What’s in a reflection? The beauty in looking back.

My foray into the practice of self-reflection was during my first year of teaching. As a central activity in a novice teacher's professional process —and one that I initially met with great resistance—after habitual practice, I  began to see tangible benefits. I quickly discovered that self-reflection is a powerful tool and one that should be part of the arsenal of any creative professional women. And what better time to look back on oneself than at a mid point in the year.

Self-reflection is a process where you look back on yourself and the world from the point of introspection—observing your ideas, thoughts, actions and aspirations. Not only does the practice enrich your personal life, but it can deepen your awareness around how you wish for your life to evolve. 

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards”

— Steve Jobs

Failures are our biggest teachers.

It can be easy to label the era of Covid as a failure in its entirety. Many of us were forced to pivot and change the way we conducted business. Here at The Exchange Society (then the Creative Women’s Circle), we had to find a way to bring all our planned in-person events to a virtual setting, whilst still creating engaging experiences for our members.

With forced change, also comes great learnings.

For TES,  we discovered that virtual events opened up our message to those outside of the Melbourne area, allowing women world-wide to join in on the conversation; adding a richer dimension to our connection and community values.

The magic lies in self-awareness.

Dr Tasha Eurich, an organisational psychologist and Keynote speaker, explains that self-awareness results in being able to see ourselves more clearly, be more confident and creative. Eurich also argues that introspection (i.e. the practice of self-reflection) does not make someone self-aware.

So how do self-awareness and self-reflection come together?

“The problem with introspection isn’t that it is ineffective—it’s that most people are doing it incorrectly.”

— Dr Tasha Eurich

The reason for this is because many begin the practice of reflection with the question "why?". "Why did I not perform well at my last interview?" "Why did my product not take off as planned?", "Why do I always experience writer's block when I have an impending deadline?" "Why can I never stay on top of my content planning?" (These last two I am particularly familiar.)

When we ask "why" we are providing the ideal breeding conditions for negative thoughts, full of fears, insecurities and shortcomings. Instead, we must approach self-reflection through an activity of self-assessment; analysing one's strengths and weaknesses.

As Eurich puts it, we should be asking "what" instead of "why". With "what" questions helping us to stay future-focussed, objective and more empowered to take action on our new insights.

Self Reflection Exercise;

As you begin the practice of self-reflection for the last 6 months, try asking yourself:

"What are some of my successes from the last 12 months?"

"What were some areas that I fell short?

"What has been my strengths/where have I grown?"

"What are my goals for the upcoming year?"

"What has been my biggest lesson in life or business?"

Your self-reflective practice can be as informal or formal as you like. You can journal or complete a writing exercise, meditate or take a contemplative walk amongst nature.

“The key to success is to start before you’re ready.”

— Marie Forleo

Any self-reflective exercise is the ideal primer for goal-setting. After all, you're in the perfect mindset to create intentional goals!

Ask yourself where you want to be in the next 3, 6, 12 months and beyond? Can you identify any values present in your goals? Then use these values to steer your goals, objectives and decision making in the future.

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ARE YOU ON TRACK FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2024? 

IF YOU’RE NOT, THEN YOU SHOULD JOIN US ON JUNE 19TH AT 7PM:

As per the contract - Get paid as a freelancer

Are you a creative that doesn’t like to talk about money? Unfortunately, unless you’re planning on nabbing the patent for post-it notes, you will have to think about it - or worse, TALK about it.

Money is necessary, we all need it, and we all spend it every day. If you’re a freelancer and you need to hustle for it, you’re going to need to get comfortable with talking about it.

The first step to getting extra comfy with the big bucks is to know your worth as a freelancer. Knowing your value isn’t only going to help you keep cashing in on your work; it’s also going to enable you to communicate your value to your clients or buyers.

How much do I ask for?

How much you ask for is really up to you. You can base it off many things such as skill level, expertise or market availability. Take a look at what other professionals are asking for the same service, compare and contrast what your skills can offer. It’s widespread to undersell yourself when you’re only looking at one source, do extensive research and don’t stop at the first value you see. If you’re still not sure, write a list of the unique qualities that you bring to the table. These will move the needle not only for yourself but will help you to quote with confidence.

