CYGNETURE
Summer 1997 Now available as an Adobe Acrobat file. Download the PDF file Now! (142KB)
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Thank You Former Board Members Who’s Who Wayne Pollack, President: "The System Works" "Discipline, motivation, organization. That's what I feel it takes to be successful out on your own," says Wayne Pollack, President of SWAN. "With that success comes a great deal of satisfaction in calling your own shots." Pollack worked as a conventional designer until he discovered the computer in 1988. While holding his day job, he worked projects of his own in the evening. Seeing a market for his services, he became a full-time entrepreneur in 1990, using his vendor contacts as a bridge to building his own practice. While he designs collateral materials such as advertising, brochures, and direct mail pieces, Pollack also creates for retail space and windows, as well as for exhibits. "The diversity is another big plus of freelancing," Pollack says. "No two jobs (no two clients) are the same." A potential drawback of being independent, he says, is the lack of a regular paycheck (or any check at all from some clients. "You just have to be more aggressive in dealing with clients who put you at the end of the food chain," he advises. Another problem is discouragement. "But when things look ominous, you cannot get down. You just have to move ahead." "Discipline, motivation, organization. That’s what I feel it takes to be successful out on your own." — Wayne Pollack SWAN makes that easier. "The system works," Pollack says. "If you use the organization’s networking and referral services, you’ll uncover the opportunities. I’ve made a point of networking myself, of interacting with members and increasing my visibility. As a result, I get many client referrals through SWAN."As this year’s president, Pollack wants to encourage members to get involved. "Step up, introduce yourself, and say, ‘I’m a member of SWAN.’" Madeline Canzani, Vice President: "SWAN Is My Sales Force" Lynn Canzani, SWAN’s Vice President, turned to freelancing when she left an agency job to raise her family. The concept worked so well, she has stayed at it and developed Canzani Graphics into a successful business. Primarily an illustrator, Canzani also does graphic and web design. "The electronic drawing board allows me to try many ideas and creations easily," Canzani says. "Yet using a stylus rather than a mouse gives the sensation of illustrating in a conventional manner. So I get the best of both worlds." Canzani likes the flexibility of freelancing but finds some clients expect her to work evenings and weekends to meet their needs. "You have to let them know you work nine to five, even though you may not," she advises. Even more challenging is the fact that, working at home, the work is always there. "I like to work a project until it’s finished. If I commuted I could leave the project at the office. In my current setup, the project is always calling. I’m learning, however, to put projects in perspective." "I have 140 people who can sell my services…" -Lynn Canzani Like many freelancers, Canzani says she misses the dynamics of the office, the exchange of ideas, the professional give-and-take that people grow on. "But now I have SWAN friends and do my brainstorming with them." Canzani sees this interaction as perhaps the biggest benefit she has received since joining SWAN. In addition, she’s gained many client referrals, some from designers, some from other illustrators who get over-extended from time to time. "And I reciprocate," Canzani says. That kind of reciprocity is critical. "It’s hard to work projects and market at the same time, but for a freelancer, that’s a must. With the help of SWAN, I have 140 people who can sell my services when the opportunity arises. They are my sales force." David Val Schlink, Membership Director: "I’m Not a Joiner, But..." David Val Schlink, SWAN’s Membership Director, had planned a career in Industrial Psychology, but after a year in the field thought otherwise. "I decided I needed to create something," he says. After considering woodworking, he settled on photography. "Photography felt right to me, so I served my apprenticeship in retail camera shops. I moved on to assisting a top professional, before seeking my fortune in Europe. Shooting advertising work in Germany was a real education but four years was enough." Back in the USA, Schlink worked for Leica Cameras, photographing for the company's presentations. He rose to the position of Director of Professional Programs, promoting the photo line to pros. "Still it wasn’t enough," he says. "It wasn’t personally satisfying in the creative dimension that I had come to consider essential." He found that dimension in a move to the Midwest, opening a commercial studio in Hannibal, MO, Mark Twain’s boyhood home. Strong in major manufacturing companies, the Midwest gave Schlink opportunity to carve out a niche in industrial location photography, with many Fortune 100 companies on his client list. "I loved the industrial settings and aerial work there," he says. But when a career opportunity was offered to his wife on the East Coast, Schlink moved his business to New Jersey. He continued working for major corporations, primarily for their public affairs offices. The focus often shifted from photography of facilities to that of people and events. Schlink sees as a high point in his work the bright, talented people who are intent on portraying their companies in the best possible light. "One might think," he says, "that that situation would be the norm. But some staffs aren’t altogether helpful to a photographer. In those cases, I do my best when left alone to bring in the job." "People I’ve come to know here are upbeat and action-oriented individuals." — David Val Schlink