My name is Mark Castro-Garcia, an I'm self-employed as a freelance artworker. I like to read about entrepreneurs, as I find them very motivating.
I just read an interesting article on linkedin, called "The Best Business Book I've Ever Read", and I felt like writing a quick blog. It talks about the Warren Buffett's recommendation to Bill Gates, and originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal.
The book is called "Business Adventures" by John Brooks, and is available on Amazon here. Sounds good! I might ask for it to go on my Christmas list ;)
Tuesday 23 September 2014
Monday 30 June 2014
Mark Castro-Garcia - freelance digital artworker :)
My name is Mark Castro-Garcia, and I have been an artworker for nearly 14 years (since August 2000) and freelance for over 4 years (since May 2010).
I have a print background and started out in repro. As things have started to gear towards digital, I discovered the term "integrated" in 2011 and set out to accrue more digital experience, while still keeping a hand in all things print. The best example of this was 8 months I spent at Coutts & Co (2012-13); while there was printed collateral going on, there was also a lot of emailers, and graphics for cash machines, apps, iPads and screens for presentations/exhibitions.
In 2013, I finally started to land roles which were purely digital-only; working on the UI for the Nokia/Windows 1520 "phablet" phone, social media desktop and mobile graphics for Allianz, responsive website assets for Honda (while at DigitasLBi for 5 months). Elsewhere, I also turned my hand to plasma screens and touchscreens, web banners and iPhone adverts for Papa John’s, web banners for Virgin Media, and emailers for Crayola, Leap Frog and Papa John’s.
The trend is continuing into 2014 – at Stack, Vodafone and Amazon back-to-back – working on emailers for Peugeot, UX graphics for a Vodafone app, and eCommerce web assets for Amazon.
I have a print background and started out in repro. As things have started to gear towards digital, I discovered the term "integrated" in 2011 and set out to accrue more digital experience, while still keeping a hand in all things print. The best example of this was 8 months I spent at Coutts & Co (2012-13); while there was printed collateral going on, there was also a lot of emailers, and graphics for cash machines, apps, iPads and screens for presentations/exhibitions.
In 2013, I finally started to land roles which were purely digital-only; working on the UI for the Nokia/Windows 1520 "phablet" phone, social media desktop and mobile graphics for Allianz, responsive website assets for Honda (while at DigitasLBi for 5 months). Elsewhere, I also turned my hand to plasma screens and touchscreens, web banners and iPhone adverts for Papa John’s, web banners for Virgin Media, and emailers for Crayola, Leap Frog and Papa John’s.
The trend is continuing into 2014 – at Stack, Vodafone and Amazon back-to-back – working on emailers for Peugeot, UX graphics for a Vodafone app, and eCommerce web assets for Amazon.
Tuesday 1 October 2013
Coming full circle and back on top!
My name is Mark Castro-Garcia, and I'm an integrated freelance artworker. I'd managed to keep my website in the top ten Google ranking all year, if you did a search for freelance artworker. This was from early January, right through to August/September...
Then suddenly, it dropped out of the top ten, and for a period, it was back at number 21. I remembered reading something about a new Google algorithm, that takes mobile phone website optimisation into account. My site was hardly web-optimised, let alone mobile-optimised!
I began to grow weary of my experiment, and started to wonder why I was bothering any more. I'm not a designer or a website coder, and I have never have the free time I need to make my site look and feel the way I'd like. My domain came up for renewal, and for over a week, I contemplated not renewing it...
However, three things happened today which changed my mind...one: I own and run a business called Yewhew Limited, so it makes sense to own the yewhew.com domain. Two: I googled "free mobile friendly website template" and discovered dudamobile.com. The great thing about their site is that they convert your site, optimise it for mobile, allow you to edit it, and give you a redirect as well – all for free!
Not only is my site now mobile-optimised, it actually looks good on a mobile! It looks designed! It's basic, it's functional, but it's actually aesthetically-pleasing now (for once!)
