Being creative in a harsh economy

This economy has gotten everyone scared and uptight.  Companies are freezing their budgets or they are just going belly up.  It’s enough to give you ulcers at night! 

I’ve determined that I’m going to grab 2009 by the horns and do everything I can to keep my illustration and design business afloat.  I’m sure I’ll run into some bumps and bruises along the way, but I’m remaining hopeful.

While surfing the net I ran across a few articles talking about how to remain successful in the face of financial turmoil.  Here are are some of the highlights

From David Airy’s blog

The truth is, as freelance web designers we have good reason to be optimistic. With slashed budgets, marketers may increasingly turn to email, viral and web marketing as they seek better value for money and return on investment. And when companies begin to lay off staff, it is often the freelancer who benefits when they step in to complete the work that starts overflowing.

And from Tech Crunch

In every recession, abundant opportunities are inherently rife. To simply believe that this is a generic time to step off of the playing field to warm benches or take a seat in the spectator bleachers in the hopes of emerging once again to readily have a shot at winning the game is illogical. Businesses, and customers, do not stop making decisions—they’re just more discerning during volatile economic climates. But make no mistake, if you choose to stop vying for customer attention, the world will move ahead without you.

This is your time to vault in front of your competition, to earn rapid and sweeping visibility, for a fraction of the time and money that was required to excel during the “good days.”