If you’re “Networking!,” you’re doing it wrong. Want to learn how to authentically connect with fellow professionals? Warren Etheredge breaks it down in this How To Guide.

Managing money as a freelancer can be stressful. Before you take the leap, check out these 4 things that can help with freelance financial planning.

“It may be nice to always agree on things, but your product will ultimately suffer because you leave out people whose experiences are different than yours.”

Stop squinting at jargon-filled legal lingo and learn to speak fluent contract-ease like a pro (which you are!).

“So, when I have those moments of doubt, or imposter syndrome, when I’m wondering if I’m really cut out for this, I can reflect on the fact that I’ve been able to get where I am in large part due to my own hard work and my own ingenuity and creativity.”

“What I’m trying to do is to be creative as much as I can be to meet my own needs. And, as soon as it stops being fun, I just have to stop doing it.”

As a creative, your work has an economic and social impact. Your pricing should reflect that!

Learn the steps you need to take when it comes to digital payments—the financial backbone of your creative business.

“If your gut tells you that you must create art, listen to it. Do the work every day. If you practice anything in life enough you will eventually become a professional. Consistency and dedication is key.”

“I think the public’s perception of being a successful musician is you have all these number one songs and you’re doing these huge tours and these really amazing, huge things. That is bullsh*t, such bullsh*t.”

“Once I switched my focus to targeted pitching, networking within my niche and reaching out to people who already trusted my work, the project load became steadier and the pay rates increased.”

“I made the critical decision to be true to my vision first and then I’d try to find support for it through galleries, collectors, curators or interior designers.”

Faith Charlotte gave us the inside scoop on her ceramic goods business, how she finds her customers and what success looks like to her.

“My late father always told me, ‘Do what you say you are going to do.’ I use that ethic in my work and my life and it has never let down.”

We chatted with Jenny Slagle of Indigenous Eats about the restaurant’s origins and what the future holds.

“I love finding ways to make sure that heart is there and that it truly reflects whomever the ultimate storyteller is.”

“I say all the time that I am not self-made, I’m ‘community-made.’”

If you’re trying to get a small business off the ground, a basic social media presence is a must. We cover four of the biggest platforms right now to get you started on your marketing journey.

“Building a successful business or organization that people are enthusiastic to work for and the community wants to support means approaching organizational culture from a place of reflection and intention.”

“I really see myself as a storyteller. I’m always reading people and I pull a lot from my senses, really everything is telling a story.”