Thursdays, April 25th - May 23rd | Thinking about going freelance but don’t know where to start? Are you looking to pivot careers? Do you love to write but struggle to actually sell your work so it sees the light of day? No idea what a W9 form is or why you’re asked to pay taxes four times a year? This workshop is geared toward freelance creatives of all types — journalists, memoirists, videographers, essayists and the likes — and will lay the groundwork for how to run your creative enterprise like a business. Whether you chose to go independent or fell into freelancing as an interim measure after a layoff, this class will equip you with the basics of what you need to know.
In this course, we will cover pragmatic strategies for how to make a living from freelancing in the changing media landscape. We’ll cover how freelancing can be used to break into a creative field, supplement a part-time or full-time job in another industry, rebound from a layoff and cultivate a network of clients. Through class discussions and short prep worksheets, students will learn specific strategies for: marketing their services, diversifying income streams, monetizing different writing-related skills, negotiating rates and contracts, finding grants, building a portfolio website and managing a variable income. We’ll also cover nuts and bolts like filing quarterly taxes, calculating the value of your time and understanding liability as a freelancer.
This will be an interactive course that involves regular discussion and personal reflection. Students will be asked to complete prep materials consisting of a few short readings or podcasts, along with brief worksheets and prompts, before class. This is primarily a course focused on developing business skills related to freelancing, not craft.