Schlink joined SWAN because he valued connecting with other creative professionals. "I don’t think of myself as a joiner," he adds, "but SWAN seems to have very few of that type. People I’ve come to know here are often upbeat and action-oriented individuals (the kind I most enjoy. Some are becoming friends, and if we find projects to work together, that’s what it’s all about for me." WEBWORKS Beyond the obvious value of having my material accessible on-line, It soon became clear that I also benefited from my association with and exposure to other SWAN members. Before I started this adventure, I knew many members by name, but I never had much involvement beyond helping out in a few trade shows, and [the dreaded] putting away the chairs at the end of the meetings. Now, I'm not sure if anyone in SWAN doesn’t know who I am and what I do. Although I didn’t plan it this way, today ALL of my income is derived from website design, implementation, and hosting. It was fortuitous to have spent (literally) hundreds of hours developing the SWAN website. It is a great portfolio piece, and has resulted in business that more than justifies the investment in time I would have had to spend anyway learning what I did along the way. It is just that much harder to get clients to pay for it, or to spend the time when you need to produce, not self-educate. Volunteering your time and effort for SWAN has benefits, real, substantial, verifiable, and justifiable. So, what are you waiting for? It is not going to unless you make it happen. Get yourself in gear, get your samples on the web, get involved. Do it NOW! Do you have any web-related experiences? Cygneture is very interested in hearing about the impact the SWAN website has had on your business, and will feature them in future installments of "WEBWORKS" THANKS! "I was having trouble getting paid for a job when the Standards and Practices Committee helped me. Although I was new to SWAN, I felt I couldn’t say no when I was asked to join the board," said Patty Gandolfini, 2nd vice-president. Patty says that her tenure on the board has enabled her to meet many new people, some of whom she has subsequently worked with. Peter Adler, SWAN Treasurer for four years, was an invited speaker when he was asked to join. Soon thereafter he was installed on the Board. "I was at a point in my career where professional camaraderie was the most important thing I wanted from SWAN," Peter said. Peter, a seasoned designer, is excited by the talent he sees in SWAN members but adds: "We need to make SWAN even more desirable for creative professionals." Phil, Patty and Peter all say they’ve gotten more from SWAN than they gave, and they encourage others to become involved. "Getting on a committee is one of the few ways to really meet other people. Let’s face it, you don’t meet too many people at the meetings," Patty said. — Jane Byron WHAT YOU MISSED "Say ‘How do you do?’ and shake hands, then state your name and business," advised Tweedledee and Tweedledum when Alice found herself tongue-tied in Wonderland. Actually, there’s a lot more to developing business relationships than learning how to work a room, according to Susan Koblin Schear of Artisan, who presented SWAN’s May 22 program. Schear provided useful networking tips such as: Wear your name tag on your right so people can read it easily while they shake your hand. Hold your glass or plate in your left hand, leaving your right hand free (and dry) to shake. Hone your 30-second introduction of yourself to a 17-second blitz. Attention individual before offering your business card. Then, Schear broke the audience into small groups to practice introducing ourselves effectively. Never let it be said that SWAN members are shy and retiring. Soon the polite chatter of a seminar exercise swelled to the roar of engaged networkers. By the time Schear brought the group back together, many of us had made interesting, new contacts. Schear explained how to keep track of the new people we’d met, how to strengthen our network of business contacts, and how to turn chance meetings into selling opportunities. For a copy of Schear’s hand-out, "Developing Business Relationships", call her at (201) 599-9180. Or fax your request to (201) 634-0311. — Jill Vitiello The Pricing Game, June 25 It was standing room only at what has proven to be SWAN’s most popular event. Participants were shown examples of some particulars about each project, and asked to guess what fees were charged. Overall response was positive, with most prices falling in line with current market rates. Most lower rates had special circumstances, such as the writer who was paid poorly for product reviews, but permitted to keep the products. Whether participants discovered that they were eligible for food stamps, or should be hiring a personal banker, it was an educational experience for all. — Carl Jablonski PICNIC There will be no ‘official’ meetings during the summer, but don’t forget about the SWAN picnic on July 20th at Van Saun Park. There will be food, softball and a zoo tour for the kids. Watch your mailbox for info and directions, and be sure to RSVP so we know how much food to order. The next scheduled meeting will be in September at the Bergen Museum of Science and Art details to be announced.
Don’t be shy! CYGNETURE welcomes all contributions and feedback. Send newsworthy items, letters, and shamelessly self-promoting press releases to CYGNETURE, c/o Jablonski Design Inc, 8 Daisy Way Suite B, Paramus, NJ 07652, or via email: Cjablonski@aol.com. Copyright ©1997 Cygneture SWAN seeks news about members and their achievements. Write to the editorial staff. EDITOR: Carl Jablonski Printed Newsletter GRAPHIC DESIGN: Carrie Oesmann ILLUSTRATIONS: Dave McCoy (print and PDF version) CONTRIBUTORS:
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