Do I ask for hourly or project-based?

This question isn’t so black and white, and you might even notice that some freelancers will give you a definitive one or the other. However, there are a few things to consider when deciding between the two.

1. What is the nature of the work? 

2. Is it ongoing work that may be occasional or consistent? Occasional work can be better suited to an hourly rate, whereas consistent can be a regular allowance.

3. Have they already proposed a budget? This can determine what your deliverables are.

4. Is there a clear outcome or solution? With a result set, you can calculate an overall fee for your time commitment.

Make a clear outline.

Outline everything that will be included in the project - more importantly, also outline the things that won’t. Sometimes you will get that one client that assumes you will pick up anything that isn’t part of the services you agreed on. It’s as easy as “can you quickly do this XYZ”, and before you know it, it can become free work.

Your services need to be outlined and discussed. You will also need to be aware of any costs that are not your responsibility.

These costs might include web hosting, images, font licenses, printing, or postage costs. Always make sure to quote and get approval before locking in any of these items. You can list these as ‘Additional costs’ when invoicing. 

What if they want changes?

Revisions are a part of the creative industry. But unless you want to get stuck revising a project until the end of time, you need to set solid expectations. You need to use effective communication throughout the process and have a hard limit on the number of reiterations. Two rounds of revisions are usually sufficient. After that, if the client wants to make further changes, there needs to be a conversation around adding to their final invoice.

What happens if the project gets cancelled?

Always a last resort as no one wants this to happen! But if the absolute dumpster fire that was 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that things get cancelled. Ensure you’ve set yourself up for this. An example is that you might refund any money that has already been paid to you. If you’ve already started working on it, be clear and make sure your client pays you equal to the amount of work done. This is where having a written agreement from the outset can be beneficial.

Invoicing and billing

When it’s crunch time, always go back to knowing your worth. Learn it, then add tax. You need to have confidence in the value you have settled on to reflect your skills. If sending an invoice gives you those awkward jittery feelings, go back to your facts. Look at your time tracking. I’ve done this amount of work; therefore, I need to be paid this amount. There are many time tracking apps, like Clockify that can pump out an invoice for you. Or if you’re not tracking your time, Xero or MYOB are foolhardy invoicing platforms that become very handy around tax time too.

Let’s wrap up!

While it’s nice that some clients think “It’ll be great for exposure” are the five words creatives most want to hear, it just won’t pay the bills. No formula tells you how much your work is worth. But if you have compared and contrasted to the market, you can start feeling more confident in having those conversations. Always take time to evaluate when starting a new project to make sure it’s the right choice for you. Clear communication from the outset is vital. If you prefer to have it all in writing (highly recommend), you can use tools such as Hello Bonsai for contract templates and advice.

Tips for Taking DIY Profile Pictures at Home

During this unprecedented amount of time at home you may be working through those ’nice to have’ projects, one of which may be the dreaded ‘profile picture’. I certainly found it daunting and was procrastinating like crazy, however, I had a deadline and finally sat down and worked out what to do. So, I thought I would pass on some tips and things I learnt along the way. 

Before I start, I would like to acknowledge that these tips in no way take away from getting professional headshots from a photographer, but rather are some DIY profile picture photoshoot hacks if you aren’t in a position to engage a professional right now.

Diffused, natural light

I found a spot in my house that was bathed in natural light (next to tri-fold french window-panelled doors) with a neutral background.

TIP: Take photos on your phone during different times of the day to see how the light changes. This will give you an idea of what time to plan your photo session.

Consider your surroundings

I now knew where I wanted to take my photos, the colour of the background wall and the type of warmth the light gave off. These considerations helped to decide on pops of colour for my clothing, jewellery and make up. Saying that, this is an outfit I would wear to work normally so I did feel quite comfortable and genuine in my presentation.

TIP: Black clothing can look striking but it can also flatten you because there isn’t as much light refracting so I would recommend lighter shades that work with your background.

