Written Expressions: the brand

When I decided to start my freelancing business, the one thing that was the most challenging but also the most fun for me was deciding on a name and a logo. I wanted to convey competence, timelessness, and the power of words. I did not want to come across as cutesy or cartoony, and I didn't want something vague that didn't at least hint at what I do for a living.

And of course I had to consider trademark, copyright, and all the other legal odds and ends.

Written Expressions, LLC was at the top of a very short list of names I entertained. Honestly, I can only remember one other one from the list--Word Guru (that one got scratched not only because it was both cutesy AND cartoony, but also because another freelancer is already using it).

The graphic of the ink well, quill pen and parchment appealed to me because it's a classic image. It speaks to the history of the written word. I suppose I could have found a graphic of a cuneiform-covered clay tablet that would have done the same thing, but that's a little TOO historic for my tastes.

I also considered color and font style--in advertising, the color brown implies timelessness and utility. Castellar is an all caps font that gives the appearance of being engraved, and Edwardian Script ITC is one of the easier-to-read script fonts.

Now you know the method behind my madness. If you were me, would you have done anything differently?

Interview

The creative staffing firm with whom I am working sent me off on an interview today. The company, a local agency, is looking for someone to fill in for 3 days while their copy editor is on vacation. I am one of several freelancers they were meeting with.

In preparation for the interview, I did some internet research on the company (they have a long history, do great work, and have a really neat corporate culture) and on one of the people I was scheduled to meet with (we are both of Hungarian descent, with very similar family names). I had hoped to use my info to build rapport, but they seemed a little surprised and maybe even disconcerted by my investigation.

The staffing firm told me to bring my portfolio "just in case", but said they thought the interview would be more of a Q&A session. It ended up being about 10 minutes of discussion, and then I spent the next hour in a room by myself proofreading two pieces. On one, I found very little that could be changed without extensive editing (it was filled with medical terminology), but there were many little errors on the 2nd one. I just hope I caught everything I was supposed to catch.

Meanwhile, the copy editor was looking over my portfolio. I wish I'd been there to explain some of the pieces in it.

After I'd finished going over the copy I went out to the front desk, where I found my portfolio sitting with the receptionist. She paged the copy editor, who took the pieces I'd edited, thanked me for coming in, and said they'd be in touch with the staffing firm.

So in a nutshell, I have no idea how I did. There was little feedback, positive or negative. I guess I just have to wait and see, and hope for the best!

Look, or just leap?

In a recent post, The Urban Muse listed 10 things to do before quitting your day job to become a freelancer.

I wish I'd seen this list a year, one month and 2 weeks ago. I would love to say that I did all of these things before deciding to leave my cubefarm job, but I didn't. In fact, I didn't do a single one . . . at least not before I quit.

I'm fortunate that I didn't have to worry about numbers 1 (writing for long periods of time without someone looking over your shoulder) or 6 (health insurance), and I knocked off numbers 2, 8, 9 and 10 within two weeks of quitting. I probably should have put a little more thought into the rest.

That's not to say things didn't turn out okay, but I imagine the road would have been a little less bumpy. Then again, maybe a less bumpy road would have taken me to a different place, and I'm pretty happy where I am.

World-class procrastination

I didn't have any actual freelancing work to do yesterday, so my goal was to clean up around the house.

Instead, I rearranged my refrigerator magnets.

As much as I excel at procrastination, I know I'm not the only Olympic-caliber procrastinator out there, so make me feel better--tell me your story!

Right Brain vs. Left Brain

Anybody who's ever taken an introductory psychology class has heard the theory of how the left and right hemispheres of the brain control different functions related to thinking and behavior.

The left brain is thought to be analytical, logical, precise. The right brain, not so much. Words associated with right-brained thinking include "imaginitive", "intuitive", "creative". The left hemisphere of the brain controls functions on the right side of the body, and the right controls the left.

Anybody who has ever met me would say that I am pretty darn right-brained:

• I'm left-handed.
  
• I'm really bad at math.
  
• I enjoy artistic pursuits.
• I'm very emotional.
  

But that's not to say the left hemisphere of my brain is withering away from disuse. When using a knife, I do so with my right hand instead of my left, and I can't use left-handed scissors to save my life. My thought on this phenomenon is that cutting is a left-brained function because it is precise in nature, and because I'm using my left brain, I use my right hand.

Apparently talent with words is also a left-brained trait, but this one gives me pause. Yes, there's a certain amount of logic and precision involved in the writing process, but it is also creative, emotional, etc. So it would seem that writers draw on both hemispheres of their brain in order to practice their craft.