It not only makes it mobile-friendly, it also optimises it for iPhone, Android, Windows and Blackberry :)
And the third and final thing that convinced me to keep my domain, was that I checked my "dormant" email address, thefreelanceartworker@gmail.com, which I'd created back in March just to see if it helped the SEO of my site – and lo and behold – I actually had two legitimate offers of work from two complete strangers...and they sought me out via my site (which I don't publicise, other than writing this blog) and via the email address which only ever appears on there!
The great thing about the work is that one of the offers is for an annual report, which I love doing, and the other sounded like it was getting into the integrated/mobile/digital side of artworking, which I am also loving!
Just to top things off, I got the mobile version of my site right first time – dudamobile is so intuative – and the redirect code was also a doddle to drop in and upload. So now, if you access http://yewhew.com/freelance-artworker/ via a mobile, it automatically sends you to http://mobile.dudamobile.com/site/yewhew_2 :)
And I checked "freelance artworker" on Google...I was back on top via Safari and Firefox, and number 2 via Chrome :)
Maybe my blogging about it will strengthen it even more and push me up to number 1 all round again?!
Then suddenly, it dropped out of the top ten, and for a period, it was back at number 21. I remembered reading something about a new Google algorithm, that takes mobile phone website optimisation into account. My site was hardly web-optimised, let alone mobile-optimised!
I began to grow weary of my experiment, and started to wonder why I was bothering any more. I'm not a designer or a website coder, and I have never have the free time I need to make my site look and feel the way I'd like. My domain came up for renewal, and for over a week, I contemplated not renewing it...
However, three things happened today which changed my mind...one: I own and run a business called Yewhew Limited, so it makes sense to own the yewhew.com domain. Two: I googled "free mobile friendly website template" and discovered dudamobile.com. The great thing about their site is that they convert your site, optimise it for mobile, allow you to edit it, and give you a redirect as well – all for free!
Not only is my site now mobile-optimised, it actually looks good on a mobile! It looks designed! It's basic, it's functional, but it's actually aesthetically-pleasing now (for once!)
It not only makes it mobile-friendly, it also optimises it for iPhone, Android, Windows and Blackberry :)
And the third and final thing that convinced me to keep my domain, was that I checked my "dormant" email address, thefreelanceartworker@gmail.com, which I'd created back in March just to see if it helped the SEO of my site – and lo and behold – I actually had two legitimate offers of work from two complete strangers...and they sought me out via my site (which I don't publicise, other than writing this blog) and via the email address which only ever appears on there!
The great thing about the work is that one of the offers is for an annual report, which I love doing, and the other sounded like it was getting into the integrated/mobile/digital side of artworking, which I am also loving!
Just to top things off, I got the mobile version of my site right first time – dudamobile is so intuative – and the redirect code was also a doddle to drop in and upload. So now, if you access http://yewhew.com/freelance-artworker/ via a mobile, it automatically sends you to http://mobile.dudamobile.com/site/yewhew_2 :)
And I checked "freelance artworker" on Google...I was back on top via Safari and Firefox, and number 2 via Chrome :)
Maybe my blogging about it will strengthen it even more and push me up to number 1 all round again?!
Tuesday 23 July 2013
Use of Linkedin
My name is Mark Castro-Garcia, and I'm an integrated freelance artworker
I've been using Linkedin to build up my network for about 5 years now, but have had very little direct work through it
However, on July 5th, I sent a speculative invite to one contact, and it was accepted. I followed this up on July 9th, asking about potential work for the following week.
They declined, but on July 22nd, they asked if I could could cover July 26th, plus August 1st and 2nd
I couldn't do the 26th, but I am now covering July 30th to August 2nd :)
Not bad, for the sake of a couple of emails/linkedin messages - and a quick turnaround of less than a month!
http://www.linkedin.com/in/freelanceartworker
I've been using Linkedin to build up my network for about 5 years now, but have had very little direct work through it
However, on July 5th, I sent a speculative invite to one contact, and it was accepted. I followed this up on July 9th, asking about potential work for the following week.