Burst Mode

Use a camera that has Burst Mode which will allow the user to hold the Shutter Button down so it will keep taking photos (think cliche fashion photographer). 

TIP: Have an empty SD card in your camera because you will end up with a LOT of photos.

Friendly face behind the camera

Find as many ways to feel comfortable in a pretty contrived situation. Get your partner, sibling, friend or whoever you feel really comfortable with to take these photos. Brief them beforehand about talking to you through the photo session, getting you to laugh naturally from the conversation and generally instilling a fun atmosphere – it will result in genuine and natural expressions.

TIP: Play music that you love, that gives you energy, have fun and for a laugh channel your inner fashion model.

The 90/10 rule

You will undoubtedly end up a vast quantity of photos, I think I had around 300 by the end of my session. Brace yourself because most of these, about 90%, will be unusable just from blinking, talking, hair not cooperating etc. But, I guarantee you will find some gold in there too, approximately 10% of it. So, work your way through sorting the pictures and pull your favourites into a folder.

TIP: Aim to have about 10 options maximum to choose between for any number of uses.

Save and repeat

Take your chosen picture and apply any photo editing before exporting versions you may need. Generally, you will need a square (1:1) version at about 300px x 300px however it might be worth saving a portrait (3:4) and landscape (4:3) version too. 

TIP: Always keep a copy of your original photo and the native edited file in case you need to revert back or export larger sizes.

I am slightly mortified to see so many of my own profile pictures in one spot but I hope it served to illustrate my points.

Starting a creative business when you have young children

Kerrie Hollingsworth with her daughter

Whether you start a side hustle at night after the kids go to bed or launch a business during maternity leave, choosing the freedom of a business or freelancing is an increasingly popular choice for women who have young children. But there are questions. A lot of them. How, exactly, does it work? When do you work, how do you work, how do you decide what type of business to start? 

To answer some of these questions, we interviewed three members from The Exchange Society who have forged this path for themselves. They give us some behind the scenes insights into the process of starting their businesses, and how, exactly, it all works. 

Our interviewees

Nadine Nethery, based in Sydney with three children, runs Can Do Content. She is a copywriter who works with female entrepreneurs, helping them to find their brand persona and their ‘why’. A lot of these women are also juggling their business with family life, and it is Nadine’s mission to help them find their voice.

Nadine Nethery. Image: Sister Scout Studio

Kerri Hollingsworth runs antiquate from her home in Gippsland, Victoria . Combining two passions, one for upholstery and weaving and the other for sustainability, she uses recycled materials to create one-of-a-kind armchairs, each piece telling its own story. Kerri runs her business alongside being a mum to her three year old daughter.

Kerrie Hollingsworth

Melbourne-based Tess McCabe is a familiar name in TES circles. The previous president of the Creative Women’s Circle board is the brains behind Creative Minds, a boutique publishing company that produces and sells high-quality books and resources that provide practical advice and inspiration for creative professionals­. She also helps clients with web design, book design, and branding via her design business, and has two school-age kids.

Tess McCabe - Photo by Martina Gemmola

What prompted you to start your business?

Kerri: I started out doing standard upholstery before my daughter was born, while I was working as a flight attendant. But I was getting frustrated with the amount of waste I was producing in my home and my business. I was looking at the fabric scraps— my business of upholstery art, Antiquate Artistry, came from wanting to be less wasteful. The idea just evolved. If you let it evolve then it's amazing where it goes.

Tess: It's always wise to diversify income to incorporate products and services, but I also wanted to design nice books and make all the decisions. While publishing is not a big money-earner (at least the way I do it!), it's great to have an arm of my career that is not only creatively fulfilling but supports my community of clients and peers too.

Nadine: The flexibility, and being able to do what I love. Corporate life isn’t for me. 

Tess McCabe

How did you get started?

Nadine: Like many female business owners I started my business as a side gig, around my day job in corporate events in communications. One of those boring days in the office I decided to give it a go. At the time I had two kids and was working full time. I thought, no pressure, and see how it goes. Then I got to the point where I almost had too much work, and went on maternity leave with my third child and have been working on Can Do Content since then.

