Author: Leslie

Last year, as a wrap-up to 2012, I made a list of the 10 things creative professionals should quit for 2013 (and beyond). It was one of my most popular posts so I thought I’d revisit the List o’ Ten Items for the end of this year. This year, instead of things to quit, it is a more general do/don’t kind of list, but hopefully you’ll find it helpful.

So, without further ado, here is my Top Ten Things Creative Professionals Should (or should not) Do in 2014… and beyond:

1. Register your copyrights. Imagine you find one of your works reproduced on (for example) Forbes.com without your permission. If your copyright is not registered before the infringement (or during the safe harbor time, which, by the way, is for published works only), you can only get the reasonable license fee for that use (“actual damages”) and that will be maybe a couple of hundred bucks. However, if your work is registered before the infringement, you can get statutory damages and your attorneys’ fees–likely thousands of dollars. Which do you want?
2. Don’t bitch about the difficulties in the © registration process. Yes, the whole published/unpublished thing is a pain and yes there are a bunch of other nitpicky rules you need to get right. Complaining about it won’t change that. Instead, learn the rules and when you don’t know what to do, contact your copyright-proficient lawyer (and no, I’m not shilling for work–there are plenty of competent IP/© lawyers you can contact). Don’t rely on the word of another creative pro because, honestly, there is a shitton of bad info out there, even from some very reputable sources.
3. Don’t be a hypocrite. You cannot have pirated/torrented music or films or books (whatever) and be a professional creative without being the worst kind of hypocrite. Don’t like reading that? Tough. It’s the hard truth. I said it last year and I’m saying it again because some of you refuse to accept this reality. No, your free music doesn’t only affect the impersonal labels, it hurts “little” people just like you. If you use music to accompany your visual art, you must get permission to do so (i.e., license the music).  Fundamentally, it’s simply wrong to take someone else’s creative work and then expect to get paid for yours. Stop justifying it however you do and instead do the right thing: pay for the creative works you acquire. All of them. Besides, you really don’t want to be getting a C&D letter from someone like me. Trust me on this.
4. Fire disrespectful clients. Gird ’em up already… stop permitting your clients to treat you like a $2 whore. Harsh? Maybe, but I am really tired of creative professionals accepting it when clients treat them spectacularly poorly. You are a professional. Your skills are unique. If your clients could do what your do, really, they would not hire you. Full stop. No one will respect you if you do not respect yourself first and telling someone you imagine you need to hit the curb may not be easy at the time, but later you will not regret it. Not at all. It is actually freeing.
5. Stop using what other people do as an excuse. I have never thrown a punch in my life but I think I’ll start the next time I hear some creative professional say something like “If I don’t take the project for $500, someone else will.” Look, you have no control over what other people do and there are plenty of people who will do really bad stuff, particularly in business. Lowballing or doing other unethical crap will always be done by people who do not respect themselves or their business. Screw ’em, don’t emulate them!
6. Shoot film/make analog art. There is nothing wrong with using digital tools, but I can tell you that your work’s quality will improve if you use the pre-digital tools more. When I look at a photographer’s work, I can tell you almost 100% what work was made on film originally. I can also tell which photographers shoot film regularly, even if only for their personal work and even if I don’t see that work, because the digital work is stronger. You learn to make better choices and to be in the moment of creation more when you take out the “instantaneity” of digital tools.
7. Stop doing it for free/cheap, especially just because you want to be a nice person. Non-profit or charity does not mean you should do it for free, or even for less! If you are losing money doing the work, you aren’t being a nice person, you are trying to become a business failure. It’s not selfish in a bad way to do what you need to and that is to say “no” when people ask for freebies or deals. Saying “no” often results in you being more respected as a professional with those exact people who first asked for the deal. Bonus!
8. Do your business-y stuff. Stop putting it off, stop saying you hate it… just do it. You won’t have a successful business if you don’t pay your bills on time, don’t get your invoices out asap, fail to chase down late payers, or don’t register your copyrights regularly (see No. 1). Running a business is mostly about doing the not-fun business-y stuff. Get over it.
9. Do your marketing. Related to No. 8, you have got to get a marketing plan and work it, regularly, consistently, and diligently. Work on your lists, take the time to target well, and go after your best potential clients! Also, I suggest doing this in the real world much more than online. I mean, a face-to-face meeting is hugely more likely to get you work. And yes, people still get meetings. Buy lunch/dinner/cocktails for your targets if that will get you facetime. Do what it takes to get to know these people as people. Building those relationships will get you work. One caveat: if you try to fake your way to getting people to like you, you will go down in flames.
10. Let social media and SEO die. Social media will not make your business successful. You will not be that one in a gazillion who hits, so stop wasting all your time posting and tweeting and following and using far too many so-called tools to reach out to a huge audience. You will lose the rights to your work and that price is way too high for a minuscule shot at fame. Besides, if you want to be famous, then you need to think about what you are doing with your life. If you want to be a successful artist/creative professional, put your efforts on making and monetizing your art, not making people like you. You can’t pay your rent with a +1 or a like. Instead, spend more time targeting the best targets for your work and reaching out to them directly and, preferably, in person (see No. 9). SEO also really just doesn’t matter–it’s a boondoggle now as the search engines manipulate everything to hell and back and besides, the best clients are still not using search in that way to find the best artists (it is good for local consumer-direct photographers and that is about it).And, one more to grow on…
11. Recognize that you are an ARTIST. Get over that false modesty stuff already… if you are a creative professional, you are an artist. A professional artist. Stop acting like that chick we all know who wears a size 2 and talks about how fat she is. It’s bullshit and an insult to everyone who is doing the hard work of being an artist. Every time you make it look easy or play down the work behind your work, you are lowering the perceived value of your work and the work of your colleagues. Stop saying “I got lucky” or “It’s not that hard” and the like. Creation is miraculous; so not only do you owe it to yourself and your peers to recognize that, I also encourage you to use that to your business advantage. For example, photographers should not provide monitors for  clients–tell them you will show them when you are ready. They may bitch about it at first, but as long as your work is fabulous, they’ll get over it and, more importantly, you will look more like the miracle-worker you really are.

