The initial reaction of most creative minds when they've woken up in the morning is to start immediately on a project that they've already started working on or start on a new one. If you've already contemplated who you're creating for and reflected for a bit that morning on the fact (and you're happy with your answer), then you should immediately be starting with the most pertinent project. Part I will cover deciding who's project is the most important. Part II will go over how long it will take you and when you can expect to be completed. If you want to get organized, be sure to also read Part II.
When I ask a fellow artist how they decide what project they put the most work into or what they usually finish first, their response is usually whichever pays the most. In our virtual world though, that's not what will help you to get your name out their. And your name is what you want to develop (whether it's a pen name, your original name, your website, or anything else you go by). Even if you finish a few awesome projects and they take you forever, yet you don't have a blog, a book, a website, or anything else to draw in your target market (the specific market segment, separated by age, geography, industry, gender, socio-economic status and so on, you market your work to), no one will know who you are and your reputation will not be being built.
*Note: You don't have to start with your "most important project first. it's better to know yourself and know when you're the most productive on project. therefore, break up your day into different time periods for projects, just like you would at a company job. you may work best during the early morning hours. that is when you should get the majority of your work done. if you prefer the afternoon, do other chores that are not project-related during the rest of the day. and so on.
So, what does make it important?
* Who hired you first. The client that asked for a project to be completed should be the first to be completed, no matter who they are and regardless of pay.
* Who needs it first. If you have some clients who are more flexible on time [no many are], complete the projects that have the closest deadline.
* Who is communicating. Some clients have a more difficult time expressing their creative wants and needs. That's normal. It's important for you to have a list of questions to ask that will help you get started on their project, but if you get stuck and they're not communicating, contact them every 48-72 hours and move immediately to the next project until they reply.
* Who can get you ahead. This should be the fourth thing on your list, not the first. If they hired you at the same time, need it at the same time, and are all communicating, choose the project that will stretch you and grow your rep.
And that's the short list, but it will help you to get started towards some type of organization of your current projects. To run your business well, you have to be able to give your clients an estimate of how long it will take you to create what they need. Knowing how quickly you work is pertinent.
Also, communicating with your client how much time needs to be taken for their project is primary. You must send them a guesstimate of your date and time of completion as well as an estimated invoice for your work. Without this, you and your client are working blindly together. You don't want either of you to be surprised by the outcome. These few steps will help you get more organized and use your creativity even more for your own profit, but if you don't know how long it actually takes you be sure to read Part II for some simple tips.
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