i’m really excited and honored to be part of the creative inc. blog tour! creative inc. is the new joint venture from meg mateo ilasco and and Joy Deangdeelert Cho, as a follow-up to meg’s hit book Craft inc.

i got talking to them about my efforts to branch out from the blog into other passions of mine, like photography, and so today, joy and meg are offering up some advice from creative inc. on how i might better go about organizing my time, and staying focused on the goal (which i honestly am just horrid at!). i think y’all will find this useful information for any creative or freelance goals you’re trying to set for yourselves. thanks girls!

starting a freelance business while working full-time, being a parent, or adding it to everything else on your plate can be challenging–but making time to create a strong portfolio is essential for a budding freelance career. Here are some tips for building your portfolio so that you’ll be a few steps closer to turning your “side” gig into a full-time business.

1. Make a time commitment. Set aside a specific number of hours every week dedicated to working on your portfolio–whether that means creating new illustrations or putting together vignettes in your home to photograph. Find a time that you can stick to and typically have free and schedule it into your calendar. (For example, every Sunday morning from 9am-12pm before your usual Sunday brunch or Wednesday evenings from 7-10pm once the kids have gone to bed.) You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish by simply devoting a few extra hours per week.

2. Create the type of work you enjoy most. When your heart is in the work you do, it resonates with people. You will also be more satisfied producing projects that come easily and naturally to you. Consider Todd Selby and Scott Schuman, both started photography projects to satisfy themselves. But what started as personal expression for both eventually garnered cult followings and became their vehicles to gain the attention of big name clients. Now they’re collaborating with clients they never imagined they’d have.

3. Share it with the world! After you’ve gathered a good amount of work (3-5 projects is a good start, but you eventually want at least 8-12 for a full portfolio), update your website, blog, facebook page, and twitter, and email your friends and family images of your work. For great opportunities to come your way, you have to inform everyone you know (virtually and otherwise). You never know who may see it or who may pass it on to someone that may hire you for a project!

For more helpful guidance from the ladies of creative inc., follow meg and joy around on their blog tour on the following sites:

8/23 Poppy Talk

8/24 Oh Happy Day

8/25 sfgirlbybay

8/26 Mint

8/27 Wit + Delight

8/28 Cathy of California

8/29 Book By Its Cover

8/30 Not Martha

8/31 Frolic

9/1 Uppercase

9/2 Craftzine

9/3 Decor8

9/4 Kris Atomic

9/5 Grain Edit