    UPDATE: I just was pointed to this post about rituals and it confirms my belief that photographers lost something when they took the ritual of the reveal to the client out of the process. Put it back by taking out those client monitors and your clients will love your work even more!

I’m surprisingly not a huge Ben Stiller fan. Some of his stuff I like, some not so much. He can be a bit bitter for me sometimes.

I’m a big Thurber fan, especially having grown up in Columbus, Ohio (his hometown). Although people accuse him of being misogynistic in his writings, I’ve always loved his sometimes biting humor and don’t particularly like it when people try to modernize it.

I was, thus, not looking forward to the Stiller version of the Thurber classic, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
That is, until I learned that the entire reboot-version story is based on photography.

Mitty is a photo editor/archivist for Life magazine, which has been acquired and is being shut down (at least the print version). He is devoted to images and has lived vicariously through the work of others–honoring and protecting that work and admiring the makers of it. I’m not going to get into how much I identify with Mitty, but to say I didn’t get a bit of “oh, that is spooky” would be a lie. Anyway, his rich fantasy life is based on these images by others, as is, of course, his professional life.  For the final print Life, a negative goes missing. That sends him into the world he has only seen and imagined.
That negative gives him life.

I have not seen the film yet, but from the trailers and the “behind-the-scenes” short they are running on HBO, I will as soon as I can. Part of what the behind-the-scenes film explains is that Stiller (who also directed the film) did as much of the work in-camera, that is without CGI, as he could. He and others working on the film talked about how much more real everything is because of that and talked about how it changed the entire approach of making the film. There are many scenes that could have easily been done digitally, but instead they invented rigs and took the time to do it for real. They had to slow down and make choices. They had to be present in the reality of making.

So, here is this film about a negative (analog photography without photoshop) being made using as much non-digital work as possible. And the film is all about life, love, and how all of that is driven by the power of the image–whether that is the image we hold of ourselves, or a photo. It looks like this film is a love letter to photography and its makers. 

What’s not to love?

Today, I got this email:

Hey Leslie,

You were suggested as a person I might contact in regards to our crowd sourcing platform for photography. We launched a world-first service last year that has been helping global lifestyle brands bypass cheesy stock shots to access images that have never been seen/used online before.We have already been suppling images for clients such as Visa, Vodafone, EasyJet, Coca-Cola, Royal Caribbean, Expedia, Virgin, Mobil, Coors, Lexus and Johnson & Johnson and almost every major ad agency in New York. By using our site, you can post a brief for specific image content that matches your needs and have thousands of professional photographers submit images from their personal archives that are tailored to your request.

