Essays on creative leadership,
culture, and the human side of work.
Published weekly, with an original illustration. Two series: Becoming and Advisory Notes.
In this interview, thanks to Colleen, I talk about dealing with bullies, getting paid in advance, the three-step close, thinking of negotiation as a research project, and replacing change orders with iteration fees. Along the way, Colleen shares her experience and insights as well, making it a lively discussion. Listening to it, I can hear my own…
I’ve been busier with client work than ever. Creative salaries are up, and more of my clients are negotiating new freelance opportunities and salaried positions than any time in memory. The following story is a composite of several of these ongoing negotiations. (Note: I’ve made changes in the following story, to keep identities private.) “They’re…
Awake. Suddenly awake. I remembered the noise I’d heard in the dream. I’d been running, running hard, and he’d been gaining. Awake now, soaked in sweat, I heard the noise again. Someone was in the apartment. I sat up and focused solely on listening. I heard it again. The moon was full, and I looked…
Late for my flight. Holding the wheel of the rental way too tight. It’s hot. The AC barely able to keep up. Damn car’s been sitting in the midday sun; the seat is still hot. My shirt’s stuck to my back with sweat. Leaning forward, to separate my shirt from the hot vinyl. Or is…
How to ask for and get the money. Or how I learned to dance with the fear in my lizard brain. Whenever someone I know, who runs a small creative firm, or is a writer or designer, tells me they struggle with asking for and getting the fees they need I always recommend the three-step…
The scent took her right back to that deep hole of loneliness. Brie paused before entering the old church, now a neighborhood venue. The geraniums: darkest red with a musky smell, framing the door in large matching pots. The scent from the loneliest time in her life. The scent always took her back to the…
When it came time to ask for the money the feelings that my work could be just a bit better would always lead me to ask for less than I should. Sound familiar? Your Negotiations for Creatives instructors, Jessica Knapp and I are working creative professionals. We both admit to lifelong struggles with the all-important…