Post-holiday freelancer meet-up in Vancouver January 29

January 22, 2019 Editor Event eventfreelance meet-upmedia mixer

Vancouver-area freelancers, come and meet some colleagues for a freelancers’ social night on Tuesday January 29th at 5:30 p.m. at Red Racer Taphouse (formerly Central City Brewing at 871 Beatty St).

CMG Freelance members and non-members are all welcome. Get away from your desk and join us for a drink and some conversation with other local freelancers.

Please RSVP this week to freelance@cmg.ca to let us know if you can make it. Hope to see you there!

Notes from the Decent Work City conference in Seoul

January 16, 2019 Editor News cmg freelancedecent work city conferencefreelance isn't free actnews

by Don GenovaDeep-fried soft-shell crab, freshly fried pork dumplings, skewers of chicken drenched in fiery hot sauce. All served within a cacophony of street food vendors shouting out their offerings in a trendy shopping district of Seoul, South Korea.As I crunched down on my crisp crab, I considered where I had been just hours before: near the…

Entries open for Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award

January 16, 2019 Editor News awardsfreelance photographyphotographytom hanson photojournalism award

Canadian photojournalists with less than five years of experience can now apply for the tenth annual Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award. This six-week paid internship at The Canadian Press head office in Toronto will take place sometime between April and September 2019.Students, freelance photographers and photographers employed at regional or…

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Lessons from Katie Jensen and Vicky Mochama of Vocal Fry Studios

January 10, 2019 Editor Advice advicefreelance lifeimposter syndromenash

By Cara Fox[caption id="attachment_15645" align="alignright" width="248"] (Twitter photo courtesy of @msangelamc)[/caption]If I’m honest, for many years the only thing that kept me from freelancing was the fact that I didn’t feel good enough. No matter how many qualified people told me I was capable, complimented my work and prodded me to keep…

New Year’s Resolution #1: Take Care of Yourself First

January 02, 2019 Editor Advice advicefreelance life

By Christine Peets[caption id="attachment_15629" align="alignright" width="225"] Toronto-based writer Paul Lima[/caption]If you choose to make New Year’s resolutions, you might notice the same themes arising year after year. They often involve trying to be healthier by getting more exercise, eating healthy food, balancing the work/life stuff,…

The 5-Minute Freelancer Q&A #38—Angela Mombourquette

December 27, 2018 Editor Advice 5-minute freelanceradvicedave greber award winnerdave greber freelance writers awardsfreelancer q&a

In this regular feature, Story Board asks Canadian freelancers to share a few details about their work habits and their strategies for navigating the ups and downs of freelance life. Angela Mombourquette is a Halifax-based freelance journalist who has written for such publications as The Walrus, Halifax Magazine, and the Chronicle Herald. She…

The Born Freelancer Reviews the Zoom H4N Pro Digital Recorder

December 20, 2018 Editor Advice adviceborn freelancerrecording equipmentrecording gearthe born freelancer

This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. OK, so nobody will ever accuse me of being an impulse-shopper.I've been looking into buying an up to date portable digital recorder…

New webinars for CMG Freelance members

December 04, 2018 Editor News cmg freelancewebinars

[caption id="attachment_15545" align="alignright" width="259"] Annika Reinhardt leading the "State Your Worth" webinar.[/caption]As a union for freelancers, one of the supports that CMG Freelance offers is professional development opportunities.In addition to in-person training opportunities, we've also run almost two dozen webinars over the past…

Story Board is eight today!

November 22, 2018 Editor Event canadian media guildcmg freelance

Happy birthday to us! Eight years ago today, CMG Freelance and the Canadian Writers Group launched this blog with the intention of sharing information and building a sense of community among Canadian freelancers.Since then, we've published nearly 1300 posts that serve as a resource for independent creators across Canada.Story Board's first post…

Working from home during personal chaos

November 15, 2018 Editor Advice advicefreelance life

by Meagan GillmoreI pursued a writing career hoping it would allow me a more flexible home life, perhaps the possibility of staying home to raise any future children. Freelancing was, I believed, a buffer against the financial instabilities that seemed guaranteed for those who entered adulthood during the Great Recession of the mid-2000s.But for…