Perhaps this 90 second video explains it best:
http://www.imagebrief.com/faq

ImageBrief saves you hours of searching and taps you into a vast pool of fresh undiscovered images from around the world. The beauty is, if you don’t find an image you love, there is no cost or obligation whatsoever.

Please take a look at our collections to better understand the content we can offer:
http://www.imagebrief.com/collections

I’d love to help with your first ImageBrief request if you have one we can test drive? Happy to answer any questions you may have. Thanks so much. Looking forward to the opportunity!

 

Warmly,

Missy

—

MISSY MEEK

727 XXX XXXX

IMAGEBRIEF | NEW YORK
www.imagebrief.com

Missy:

Apparently you have failed to do any research into your targets. A cursory read of my blog or Facebook page would show you that I am vehemently opposed to your exploitative business model and actively encourage all professional photographers not to work with your, or any similar, company.

Sincerely,

Leslie Burns

Not surprisingly, Ms. Meek did not reply.

I’m doing a completely informal survey. It’s got only one question:

Name three current US photographers or other professional people related to photography whom you respect, not just creatively (although that should be a factor, sure), but also for something about how they run their business. Doesn’t have to be commercial photographers–can be a fine art photographer, a consultant, a curator, a wedding photographer… any of the above. I’m looking for people whose brains you’d love to pick for whatever reason. For example, maybe you’re not thrilled with Chase Jarvis’ images but you respect how he’s marketing his business (and I’m not picking on Chase–I just needed someone to use as an example). Or maybe you like the advice Luke Copping gives on his blog. Or maybe Heather Elder has your attention.

You can share the list as a comment to this post if you don’t mind it being public, or if you’d like to keep it private between you and me, email me.

This is for a potential advocacy project, so I’d really appreciate any input. Thanks!

I think we can all agree that Coca-Cola is one of the most successful companies in the world. It does a lot right and is definitely worth looking to for some guidance when it comes to running a business. I recently learned something about Coca-Cola that makes me respect the company even more.

The company has and makes a gazillion dollars a year and certainly can afford to give away stuff to promote its business, and it does exactly that. Coca-Cola gives away t-shirts, cups, napkins, glasses… you name it, Coca-Cola can usually be convinced to donate products to charities or to give away at promotional events.

Well, that is they give away everything except for one thing: Coke itself.

Coke, the drink, is the company’s product and Coca-Cola never, ever gives it away. Ever. Why? Because it is the company’s product. The company is wise enough to know that if you give away your product, you reduce its value, and that is bad business. There are a ton of drinks out there. Coca-Cola has plenty of competitors in the market–from Pepsi to small local soft drink makers and beyond. And yet it doesn’t undercut itself by giving away its product.

Think about that the next time someone asks you to make your work for free or, more accurately, asks to use your work for free. Your product is your photography/illustrations/writing or, more specifically for most of you, your product is the licenses you grant that permit your clients to use your work. If you give away the use (or if you lower your price without getting something of value in exchange) you have just devalued your product. You can’t expect a buyer to buy your product (especially not at full price) if you are willing to give it away. Ever.

So, the next guru who says you have to give it away needs to be shown the door. You can give stuff away, but it better not be your product. Give away anything else to build relationships with your clients, but not your product.

Last week there was yet another court case where, if only the artist had registered the work before the infringement, the results would have been totally different. In this case (Dash v. Mayweather et al.) in the fourth circuit, the musician (Dash) claimed that Mayweather used his music for his entrance at two WWE events, without permission. The issue facing the court wasn’t whether Mayweather infringed but what the damages should be. The results are a cautionary tale for every artist out there.

Dash registered the work after the infringement so statutory damages were not available. I can’t emphasize how important it is to register your work promptly, preferably before any publication but at least within three calendar months of first publication. Doing so will ensure that your registration is timely and that means that it will permit the award of enhanced remedies including statutory damages and attorneys’ fees and costs. Dash did not do so and he was thus limited to actual damages, including any profits attributable to the use of the work.

Okay, that sounds good… except Dash could not prove any actual damages or any causal connection to any profits. See, you can’t just say “hey, if I were to license this I would charge $10K” but rather (roughly speaking) you have to show that in the past you have licensed your work in a similar manner for $10K. At the very least, you have to show that you have been paid to license your work in the past (at all) and that in the market such a license for the infringing use would have been $X, even if you haven’t ever actually licensed that same use. Dash could not do that here, in spite of his hired expert claiming that similar works by other artists used similarly got thousands of dollars. The court noted that in spite of the law’s general preference to give an artist damages when infringed, the artist has to show (when statutory damages are off the table) that “the thing taken had a fair market value.” The court specifically stated “Dash’s evidence of the fees that the WWE paid to well-known artists at Wrestlemania XXIV was irrelevant and overly speculative because such artists were not similarly situated to Dash.”