Kerri: I was on maternity leave from my job as a flight attendant and when I was waiting to get the call to go back for retraining, I thought I would just give the upholstery business a go. Qantas called a few months later, but by then I had got into a magazine and had a front cover feature, had held an exhibition and I had three orders – one for eight chairs. I decided to leave flying. It was a really hard decision, but I couldn’t ignore the feeling, it was like my heart was bursting. And I knew I couldn’t combine flying and being away with motherhood.

Tess: It started unofficially through self-publishing Conversations with Creative Women in 2011, and was formalised into a company in 2014.

What obstacles and challenges have you faced?

Tess: Books need marketing to sell, so once the book is produced, while there is no more ‘making’, you have to find time to keep on top of marketing. Finding time is always a challenge!

Nadine: Probably confidence – imposter syndrome. I know I can write, I have a background in marketing, I know there is a need for my services but I still questioned myself. The self doubt and wondering if I’m good enough.

Kerri: I think the biggest challenge was probably my mindset. I’ve always been a really positive person, but you can’t help the fears that come up where you wonder if people think it’ll be silly, I’m constantly working to quiet those little voices that say ‘you’re stepping outside the norm’. A lot of us a fear of success because then people might react in a certain way.

What are the pros and cons to running a business vs having a job when you have a family?

Nadine: As a mum the paid sick days are a pro of a job. Whereas in your business everything stops and comes to a halt. You need a big support network if you have a deadline, partner, family and friends that can help. But the flexibility and the reward for finding a passion that you happen to get paid for, rather than showing up to an office everyday to get paid for something that you don’t want to do are the highlights of having your own business. And I love that no day is the same, no client ever has the same story.

Kerri: Financially having your own business there is more pressure. With a job you turn up and do your job and you go home and you know you’ll be paid. There was so much I loved about flying, but I know not being in the job I remember the good and not the hard parts – like the 23rd hour you’ve been awake and you still have to drive home.

Tess: Publishing my own books means that I don’t have external deadlines, only my own. But the money is different when you have a product-based business vs a service-based business. Time is not the only outlay and there is more financial risk. My service-based design business supports the production of my books, while my books support the marketing of and promotion of my services to my ideal clients.

They work hand in hand, but it's a balance. On the parenting side, having my own business means the utmost flexibility. I can choose where to be and when, and my kids can see what I do for my career and how it contributes to our family lifestyle.

How do you structure your business around your family?

Tess: Things have evolved over the years as my kids have grown. While in my kids' early years I worked during naptimes and nights/weekends, now I have more structure by working school hours. I take whatever time I need during school holidays. It's always evolving, but I'm also prioritising my own needs as a business owner not to run myself ragged. It's nice to enjoy the progress I've made after almost two decades in business for myself – and enjoy my kids too.

Nadine: Before going on maternity leave, I worked on my lunch break, and then also in the evenings. I tried to keep the weekends free. At the moment it's during naptime and the evenings and I still try not to work on the weekend.

Kerri: It looks different everyday – when my daughter was younger, it was a bit easier, because I would go into my workshop and work while she was sleeping. Nowadays when I’m working, if she wants to stay with me and I have to keep going, then she loves to help so I’ll give her something to do alongside me. I’ll set up a little loom and she’ll weave alongside me. I try to include her in everything so she doesn’t feel like she’s excluded. I hope that she sees it more as we’re playing together rather than ‘mummy’s at work’. We go on walks around our property if need be to reset. The two days she’s in daycare I do the things that I need to do that I can’t be interrupted for.

Final words of advice

Kerri: The main thing is to remember who you are. It’s so easy for mums to lose touch with themselves. If you’ve got a bit of an idea, don’t say it's silly, because the voices that say that are just trying to keep you safe. Push through that because it's really worth it. Your children and family fill your heart in one way but having your own purpose – they don’t take from each other if you give each their space. 

