2016-10-19 14:10
The world of corporate communication has become extremely informal over the last few decades. Before emails, texts and social media came along, companies would send stiff, solemn letters to… Read More
Blog Directory > Design Blogs > Visual Design Blogs > Michelle Abrahall visual-design Blog >
Michelle Abrahall Blog
michelleabrahall.blogspot.co.uk
Tags:
offer
holiday
brownie points
handmade
business
selfemployment
development
assembly required
copy
freelancers find clients
A freelance designer blogging about design, popular culture, self-employment and whatever's grinding her gears that day.
2016-10-14 13:11
Self-employment is a funny old fruit. To be self-employed is to look at the life of an employee, with its security, regularity and defined career path and say ‘not me for, thanks&rsquo&hell…Read More
2016-10-06 08:32
If you’ve read any of my blogs about freelancing, you’ll know I’m a fan of setting yourself targets and goals, but also taking time to celebrate the small victories in life… Read More
2016-09-16 15:40
Freelancing offers many fantastic freedoms, but it’s fair to say that being self-employed lacks a structured career path, and by extension, a training and development plan.When you&rsq&hell…Read More
2016-09-09 16:11
I’ve been working on a really fun project recently, with Helen Sutton from Paper Personalities, who creates hand-made greetings cards. Helen had been making small batches of greetings… Read More
2016-09-02 10:06
Earlier in the year I wrote a blog about how, rather than wait for the high-value events (engagements, promotions), we should try and celebrate the small things in life. Well, that shit work… Read More
2016-08-23 09:36
Fancy working for yourself? There are countless opportunities for self-employment out there, and as you can pretty much run a business from a smart phone these days, there really is no excus… Read More
2016-08-11 17:04
I've just got back from a week away (Douro Valley - stunning) and it got me thinking about the differences between taking a holiday when you're self-employed vs being in a salaried role.It c… Read More
2016-07-07 16:23
Being self-employed can feel like a hamster-wheel of decision making. How much work can I fit in this week? Should I say no to that project that doesn’t really match my skill set? Is i… Read More
2016-06-30 17:40
This week I’m sharing a new video blog – I’m starting to get the hang of them now! The topic for this week’s vlog is: how do freelancers find clients? I think this is… Read More
2016-06-18 09:59
I'm a member of quite a few freelancing/small business groups on Facebook. If you're working for yourself I recommend you look into joining some of these online communities, they're a great… Read More
2016-06-06 10:33
It’s a great feeling when one of your very first clients gets back in touch with a new project. I had worked with James years ago on a logo for Decorator Medway, a decorating and prope… Read More
2016-06-04 14:02
The face of maturity‘Oh, grow up!’ is an often-used phrase on the playground, normally said in exasperation at someone’s immature behavior (pulling pigtails, throwing worms… Read More
2016-06-04 14:02
The face of maturity‘Oh, grow up!’ is an often-used phrase on the playground, normally said in exasperation at someone’s immature behavior (pulling pigtails, throwing worms… Read More
2016-05-25 16:03
Ah, the internet. Faithful friend and ally to the work-from-home freelancer! Supplier of endless entertainment and distraction for the chronic procrastinator! Source of tutorials, tips and T… Read More
2016-05-20 16:22
A good use for some worn-out shoesI love giving advice. I like to think I’m a very wise, worldly person who sprinkles nuggets of wisdom around me like crumbs falling from a Cadbury&rsq&hell…Read More
2016-05-06 17:24
Would you say you have a big ego? Do you think the world revolves around you? Probably not, right? Most people would hate to think such a thing. But many of us experience an irrational menta… Read More
2016-04-26 17:04
If, like 90% of the human race, you watched Breaking Bad, I highly recommend giving Better Call Saul a try. The series follows the (mis)fortunes of Jimmy McGill before he became Saul Goodman… Read More
2016-04-12 16:23
I’m so bored about the debate on public female nudity, which is not surprising since it has been going on since the beginning of civilization. Should Instagram ‘free the nipple&r&hell…Read More
2016-04-06 16:04
There are approximately 4 kajillion articles online about how to make your home office into your ‘dream space’. But as most freelancers know, when you’re starting out you d… Read More
2016-04-01 07:34
This has been a short week, with the Easter bank holiday weekend, so this will be a short blog to go with it. A year ago today was the first time in my life that I knew I wasn’t going… Read More
2016-03-22 18:44
Prepare to be impressed! The other day, I touched my toes. Impressed yet?What if I told you that a few months ago, if I stood with my feet together and my arms bent down as far as they could… Read More
2016-03-18 14:30
I’ll admit it, I’m a people-pleaser. As much as I’d like to be all Rage Against the Machine and say ‘f**k you I won’t do what you tell me’, it’s jus… Read More
2016-03-10 15:08
Naps are, in my heavy-lidded eyes, an absolute necessity. I have a sneaking suspicion that the part of my brain that tracks sleep is dysfunctional, as I always feel like I need more. Even if… Read More
2016-03-03 10:57
Last weekend The Other Half and I visited friends in Manchester - always a good use of a weekend. They took us to visit the Whitworth art gallery, which has recently undergone a £15 mi… Read More
2016-02-24 17:35
The perfect desk (may not be this tidy IRL)What has working from home taught me? That there are some items that are absolutely essential to any homeworker’s arsenal. Read about them no… Read More
2016-02-17 17:27
I saw a great blog the other day by Charlee Sully at The Usual Studio about ‘6 careers I almost chose instead of design’. It did make me think, with a cold shudder, what I could… Read More
2016-02-10 15:55
What would you do for money? If you’ve got bills to pay and you’re short on cash, how would you make money quickly? List a few unwanted presents on e-Bay? Or go one step further… Read More
2016-02-04 15:30
Current Mood(weird postcard found in a junk shop)Warning - this is quite a whiny blog post so if you’re not feeling sympathetic, go and watch YouTube videos of people falling off their… Read More