Dash was awarded nothing in actual damages. Ouch.

He also got nothing in profits because he didn’t prove that the use of his music in any way generated profits for the infringer. The burden was on Dash to make some sort of showing of the gross revenue earned by Mayweather et al. and any sort causal connection to his work. It’s not a high burden, but it’s still a requirement. Without that, bupkis.

Importantly, if statutory damages had been available, Dash would have been awarded something, even if he could not prove damages. The court notes in its final footnote in the case that statutory damages are both to recompense the loss to the artist and to deter others from infringing and there is case law supporting the conclusion that a statutory damage award doesn’t have to be tied to actual damages (it often is, but doesn’t have to be).

So, what do we learn from this? Simple: register your work and do it as soon as you can. No one wants to spend all that money on experts and attorneys only to get nothing in the end.

I was talking with a friend last night who runs a company that does building renovations and rehabs. He shared a story that resonated with me because if you just change the players, it happens in our industry all the time.

He had a project recently where he needed a concrete subcontractor and one of his connections knew somebody who would be potentially good for the job. My friend arranged a meeting with this potential new vendor to get to know the person and to discuss the project.

ConcreteMan (let’s just call him that) and my friend meet and start talking about the project–it has some challenges, but that’s why my friend wanted to hire the right person for it. ConcreteMan begins interrupting my friend as he is giving the overview of the project. This happens repeatedly. Worse yet, he’s not asking informational questions–it’s not like the sort of interruption where you may ask for clarification or something–no, this guy is interrupting to say how difficult the project will be. Boy is this going to be tough. Boy is this going to be expensive. 

At no point does ConcreteMan offer a solution to any of the problems, he just keeps harping on the complexity and difficulties.

Needless to say, my friend did not hire this guy nor will he ever ask ConcreteMan to bid on a project. Ever.

When a potential client calls you to discuss a potential project, one of the worst things you can do is be negative about the project. An Art Buyer is thinking of hiring you because s/he expects you to provide solutions to the problems, not whine about them. If you don’t offer some hope to the AB that you can make it happen, that you have ideas that will make the project work, you have no chance whatsoever to get that project. Worse yet, you are very likely to put that potentially lucrative client off you forever. Why should s/he ever call you again after that sort of interaction?

It’s okay to talk about the complexities of a project, just make sure you offer solutions. For example, you could say “That second shot is going to be a challenge… I think if we hire a cherry-picker and a great baby wrangler, we can definitely do this…” That shows the AB that you are at least thinking about solutions and that gives her(him) confidence. Your chances of getting the project just went up significantly. This is why treatments are so important today.

Now, maybe you don’t have the skills necessary for the project. Maybe you have some of them but know where you can hire out the others–tell the AB that. Say “Hey, I’m not the right person for this project. You need a photographer who is really great with kids and that’s not me, but you should call Betty Martin. I know Betty and her work and she could definitely give you what you need here. She’s great. I can do the other shots if you are willing to split up the project…” Say something like that–tell the AB how she can get exactly what she needs to do the project as best as possible–and you will be that AB’s go-to person for the next project that is right for you.

It’s not about making fake promises or blowing smoke. Be honest, focused on solutions, and positive and you’ll find you’ll get more and better work.

(This post is a re-working and updating of one I did a few years ago. I think it needs saying again)

Marketing your creative business today is very much like dating–from the traditionally (hetero) female position. Since most photographers are still male, and mostly heterosexual males, this means they have no idea what it’s like from this position! It also explains why so often my female clients “get it” faster. We’ve been there! This is our “natural” state of being in the social world and now that marketing is so incredibly enmeshed with social (hello, there’s a reason they call it social media, people), we girls get how it works even faster. Guys, especially, need to catch up a bit (but women can use this advice too).