Nadine: Don’t wait for the perfect moment, if I waited for the perfect moment it wouldn’t have happened. If you have that underlying passion and desire for something, just do it. If you think too much then you can always find a reason not to do it. Just give it a go and the worst that can happen is it doesn’t work out. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Don’t listen to the mum guilt, something has to give, if the dishes aren’t done, whatever, it's going to be ok.

Tess: It takes a village! Utilise and ask for help. And don’t be too hard on yourself – businesses can evolve as your kids grow.

Connect with Nadine (@candocontent), Kerri (@antiquate_artistry) and Tess (@creativemindshq) on Instagram.

Stay productive with these 5 habits

Let’s not pretend that we’re productive 100% of the time. We all know we have the same amount of time in a day as Beyonce, but let’s face it - sometimes we just can’t even.

“I’m not a morning person” does this sound familiar to you? (that’s me, btw) Chances are you’ve said it before. You’ve seen multiple articles telling you, “This CEO gets up every day at 5 am,” and you think; maybe you would be a mogul by now if you were an early bird. But don’t start rewinding your alarm just yet. The fact is we have multiple unproductive slumps because, well, we’re human. Social media hasn’t helped one bit with procrastination at our fingertips, but being in a creative field can also make this extra difficult. We can’t just turn that creative tap on and off between 9 and 5 and expect to produce the most revolutionary outcomes regularly. So how do we stop those pre-coffee blank stares or the mindless scrolling through our social media feeds? Here are a few handy tips that might get you back on track.

1. Stop working

Crazy, but hear me out. The reason your mind is wandering is that you’re in a creative rut. Or you might just be bored with whatever you’re working on (which is totally fine, by the way). So don’t force it; step back, take your eyes away for 5 minutes and just stop thinking about it. It’s like turning yourself OFF and ON again, restart that system and let the creative juices flow.

2. Get Moving

Ok, step one isn’t working for you. You got back into that rut. You need to get off your butt and move those legs! Our best ideas always come to us when our body is in movement. This isn’t just an excuse to wander around your workspace; this is science, (think IDEO problem solving). Rather than sitting with our bodies in passive mode, sending the shut-down signal to our brains, there is a direct correlation between creativity and productivity when we get upright. So one way to break out of ‘too-tired-to-do’ routine is to think on our feet for a bit.

3. Stop distractions

Don’t allow distractions during work - that includes being the distractor yourself. To start, try putting your phone slightly out of reach or turning off Slack notifications. At the same time, you work so you don’t get sidetracked by every witty GIF popping up. Finally, close all the tabs, browsers, and applications you don’t need - you can’t work with a messy desk, so how can you work with a cluttered desktop. So, organise your workspace so there’s less clutter - let “tidy desktop, tidy mind” be your new mantra.

4. Think big

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Sometimes attention to detail is your enemy! Sure, it’s great to say you have it in a job interview, and it’s helpful in a plethora of circumstances. Still, when you’ve been staring at the same project on your screen for ten minutes, thinking, “how can I possibly? There’s just too much,” that’s when you need to step back from the micro and look at the macro. Think about the big picture and ask yourself:

• What is it that I am trying to achieve?

• Do I have a list of priorities I need to set?

• Divide tasks based on importance, not just urgency.

• Are there any pain points or blockers that I can reach out to others for some guidance?

5. Know your workflow

You’re a morning person and want to message me at 6 am - no worries, but don’t expect a reply. Knowing when your productivity is likely at its peak helps others understand your flow. Know when you need in-the-zone time or when you’re ready to collaborate and problem-solve to achieve your best work, utilising your peak productivity times. There is no right or wrong formula for the average person; you’re the only one that can figure it out. Be protective of your workflow; if you know your best time for being creative is in the middle of the day, clear your calendar - don’t schedule any meetings for that time. That’s your focus time. Let that energy carry you throughout the day.

Productivity is about how much you can create and deliver.

These are only five simple ways that you can keep your mind on track. Still, there are so many more out there. Talk to your circle about managing their productivity - sharing is the best way to get personalised suggestions. Don’t be that person that forces themselves up at 5 am only to crash at 9 am. Gone are the days of bragging about a 12hr day because being ‘busy’ doesn’t mean you’re productive.