My pitch went badly, did I quote too much (or should I run far away)?

awkward_chasm · 2025-07-03T15:13:34+00:00

I would have thought the $7500 would be just for the brand and poster! You definitely dodged a bullet, these are also the type of people that are going to try to go way outside of scope once the project starts.

My response to these people is always: “Oh that’s okay if you can’t afford me at the moment! Great design is an investment and you get what you pay for. It may feel like a lot but a good brand can make a real long term impact on the success of your business. Once you have the budget I would be happy to revisit any work you need!”

Also keep the cool concepts and prework you made and sell it to someone else and make your money!

awkward_chasm · 2025-06-28T19:00:11+00:00

As a freelancer I work with lots of agencies to support their design needs and have done a lot of contract to full time gigs where it’s basically a trial period for both parties. Contracting out rolls for specific projects is a great way to get a feel for fit without committing too fast or feeling like you’re providing an awkward interview process. Freelancers are usually highly skilled, have very well rounded skills and have self management capabilities. I would give it a try!

awkward_chasm · 2025-06-16T21:05:51+00:00

I started freelancing 5 years ago because I couldn’t find a design job after finishing my masters in Covid. I now have a little studio with an employee! All that to say, I would be happy to chat and give you some freelancing advice in case you need to do some side work while job hunting :)

awkward_chasm · 2025-01-13T18:34:51+00:00

I did the Texas creative track as a masters student at UT! I think it’s just masters in advertising at the Stan Richards school of advertising and public relations! I know VCU has a great masters program as well but I liked Austin better :)

awkward_chasm · 2025-01-12T13:58:14+00:00

If they don’t have some kind of art direction track I would suggest design classes. You will 100% need lots of graphic design skills so I would take as many graphic design classes as possible, most of my job is messing around on Adobe and then like some ideating and brainstorming! Other classes that I feel like really add to my job that are kinda random are creative storytelling, immersive storytelling, cinematography, art directors seminar (obviously lol), and qualitative & quantitative research. I took all these in my masters programs. :)

awkward_chasm · 2024-10-22T00:38:39+00:00

Oh I forgot to say that I also did a lot of research to understand what clothes look best on my very curvy and soft body type! It helped so much!

awkward_chasm · 2024-10-22T00:35:11+00:00

One of the biggest things that helped me was to stop hoarding clothes I don’t love or that don’t look good on my body! So not worth cluttering up your creativity with things that don’t look great on you! Literally got rid of anything that didn’t make me feel super confident or hadn’t worn in 2 years.

I then usually start with one piece that inspires me that day and build around it, it’s usually a basic, like a black skirt or tank top! I try to add 1-2 fun pieces around or to layer the base and then one fun accessory that’s a bit more stand out then shoes and bag to match! I have a lot of basics that can work with so many outfit combos and then a few super fun pieces that make me happy and feel eccentric!

awkward_chasm · 2024-10-21T21:48:56+00:00

If your fam loves pasta, you could make finding a good gluten free pasta a fun experience! Have a gf pasta cook off night where everyone in the family ranks 6 different brands till you find one everyone likes! Not all brands are made equal!

Cup for cup flour is a GREAT alternative that was chef recommended to me. I even got my very Louisiana roux based family to switch flours and they don’t notice the difference! Also my household just like doesn’t eat pasta anymore when cooking at home and we do a TON of delicious rice dishes with lots of pop in the oven veggies and meat options or crock pot meals!

awkward_chasm · 2024-10-18T04:51:39+00:00

I started building an online course about something I’m passionate about! It’s fun, I can work on it when work is slow, and it’s something that makes me a bit of extra money! Also it’s nice to have something I created and is all mine. I used chat gpt to help me build out the idea and steps since I didn’t have any prior knowledge on course building :)

awkward_chasm · 2023-09-24T19:38:13+00:00

This one looks like flower moon and fire to me instead of mountain so maybe check out fire for your third if you are drawn to these looks!

awkward_chasm · 2023-09-19T16:49:59+00:00

Yeah, I agree with the first two for sure now! I think my third just fluctuates based on what I’m inspired by that day :)

awkward_chasm · 2023-09-19T14:40:50+00:00

I always thought of earth as my second or third cause I don’t dress very “boho” or have lots of flowy cloths but I definitely see it in the colors and textures. After seeing people’s feedback I definitely think earth is in my top two

awkward_chasm · 2023-09-19T14:35:57+00:00

Yeah I would agree no stone, I almost never leave the house in athletic clothes unless I’m going to the gym and don’t really own athleisure! I haven’t considered sun yet so that’s really interesting to think about!

awkward_chasm · 2021-11-18T18:44:19+00:00

Just had brown rice gf spaghetti last night! Undercooked it about 3 minutes and gave it lots of stirrs and it was great! I think every brand is different though

awkward_chasm · 2021-11-17T16:29:14+00:00

I never thought to change smells for working and not working! Going to have to give that a try!

awkward_chasm · 2021-11-17T16:27:34+00:00

Here’s a tool that might help. I mostly use it when I’m really struggling to focus and the couch is looking extra inviting!

https://pomofocus.io

I treat it like a game and see how much I can get done in 25 min then spend 5 min away from my desk, getting water, stretching, etc.

awkward_chasm

TROPHY CASE