Alison Garwood Jones

I stick up for freelancers. They inspire me. They’re my tribe.

I don’t know if what I say disturbs the order. When there are still more men making $100 million a month on Wall Street flipping real estate than there are Occupy protests, I’d say … probably not.

Every day, we freelancers show up to write, draw, scratch our chins, review our sins, check our email and push through our lower/middle class existential crises. Hope is like oxygen to us, although to admit that would be a bit pathetic.

So last night I threw several bottles containing messages into the Twitter stream. I was the guest on Marketer Monday, a Tweet Chat held every Monday between 8-9pm. Moderator Karima-Catherine Goundiam interviews key industry leaders on topics ranging from business, marketing and social media and it attracts a large and active crowd from North America and the UK.

The topic I proposed was: Show What You Want To Be Known For: Why Monetizing Your Creativity is Easier in a Digital Age. Karima asked me to tszuj up the Marketer Monday mascot, so I put a brush and palette on the end of his wings:

Join us tomorrow night at 8PM for #mmchat with @AlisonGJ. #mmchat is getting CREATIVE ;) @karimacatherine @Maja_Bilic pic.twitter.com/Bbb1bIxcnY

— MMchat (@MarketerMonday_) October 5, 2015

Here’s a round up of tweets. In short, getting discovered is way easier when you’re online. But you have to be a steely negotiator.

A4: lawyers don’t hesitate 2 charge a handsome hourly fee.Why should #creatives? We R hired b/c clients lack the time or talent. #mmchat

— Alison Garwood-Jones (@AlisonGJ) October 6, 2015

A4: Tonight’s mantra: Be professional. Know your worth. State your fee. #MMchat

— Alison Garwood-Jones (@AlisonGJ) October 6, 2015

A4: … Diversify your skills like you would an investment portfolio. Too much reliance on one skill is dangerous in this economy. #MMChat

— Alison Garwood-Jones (@AlisonGJ) October 6, 2015

A4 Diversify! That & serendipity were the reasons I decided to start taking on paid drawing assignments over and above journalism. #MMchat

— Alison Garwood-Jones (@AlisonGJ) October 6, 2015

A3: Unless U R a month out of school, don’t continue 2 fall for the “exposure” tradeoff. You have 2 start commanding your worth. #MMchat

— Alison Garwood-Jones (@AlisonGJ) October 6, 2015

A2 If I hadn’t made the easy choice to show my drawings on my blog, I would never have been contacted by the likes of @TEDxTAW #MMChat

— Alison Garwood-Jones (@AlisonGJ) October 6, 2015

I agree it’s easier online 2 reach targeted audiences w/ your work. Hashtags put you right in front of potential clients #MMChat

— Alison Garwood-Jones (@AlisonGJ) October 6, 2015

A2: Also, show your #process. Take your audience behind the scenes. The public really does like to see how the sausage gets made! #MMCHat

— Alison Garwood-Jones (@AlisonGJ) October 6, 2015

And about idea theft:

A6: If you’re worried, do a gut check. If an idea is too vulnerable, keep it to yourself. You don’t have to share everything! #Mmchat

— Alison Garwood-Jones (@AlisonGJ) October 6, 2015