2016-01-26 15:42
We judge on appearances. To pretend otherwise would be, to quote Mia Wallace, an exercise in futility. But if you believe popular opinion and the self-help columns, we shouldn’t let ot… Read More
2016-01-20 12:07
The Other Half is notoriously difficult to buy Christmas presents for. Like most grown-ups, he simply buys whatever he wants when the thought occurs, rather than waiting several months for t… Read More
2016-01-13 16:52
Have you ever said to yourself ‘I can’t do this’? Have you ever said it out loud, halfway down a mountain? If so, we have that in common.It was the third day of lessons on… Read More
2015-12-30 18:51
I’m really indecisive. Or am I?It varies, and not always in proportion to the importance of the decision. Sometimes I’m paralysed by choice in Tesco’s and end up trailed by… Read More
2015-12-23 10:43
I decided to go freelance for many reasons, but the promise of 'no two days are ever the same' was very appealing. My first year of self-employment has certainly lived up to this expectation… Read More
2015-12-17 11:07
I love getting commissions to design something unusual. In the past I’ve been given carte blanche to create wall art for a friend, earlier this year I designed a unique squirrel tattoo… Read More
2015-12-01 11:35
Last week I tried two new things for the first time, both of which were scary for very different reasons. Public speaking and skiing.Skiing comes with a fear of physical injury. Skiing is th… Read More
2015-11-23 16:26
Having done this freelancing thing for a few years now, I’ve worked with quite an array of different clients. Some are ‘one man bands’ like me, some are start-ups, some are… Read More
2015-11-16 15:28
First of all, apologies for the lack of blogging action for the last few weeks, I’ve been busy guest blogging over at Spaghetti Agency writing a series about ‘Design for Business… Read More
2015-11-16 15:28
Ever since I was small, I’ve compared myself to other people. I remember as a pale, blond child I would look with envy at my best friend’s glossy brown hair and dark eyelashes… Read More
2015-11-16 15:27
It’s great when your friends share one of your creative passions. I love Ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock prints) as well as most Japanese design in general, so you can imagine how jealous… Read More
2015-11-16 15:26
It’s been just over three months since I started freelancing full time, so perhaps too early to tell how it’s going to pan out in the long term, but nevertheless I feel I’v… Read More
2015-11-16 15:26
Now that I’ve got your attention with that emo-ist of blog titles, we can begin. How many times a week are you totally on your own, on purpose? And more than that, how often are you to… Read More
2015-11-16 15:25
After going to Lille on the Eurostar earlier this year, I’ve carried on in the tradition of ‘travel firsts’ by visiting Sweden for the first time this summer.Scandinavia ha… Read More
2015-11-16 15:24
How long do we spend mindlessly looking at our reflections? Doing our hair, flossing, putting on make-up, checking for food in our teeth before a meeting...it must add up to hours over a wee… Read More
2015-11-16 15:23
The popularity of colouring books for adults has exploded over the last couple of years. Books are marketed as stress-busters with titles like ‘The Mindfulness Colouring Book: Anti-str… Read More
2015-11-16 15:23
Homer loves a to do listBack in April I wrote a blog about the realities of making your (career) dreams come true, and how a lot of it is down to making sensible decisions and being organise… Read More
2015-11-16 15:22
Me and my stud in happier timesSome things just don’t turn out the way you planned. I wanted to get a nose ring for years. I thought it would look cool, free-spirited, pretty. When I w… Read More
2015-11-16 15:21
Love this necklaceI don’t know why being stubborn gets such bad press. It’s seen by a lot of people as being a negative character trait. But to me, being stubborn means you don&r&hell…Read More
2015-11-16 15:20
What does your favouite font smell like? Does it feel spiky or squishy? No I haven’t lost my mind, these were some questions my sister and I were asked when we went along to Type Tasti… Read More
2015-11-16 15:20
When you’re a kid, friendships are easy. You’re surrounded by friends at school, and if your childhood was anything like mine, your closest friends lived a couple of houses down… Read More
2015-11-16 15:19
I’m not really one for celebrating anniversaries. I’m not married and my partner and I don’t make a fuss over ‘we met on this day 10 years ago’ (and not only be… Read More
2015-11-16 15:19
It wasn’t the best of starts. My sister and I stepped off the packed bus into Berlin’s horizontal rain and biting wind. Suddenly my decision to only bring a thin leather jacket t… Read More
2015-11-16 15:18
Why do you post photos on Facebook? Is it to fish for compliments? To ask for an opinion on a new haircut? Or is it just something to do during the ad break? I think most of us have a love-h… Read More
2015-11-16 15:18
credit: memesvault.comAs it was National Freelancer’s Day yesterday, there was a lot of chat about the merits of being your own boss; dancing to the beat of your own drum, being the ar… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
If you read the last blog post (if you didn't, shame on you) you'll know we're getting ready to move house soon. After eight years in our little flat we've got everything just as we like it… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
The other half and I are about to embark on the buttock-clenching experience of simultaneously trying to sell our flat and buy a house, with minimum botheration. At the moment we are wide-ey… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
I've recently been trying to go all SEO on my website's ass. Did you know it's now against the law not to include keywords in your site? Well, of course it's not, but sometimes it feels like… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
I often feel guilty. It's strange, seeing that I was not bought up in a pre-war Catholic household, that I have such a predisposition towards guilt.I refuse to feel remorseful about stuff no… Read More
Subscribe to Michelle Abrahall
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!