Hi Reader, As of last month, I'm now covered by professional indemnity (PI) insurance! PI insurance is insurance for people who provide professional advice and services, like lawyers and consultants. If a client claims your work caused them losses, the insurance can cover legal costs and compensation you're liable for. Honest reason why I applied for PI insurance: a new client required me to have it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have, and I wouldn't have spent roughly 6 weeks getting quotes and...
16 days ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader, Last week, I conducted a contract writing and finance essentials workshop for freelance creatives, and a participant asked a question that stumped me. I can't remember her exact words, but they were something like: "Is there a clause in your contracts that has made you go 'oh, I'm so glad I have this?'" I racked my brains but drew a blank, so I apologised and said I'd get back to her if I thought of one. And, well, I have! I couldn't answer on the spot because I was trying to think...
30 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I think I’m super late to the party, but I want to talk about this in case there are others even later to it than me😬 I recently checked out the Google Drive app and was like, "How have I gotten by without using this before?!".* No, I don't mean Google Drive's web app, which you access via drive.google.com. I've been using that for years, and I'd truly be living under a rock if I hadn't heard of or used it. I'm instead referring to Google Drive's desktop app, which lets you access...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I think about deadlines a lot. I have to, when my job is deadline-driven. Submit the outline for this article by X date. Submit the first draft of that article by Y date. And submit the edits for yet another article by Z date. And so on. I especially think about deadlines as they draw near. Cue the internal screaming, like aaahhhhIneedtosubmitthisin2daysandIstillneedtowrite4sectionsaaahhhh! But sometimes, amid the turmoil, I stop abruptly and ask: why? Why do I need to submit this...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, (I'm conducting a workshop on contract writing and finance essentials for creatives in Sep! Find the details at the end of this newsletter.) Over time, I've come up with a video call SOP to give others a good experience meeting with me. Here's what I do, from setting up the meeting invite to following up after the discussion. Setting up the meeting Choose a reasonable meeting time This matters especially if the person is in a different time zone from you. You don't want to suggest...
2 months ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader, As I freelance, I often have to wait for clients to get back to me on things, like a new assignment, a reply on whether they want to hire me, their feedback on my work, etc. But sometimes, I wait...and I don't hear back. That's when the song "Faint" by Linkin Park blares in my head—and in particular, this iconic line that Chester Bennington screams: "I WON'T BE IGNORED". So, the next step is to follow up. Here's how I do it. Step 1: Remind myself to follow up I can't follow up on a...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, It feels like it wasn’t too long ago that I was marvelling at how it was already July. Well, the month went by in a haze of busyness, and it's now almost August, and I almost forgot that August also marks my 4th year of freelancing.Yes, in a couple of days, I'll officially have been at it for four (4) years! 🎉To be honest, though, things have never felt as uncertain as they are now. How long will everything last? Clients can come and go—but then again, when has this statement never...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I had lunch at Lou Shang (楼上) last week. It's a cafe whose decor is inspired by the look of Singapore's HDB flats in the 80s, and I went before they closed for good on 14 July. The cafe's founder cited a few reasons for the closing. One of them: the cafe's concept wasn't designed to encourage repeat visitors. In his words: “Every time I see customers coming in for the first time, they all look pleasantly surprised, but admiration doesn't build habits." I agree with this sentiment....
4 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, I can't believe it's July already. The year is half gone. Meanwhile, I'm behind schedule by one or two articles due to reasons that aren't my fault. :') But anyway. Every now and then, I think back to a get-to-know-you call I had with someone looking to hire a writer—no, actually, she specifically wanted to hire me. Even though we hadn't chatted once before this call. Her reason: one of her team members—whom she holds in high regard, and whom I'd worked with while he was still with...
4 months ago • 3 min read