So, here are a few basic “rules” to get you guys started:

1. You have to put yourself out there. The world will not beat a path to your door no matter how fabulous you are, you have to go out there and let the world know you’re available. Go to events where your targets go, send promos, have a great website, be active in the creative world (both virtual and real), etc.
2. Put yourself out there, but don’t put out. Doing the first one for free or a discount is like having sex on the first date, before even getting dinner. I don’t care how hot your target is, you just can’t. You may really, really want it, but you have to respect yourself. No one will respect you if you don’t respect yourself first. So, just say “no” when asked (or even begged) to do it for free (or cheap).
3. Dress for the date. If you are going out in public with any chance of being seen by potential clients (like going to lunch or for drinks with friends to a trendy place), dress up more. If you are going for a client meeting, really pay attention to the details of grooming and tailoring. Details count. I don’t care if your “date” is dressed like a slob, you’d better look fabulous.
4. Debbie Downer and Donna Desperate are never sexy. If you have been sending promos and are making calls to get a meeting, don’t sound whiny or desperate. You have no idea how often this happens (ask ABs). If you get a “No, I’m too busy,” say “Thanks anyway. Mind if I call you again in a month or two?” If you do get a meeting, at that meeting do not ever ask “Do you have a job for me?” That sounds desperate and pushy as hell. Not attractive.
   Be upbeat and respect yourself. You’re a successful photographer–even if business has sucked lately, you have something to offer that no one else does–the way you think and see. Head up, smile, and never beg for attention or work. There are other fish in the sea.
5. Stalking never works. You know how you hate it when someone who is interested in you comments on every post you make on Facebook, or shows up where you go “accidentally,” or calls (or texts), like, every day, even though you never answer? Buyers hate it too. It’s not cute, it’s scary. Don’t be a stalker. Instead, have a schedule for your marketing efforts and stick to it.
   Gather data by following targets on Facebook, etc., but use that behind the scenes, so to speak. For example, if you know that a target’s birthday is coming up (thank you Facebook) you can send them a print with a happy birthday note. Do not, however, show up at the family party uninvited. (eek!)
6. Be interesting, sure, but more importantly, be interested. Okay, I may be violating girl-code here by telling y’all this, but it’s always better to encourage the person you are flirting with to talk about himself than to talk about yourself too much. Asking questions, listening, smiling & nodding, asking good follow-ups… all important. Don’t be a fawning lump (no one likes someone who has no opinions or stories to tell!)–but do encourage your target to open up and share. Relatedly, don’t say “no” if you can avoid it in the discussion–try to be positive. There is an improv game where you have to say “Yes” to every line given you (usually “Yes, and…”)–great way to learn to be positive.
7. Don’t sit by the phone. Okay, our phones are on us all the time but we don’t have to answer them 24/7–not for dates and not for business. I’ve said for years the best way to get a gig is to go on a vacation, and that is true. Being a little less available makes you look desirable and not desperate. Don’t answer the phone for business calls on weekends or off hours… it can go to voicemail and you can listen to it and choose for yourself whether it is a real emergency or something that can wait until Monday morning. If you are too available, you look desperate (see #4).
8. Let your date pay. I’m going to get my butt kicked for this and yes, it is totally sexist, but in this you need to think like a dating woman and, if the guy asks you out, he should be paying for the date. In marketing, this is much like #2 above. In this case, I mean don’t offer a discount in the attempt to get a project. It also makes you look desperate (see #4). If you get asked to estimate on a project, don’t think about how cheaply you can do it–think about the value you bring to the project and price accordingly. Stand out for your specialness, not the money, and don’t cheapen yourself.
9. Show a little leg, but don’t dress like a ho-bag. Like #1, you have to put yourself out there and you should do that in your marketing by showing your best work. But keep a little hidden! Don’t put it all out there (on your website or whatever). If you keep some goodies in your print book only (or at least in a private electronic format like a pdf or something) then you have something special to “put out” to those who make the effort to respond to your flirtations. Oh, and your best work is often your personal work so don’t be afraid to reveal some of that “leg.” Targets love to see the real you in your work–that is going to show in your personal work most of all.
10. Don’t lie. If you lie, you break trust and you will never build a relationship. Again, remember you want (eek!) a relationship, not just a bunch of notches in your bedpost. Lie once and you have quite probably no shot at ever “getting in bed” with this target. Ever. Be honest about who you are, what you want to do creatively, what your capabilities are, what you bring to the relationship, why you are attracted to your target… everything. You can spin the facts to make them look as positive as you can (kind of like wearing makeup or dressing up), but do not lie.
    For example, if you haven’t had a paying project in six months and your target asks how things have been, you can answer “Good. Busy.” Why? Because you have been busy trying to get work and that’s good! But if the client follows up with “Who have you shot for in the past six months, you should say “I’ve been working on personal projects” rather than lie and say you shot for Bob’s House o’ Widgets or whatever. The truth will out, as they say. It’s not worth it.

