PixelatedImage Blog

Well, it’s that time again. In just over two weeks the calendar rolls and it’s 2009. I know, it’s just another day, but for many freelancers it’s the beginning of a new fiscal year, and a new marketing year. And that means it’s time – if you haven’t done it already – for some planning.

This is a short post, no more than a reminder really. I’m about to sit down and make some notes for a planning meeting I am having on Wednesday. The starting point for those notes is the following questions:

1. What are my goals for 2009? What do I want my finances to look like? What kind of work do I want to do and for whom?

2. Given my goals what steps do I need to take to get there?

• What does my budget need to look like and how can I make sure it happens?
• What does my marketing calendar need to look like and what can I do on a weekly basis to get there?
• What do I want my portfolio to look like by the beginning of 2010? What shoots do I need to make happen in 2009 to make that a reality?
• What initiatives will I make professionally to stay ahead of the game? How will I keep the edge on my craft?

3. What can I do now to smooth the path I want to take for the coming year? Are there contacts I need to make, meetings I need to have, workshops I need to sign up for?

Intentionally sitting down and plotting your course gives you a far better chance of getting where you want to go, and while the odd serendipitious wind may blow you off course and into some wonderful accidental destination, it’s best that you have a say in the matter rather than allow yourself to be blown all over the map, at the mercy of the winds, next year.

Many of my readers don’t do this for a living. Some like it that way, others are working on changing that, but even those for whom this is an avocation – why not sit down with a cup of coffee some evening and plot your course for 2009? Put the big rocks in first, as they say. Take a workshop, plan for the purchase of a new lens, decide to read one new book a month in order to grow in your craft – for some of you just taking the leap and getting your files organized and backed-up would be a huge step. Whatever it is, consider becoming more proactive with your craft. Doing some advance planning, setting some goals and attaching them to some definable steps, means you’ve got a better chance of these things actually happening.