weekends… Yet here I am writing a blog on a Sunday. What? Why?? How come??? Hypocrite! Look,

Instead of saying NO to a client, try this..

Next time you’re gonna say no.. Ask for something outrageous. I neeed you to get this done by tomorrow – Sure, for triple the rate. Can

You control your own time, act like it!

Have an awesome week! But wait..! It’s Thursday (when I wrote this!), it’s not the start of the week??? Look, time is a human construct.

How the fear of being wrong holds you back

Y’know what’s holding you back? It’s not not knowing what you need to do (you know enough to get started (you know that!)) It’s not

Overcome your limiting beliefs and become who you want to be

What I learned about freelancing from coaching freelancers

I’ve been coaching freelancers for three years now. (Well really I’ve been doing it for about 10 years but y’know, informally like.) In that time

How to take time off as a freelancer

If you live in the UK today is a bank holiday. That means the banks aren’t open, the trains run reduced service, shops close, public

The things I need to be an effective designer

I was on holiday and now I’m back! While I was away I was reminded of something. I need quiet. Like… … … … …

To make more money, make people care

Have you ever asked yourself if people care about your business? Most freelancers only see their biz from their point of view. For what it

Fuck this 10k boss babe / hustle bro nonsense

Top tips for avoiding burnout

It’s the end of the day on a Friday so I’m not gonna keep you long.. My last (hopefully ever) burnout came after I worked

6 ways to improve client negotiations

I got a rough lesson in negotiation in my early days as a designer and it helped me shape how I approached negotiations ever since.

How to get paid – Let me (pretend to) run your finance dept

As a freelancer you wear many hats in your biz One of the most important is getting paid! But it’s not easy to be the person delivering a service and chasing payment So let me do it for you! Create a new email address, orwell@yourURL.com and pretend I run your payments Swipe n I’ll show you how! Just pretend you’re

So the client hates everything you make..

New projects are wonderful! Full of potential to make lovely designs. Interesting designs! Designs that push the boundaries of your skills and the client’s expectations..

How the mentoring programme works

I’ve got a programme that I’ve refined over my years as freelancer It’s helped me at every stage of my career from sidegig freelancer to director It works like this... Happiness More time More money Calm mind That’s the results But what does it actually mean for the freelancers I work with? Growth Systems Audience Basics Basics We can’t build

How to spot a time waster

How to spot a time waster They're vague about what they want They say they have no budget They don't engage with your process They agree to the price but want to delay payment They ask you to copy someone else's work They try to micromanage you They have unrealistic expectations They're quick with deadlines but slow with payments What's

Steal my process for staying in touch with potential clients

Not every person who needs your service is ready to buy It’s your job to be first in their mind when they are But how can you stay in touch without feeling like you’re being pushy? Swipe and I’ll show ya... When you contact them, focus on solving their problem Steal my process Make a list of potential clients you’ve

Reflect on your progress to improve your mindset

Life is a series of experiences. Some make us feel good, others make us feel less good. Our brains are hardwired to remember the less

Set goals on your own projects so you achieve them!

In our day to day work we use our skills to help people achieve their goals. We find out what they’re trying to achieve, research

When they ask you to work during your holidays, copy this

A client wants you to work during your holiday time? We can't have that! Copy this script and politely let them know you won't be available given the opportunity clients will... steal your you time holiday headspace check your emails convince guilt working don't let them do it you give so much you deserve your holiday recharge recentre expand your

Manage your ego and learn to be the sidekick

Every hero story needs supporting characters They’re the people the hero couldn’t succeed without Batman has Robin and Alfred Beyoncé had Kelly and Michelle Pharell has N*E*R*D Carol Davers has... well she’s Captain Marvel so... Being a sidekick isn’t an insult, it’s a role you take when you realise you can’t be the hero in every story The truth is

Your identity iceberg explained

Your identity is made up of many things Not all of them can be seen on the surface This is how we all experience each other When we start out in business, these are the things we see and admire about others We see people’s actions, decisions and behaviours and we copy them, hoping they will bring us the same

How I became a £500 per hour designer

When I first started out as a freelancer making money was tough I was inexperienced with a small folio and I didn’t know how to convince people to hire me to design their branding... So I created Startup 101 A basic brand package that covered the main forms of comms for new companies in my area Logo Business card Letterhead

How to avoid getting screwed when projects go wrong

Life would be great if it all went to plan... But often times it doesn’t... And in business, if you haven’t planned for a bit of mess You can get screwed! Luckily, planning for a few mistakes is easy to do Swipe and I’ll show you how... +20% That’s it, that’s the secret Plan the project Work out how long

Things always take longer than you expect, and that’s okay!

Things always take longer than you thought We all have our own shit going on and work at our own pace. Life gets in the way! So when it does... Go easy on yourself! Decide what you want, keep getting better every day and the life you want will come

How to create a PDF preset for Adobe CC

Tired of wasting time changing the settings every time you wanna export a PDF? Want to understand what some of those darn settings do? Check out this vid and I'll show you how to create your own preset that you can use across all of the Adobe Suite :D

8 ways to stay happy in your work

1. Plan days around things you like Every day I make time for things that make me happy. Thing like reading, drinking tea, plyaing my music loud, going out for a walk and talking to my friends give me a boost that helps me stay happy day to day. Even on a bad work day, make time for something you

It’s okay to be a hack

Note every client wants your best work. If they want it, they might not be able to afford it. Sometimes they want a copy of what you've done before, sometiems this is people's whole careers. So when it comes to this situations, my advice... Be a hack. Lower your standards Set your limits Scope creep

Still haven't found what you're looking for?

If you like this

I have more for you!

I work 1-2-1 with ambitious freelancers to help them gain confidence, growth and control in their business.

What people love the most is that we cover lots of practical stuff that you can easily implement in your business to see rapid and sustainable change.

Interested?

Find out more