They declined, but on July 22nd, they asked if I could could cover July 26th, plus August 1st and 2nd
I couldn't do the 26th, but I am now covering July 30th to August 2nd :)
Not bad, for the sake of a couple of emails/linkedin messages - and a quick turnaround of less than a month!
http://www.linkedin.com/in/freelanceartworker
Monday 8 July 2013
Mark Castro-Garcia - freelance artworker - available Monday 15th July
Most of my posts have been about SEO and achieving a top ten search ranking in Google for #freelance #artworker
Now to see if I can actually find a new contract when I need it!
Also; another freelancer contacted me on linkedin, and asked how I find so many contracts, so I took the time to put it all down in an email for them, and I found it quite cathartic...I hope it works for me as well as for them!
Here's the jist of what I told them:
"-->I try (and have tried) lots of different avenues to get work:
1. recruitment agencies
2. linkedin's job search
3. reading my linkedin news feed every day
4. twitter searches for jobs
5. cross-referencing my linkedin contacts for twitter's to follow
6. checking my twitter followers and making sure I follow relevant ones back
7. on my email sign-off - listing my mobile number, linkedin address, twitter, portfolio, etc
8. signing up to job email alerts
9. using buffer/twitter/linkedin to say if and when I might become available, and changing my headline accordingly (this is in the early testing stages for me, as I'm rarely free, and I actually rarely tweet...I'm more of a reader/follower)
10. blogging
11. learning about SEO - making sure all my profiles link to all my other profiles, where possible
12. making sure I connect with past and new colleagues on linkedin
13. I did used to send out my cv out, direct to companies - on and off for about a year - but the amount of time and effort doing so (and in turn, trying to keep track of the replies, and filing them, etc) turned out to not be enough of a reward to make it worth my while (not to say you couldn't though)
14. I've signed up to peopleperhour, freelancer.co.uk, elance, creativepool, and elevate, but have so far had little joy (although I had 1 or 2 people making enquiries about me)
15. portfolio sites like behance, pinterest
16. there is a new facebook equivalent called (talent.me)...it's in the early stages for me trying it
I don't do all of these things all of the time...I do some of these things some of the time :)
I've concentrated my efforts on productive things, rather than facebooking...I never add anyone in one facebook anymore, and haven't for ages...it's all about linkedin for me :)
I don't have an exact method of getting jobs...fear drives me, hard work and perseverance follows, and a pinch of luck...I just keep trying...trying new things, rather than trying one thing over and over, seems to pay off best (and is less boring too)
I don't currently have anything lined up for next week, but I have plenty in the pipeline...sometimes, getting the long contract is about lining up a few possibilities, and then picking the one that seems best.
In the first year, I did all the chasing, all the hard work...the groundwork I laid then has since meant that sometimes people contact me via linkedin, twitter, email, peopleperhour and so on, or colleagues who have moved on but stayed in touch will recommend me
Sometimes I get jobs because a lot of people can't hack certain hours of work, or long commutes, and that's where I differ...I've driven to Peterborough for 6 months and worked 10-12 hour shifts as standard...I've worked afternoons and evenings in London, and not had much of a social life for 5 months a year. I've worked 2 jobs back-to-back, day and evening (on a short-term basis)
Now I'm driving down the M1 and halfway round the M25 to Surrey for 2 weeks' work...I just take what I can, where it takes me (within reason!) and I don't always have as much say in it as I would like!
Hope this helps, even if it is only motivational"
Now to see if I can actually find a new contract when I need it!
Also; another freelancer contacted me on linkedin, and asked how I find so many contracts, so I took the time to put it all down in an email for them, and I found it quite cathartic...I hope it works for me as well as for them!