So, with those ten starter tips in mind, go out there and flirt… er, market!

Every professional photographer knows that when you shoot a person, you should get a release signed. That release is consent from the model for the photographer to use her/his likeness. A typical release does not contain anything about copyrights beyond, and even this is fairly rare, something like “Model affirms that s/he does not have any rights in the photographs made, including copyrights…”

That’s all fine and dandy because the courts have made it clear that, in fact, a model or subject in a still photograph does not have any claim to co-authorship of the photograph because, in order to be a co-author, the contribution by the “other person” has to be something that is in itself copyrightable… a “work of authorship” as defined by the Copyright Act. Specifically:

A person’s name or likeness is not a work of authorship within the meaning of 17 U.S.C. §102. This is true notwithstanding the fact that [those] names and likenesses are embodied in a copyrightable photograph.
Downing v. Abercrombie & Fitch, 265 F.3d 994, 1004 (9th Cir. 2001).

So, when it comes to still images, a photographer is the sole author. A release is needed to permit the use of the subject’s likeness under state laws concerning rights of publicity and/or privacy, but that’s it. The independent businessperson photographer owns the copyright(s) in the photo(s) created (assuming, of course, it is not a Work For Hire).

Still photographers are becoming motion photographers. In droves. If you are a still photographer who is now shooting motion, are you using the same releases for your motion work?
Well, then you may be toast.

Here’s the thing: a performance of a subject in a motion work, like the work of an actor in a movie, is in and of itself potentially a work of authorship within the meaning of 17 U.S.C. §102. If it is a work of authorship, then it can be argued that the copyright in the video/motion piece is a work of co-authorship and, you see where this is going, the photographer/director is no longer the sole owner of the copyright in that work.

No, I am not kidding.

Now, this isn’t a slam-dunk argument. For a work to be considered a joint work (co-authorship), there is an intent requirement–that is that the parties intended the work to be a joint work. But who want to prove or, worse, disprove intent? That’s a toughy if you don’t have solid evidence that the work was not intended to be a joint work. And even if in the end you’ll win because the law isn’t for-sure on this, why not protect yourself from a potential lawsuit beforehand?

So, what can you do if you are shooting motion to avoid this problem (or at least reduce the chances of getting sued for co-ownership)? You can get an assignment of copyright signed by the people in your motion work. You could include a work made for hire clause but, in California, that could get you in trouble with the Labor Code, so better to do an assignment of rights clause. You can include it right on the same release form you are already using. Best to get your attorney to draft this clause for you so you can add it into your paperwork with the confidence that your rights and needs are being protected.

Lots of you complain about not being very productive. I have two suggestions for this issue.

First, assuming you already have set actual work hours (and if you haven’t, you need to), try starting much earlier in the day. I know for many of you that will sound impossible, but I swear it is completely possible. I know, I’ve done it.

I used to be a stay-up-late kind of woman. Mornings were, thus, hell. I made the conscious choice to change that. A good way to make that happen is to not only have a set bedtime (which is good for your health, by the way), but to move that bedtime up by 15 minutes every couple of days and your wakeup time as well. Before you know it, and without feeling like you have been through some sort of withdrawal, you’ll be getting up as early as you choose.

I get up usually at around 5:45a now and rarely have to use an alarm to do that. I can get a run in, or other exercise, and still be at my desk working by 7:30, if not even earlier. I get more done before noon every day (and especially before 10a) that I ever do in the afternoon. There are lots of reports and articles (like this one) suggesting that is pretty normal–that is, that one gets more done early in the day.

Yes, even creative pros.

Second suggestion for productivity? Turn off social media and email for most of your day. Those “tools” are big distractions and pull us away from what we need to focus on, including creative work. If you need to, set a timer and work for, say 50 minutes then take a 10 minute break to check FB, etc. If you have to post things for your work, schedule that as well and do only that–make your posts then get off the computer (at least get off the social media). If there are posts or links you want to check on, make them for later… for your break time.

Basically, we’re talking about a sort of discipline to your day. Creatives, especially younger ones, often fight this idea as they think artists aren’t supposed to create on a schedule or something. The reality is, the most successful artists are disciplined and schedule their lives and their work. It’s not selling out to the man to actually treat your job like a job–it’s possibly one of the best things you can do for your business.