You know it’s a good meeting when you come home with a magazine that looks like this.
Our third MKEcreatives meeting, held May 7 at Anodyne Coffee, brought together writers, editors, publishers, graphic designers, videographers, photographers, an attorney – and a wealth of information. I didn’t bring a notepad, but I should have; that’s how good the tips were!
Luckily, Brian & Angie West, publisher and editor of Milwaukee Alcoholmanac, brought along copies of their magazine to share with the creatives. I scribbled notes, Angie talked about their need for qualified writers & photographers and important connections were made. I’m not generally a betting person, but I’m willing to bet that at least one MKEcreative will get work as a direct result of this meeting.
MKEcreatives is only three months old, and already, the connections we’re creating are leading to work. I recently got my first writing assignment from Marquette University, courtesy of a referral from another MKEcreative. Kristine Hansen told the group that she’ll soon start working on Alverno’s digital magazine, courtesy of a connection made at our very first meeting.
Of course, our purpose is bigger than dollars and cents. Barbara Budish, a graphic designer who attended our May 7th event, summed it up perfectly when she said, “creatives gain inspiration, added creativity and collaboration by sharing.”
At our meeting, I shared some tips I learned when I attended the American Society of Journalists and Author’s conference last month. Other members share their thoughts on working for free. (Our perhaps surprising consensus: There are times, such as when you’re learning new skills, that working for free may be worthwhile. And ways we can donate our time to worthy organizations without devaluing our skills. One member asks for a small fee, which he then donates to the organization.)
Members also shared their tips for getting more business. (Tip: try offering your current clients a percentage of any money you make from a referral.) So much information was shared, in fact, that I had a hard time keeping up!
We have much to learn from one another. That’s why, moving forward, we hope to have members share their knowledge and expertise at our meetings. We already have people willing to talk about intellectual property, and social media. What else would you like to learn about? Do you have a topic you’d like to share with the group? We’re interested in short, 15-20 minute presentations of wide interest to our group of largely self-employed creatives.
Some members have also expressed an interest in slightly more structured meetings, to better facilitate networking. So let’s try this, next time around:
- 10:00 Arrive
- 10:15 Intros
- 10:30ish-11: Informal Networking
- 11:00 Presentation, followed by questions & networking
Comments? Suggestions? Feedback? Reply here, or send us a message via Google Groups.
Next MKE Creatives is JUNE 4, 2014, 10a at Anodyne Coffee.