Here's the jist of what I told them:
"-->I try (and have tried) lots of different avenues to get work:
1. recruitment agencies
2. linkedin's job search
3. reading my linkedin news feed every day
4. twitter searches for jobs
5. cross-referencing my linkedin contacts for twitter's to follow
6. checking my twitter followers and making sure I follow relevant ones back
7. on my email sign-off - listing my mobile number, linkedin address, twitter, portfolio, etc
8. signing up to job email alerts
9. using buffer/twitter/linkedin to say if and when I might become available, and changing my headline accordingly (this is in the early testing stages for me, as I'm rarely free, and I actually rarely tweet...I'm more of a reader/follower)
10. blogging
11. learning about SEO - making sure all my profiles link to all my other profiles, where possible
12. making sure I connect with past and new colleagues on linkedin
13. I did used to send out my cv out, direct to companies - on and off for about a year - but the amount of time and effort doing so (and in turn, trying to keep track of the replies, and filing them, etc) turned out to not be enough of a reward to make it worth my while (not to say you couldn't though)
14. I've signed up to peopleperhour, freelancer.co.uk, elance, creativepool, and elevate, but have so far had little joy (although I had 1 or 2 people making enquiries about me)
15. portfolio sites like behance, pinterest
16. there is a new facebook equivalent called (talent.me)...it's in the early stages for me trying it
I don't do all of these things all of the time...I do some of these things some of the time :)
I've concentrated my efforts on productive things, rather than facebooking...I never add anyone in one facebook anymore, and haven't for ages...it's all about linkedin for me :)
I don't have an exact method of getting jobs...fear drives me, hard work and perseverance follows, and a pinch of luck...I just keep trying...trying new things, rather than trying one thing over and over, seems to pay off best (and is less boring too)
I don't currently have anything lined up for next week, but I have plenty in the pipeline...sometimes, getting the long contract is about lining up a few possibilities, and then picking the one that seems best.
In the first year, I did all the chasing, all the hard work...the groundwork I laid then has since meant that sometimes people contact me via linkedin, twitter, email, peopleperhour and so on, or colleagues who have moved on but stayed in touch will recommend me
Sometimes I get jobs because a lot of people can't hack certain hours of work, or long commutes, and that's where I differ...I've driven to Peterborough for 6 months and worked 10-12 hour shifts as standard...I've worked afternoons and evenings in London, and not had much of a social life for 5 months a year. I've worked 2 jobs back-to-back, day and evening (on a short-term basis)
Now I'm driving down the M1 and halfway round the M25 to Surrey for 2 weeks' work...I just take what I can, where it takes me (within reason!) and I don't always have as much say in it as I would like!
Hope this helps, even if it is only motivational"
Wednesday 3 July 2013
As I thought - it didn't last long before, but I'm back at the top again!
The last time I got myself back on top on Google's search rankings for "freelance artworker", it barely lasted a day or so. However, it's not the staying that matters to me, it's the getting there (having stayed in the top 8 pretty much all year is pretty nice though!)
This time, my idea was to utilise my rather under-utilised Google+ page...I've put more info and more links on my personal page, then I've created a company page as well, and linked it to that (both of which turn up in Google searches).
It makes sense that a Google product will influence your ranking more! Why didn't I think of this sooner?
If you're reading my posts and wondering what the big deal is – I started off this year and set myself a goal to get my name/company into the top ten Google rankings, if you search for freelance artworker – and keep it there. It's mainly an exercise in teaching myself the basics of SEO, but also hopefully I will eventually be approached to do some work, thanks to the exposure...just an experiment really :)
This time, my idea was to utilise my rather under-utilised Google+ page...I've put more info and more links on my personal page, then I've created a company page as well, and linked it to that (both of which turn up in Google searches).
It makes sense that a Google product will influence your ranking more! Why didn't I think of this sooner?
If you're reading my posts and wondering what the big deal is – I started off this year and set myself a goal to get my name/company into the top ten Google rankings, if you search for freelance artworker – and keep it there. It's mainly an exercise in teaching myself the basics of SEO, but also hopefully I will eventually be approached to do some work, thanks to the exposure...just an experiment really :)
Saturday 27 April 2013
Back on top!
After languishing at number 20, I got my site to appear back in the top 10, then number 8, 6, and now number 1 again!
I know it won't stay there naturally...I'll have to keep blogging, linking, updating and eventually redesign the site, to include more content
I know it won't stay there naturally...I'll have to keep blogging, linking, updating and eventually redesign the site, to include more content
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