We're looking for columnists and contributors!
Starting in February, I’d like this blog to be a more collaborative and engaging part of the CWC. This means I’m inviting you to become a contributor – or ‘columnist’ – to entertain and inform us via monthly articles from your areas of interest, skills or passions.
There’s so much creativity out there that one little ol’ blogger (i.e. me!) can’t keep up with it all on her own!
So, who are we looking for?
Any creative woman, with any professional or hobbyist writing/blogging background, from any creative industry, whether you are currently working or not. You don’t necessarily have to be from Melbourne, but read on for more specific location details.
What skills are required?
Basically, you should enjoy coming up with ideas for interesting blog post content, writing posts, and taking/sourcing photos.
More specifically, you should:
- have some basic knowledge of how a blog works and what makes an interesting blog post.
- know how to appropriately credit image sources and link to relevant online information in a blog post.
- have enough time to research & write a blog-post once a month and submit the post by the deadline date.
- have a strong grasp of the English language, spelling and grammar.
What’s the commitment?
One post per calendar month (minimum), and blog posts can vary in length from 200-1000 words – but this will depend on the nature of your column (read on for more details).
What are the benefits of becoming a CWC blog columnist?
The benefits of becoming a CWC blog contributor boil down to your name, business, work, creations and personality reaching a large audience of people who may want to engage with you, promote you, hire you, or buy your stuff!
Other benefits include meeting people and learning things about yourself and others in the course of writing and preparing your posts; and writing, sharing your skills and knowledge - being seen as an ‘expert’ in your field.
If I, personally, have learned anything running the CWC and other blogs, it’s that the art of self-promotion and ‘getting one’s name out there’ is all about engaging with the online world, and then marvelling at how that translates to projects, work, collaborations and friendships in the offline world.
(As you can see, there is no direct monetary benefit, but the opportunities for self-promotion are priceless.)
What will you write about?
You might have the perfect idea for a regular column or series of articles that CWC blog readers would benefit from. I’d love to hear your idea (see application form below).
In addition, here are some ideas that I’d love to match the perfect person/s to:
Bricks and mortar
Every month, you visit an actual bricks-and-mortar establishment run by a creative lady, such as a retail shop, a cafe, a design studio etc, and document that business/workplace through photos and words (mostly photos).
Would suit: Someone who likes getting out and about, meeting people in person and enjoys taking photos. Arranging the visit with the person/place you have chosen beforehand would be essential – this is not a covert operation-style blog post.
Location: Melbourne preferred, but if you travel interstate regularly or if you are from interstate then you could author or co-author this column.
Women in the World.
Every month, you tell our readers about the work, or plight, of creative women in another part of the world. Perhaps they are creating beautiful products and supporting themselves and their families/communities. Perhaps they have social or lifestyle issues that would be unheard of in Australia, and CWC readers can do something creative to assist them in some way.
Would suit: Someone who is socially conscious and enjoys researching and promoting not-for-profit causes and alerting others to the living and working conditions, or creative pursuits, of women around the world.
Location: You could be based anywhere to author this column.
Women in Art
Every month, you alert us to upcoming exhibitions, installations or performances that are by women. You could choose to focus on one major event, or a round-up of several local events (even categorised by state/city if so desired!).
Organise me!
Every month, you give us ideas, tips, tricks or advice about how to stay organised when running a solo business. You might focus on record keeping, stockist management, or material organisation. You might seek out and ask other organised creatives for their top tips or advice that makes them feel ‘on top of it’. Bonus points for profiling mums who manage creative work & kid-wrangling.
Would suit: An organised person who loves creating new systems and processes to help their life and creative work run smoothly.
Location: You could be based anywhere to author this column.
Book reviews
Do you regularly read creative/business-related books or biographies? Perhaps you’d like to review or recommend a title to us once a month.
Location: You could be based anywhere to author this column.
What’s new in social media?
The social media and marketing world moves quickly... each month, you would tell us about a new/existing social media tool or website platform, or offer your tips for using a certain online tool or platform effectively for marketing, promotion or business organisation.
Would suit: An ‘early adopter’ or frequent user of internet tools, who easily sees the benefits (or downfalls) of the latest internet / social media tool or sensation.
Location: You could be based anywhere to author this column.
How to apply:
Update 18/1/12 - Applications have now closed. Thanks for your interest!
