Sorry, it's not in the budget...

Fortune Favors the Bold

2016 Copyright Joseph A. Wraith 

As a Freelance Creative nothing bugs me more than indecision, even I get under my own skin when I can't decide how to make a proper move toward something, or not.  Clients can also be like this as well.  I've been blessed with some really good clients and some... ehhh, not so good, but what Artist has not?   Sometimes to save your own sanity you just have to let them go regardless of the pay on the job, or even how much you may enjoy the project.   As for me when it stops being fun I stop doing it.  When it becomes stressful, or they can't make a decision on what to do next and it holds up production and in-turn keeps you from paying the bills on time, then something needs to be done.

   Now you can ho-hum around and hope they finally move on the project, or you can take matters in to your own hands and put the client on the shelf and move onto the next project.  When the client finally does return with an answer, just inform them you need to reschedule their project for a later date.  Then they can go back and take more time to make another decision to either wait, or find someone else.   No more stress for you either way, you are still working, paying bills and having fun.   

   I have a deep corporate background as a Graphic Artist which is the reason I freelance, working for a corporation is a big pain in the butt!   Talk about indecision, most are afraid to make a move until another Corporation does it first, or whether it's in the BUDGET, or not.   It's all about the bottom-line, not the integrity of the work.  Need new software, or hardware to do something better, or faster, hold on lets see if it's in the budget...   Ok, we have the budget, but we don't have approval yet,  you'll have to wait for it to get passed through all the hands and eyes that also need to decide if you should have it (99% don't even have a clue as to what it is you need, or why, sounds like Congress), or not, or whether the project is really worth doing better.   In other words does the work at hand need to be better because the money is covering the cost to make it better, or does it need to be better because without the new software/hardware the project wont get done right, and will the client even notice?   I got an idea, how about doing it better because it's just BETTER and charge the client for the BETTER!   Don't you want your work to be better than the competition, or is just OK good enough, because currently better isn't really in the budget if the work will sell as being just Ok, then we are Ok with just Ok.

BEZEEEEK! My mind hath exploded...

   Corporate Chaos at it's finest... the work suffers, the artists suffer and the clients suffer.

   Most of the time when I was working in the "Human Cube Zoo" I'd have to bring in my own software and hardware just so I could feel comfortable about the kind of work I was creating.

   Then I got this big idea... why don't I just stay home. 

   Then I can work on my own machine and use my own software and produce work I like for clients I like,  HOLY COW BATMAN! What a revolutionary idea!

Ok, now what?

Where do I get the clients I want to like, who have the projects I will like, who will pay me money that I like so I can buy hardware and software to produce the work I will like?

Good question... 

You may have to spend some money to make money I guess. 

Gee... is that even in the budget?

JW