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As the saying goes, it's not just what you know; it's who you know. When it comes to making connections and finding new clients, there is only so much you can do online or through the mail. At some point every freelancer needs to get out there and make face-to-face connections with potential clients. If you aren't networking, you should be. Many creative types struggle with networking, myself included. I'm shy and introverted. I'm much happier alone in my cave than out there mingling with people. I don't like making small talk, and there are many things I would rather do than spend my time shaking the hands of strangers and trying to sell my services. I do it anyway, because networking is one of the most effective ways I know of to make connections and land new clients. I'm still a beginner at networking, so I've been researching what works and what doesn't and learning how I can make the process less stressful, even fun. Here's a few tips and tricks I've learned that have worked for me:

Here's a few recent doodles from my sketchbook, including an attempt at caricaturing Norm Peterson from Cheers. (Caricature is not my strong suit.)...

Attention Minnesota comic book and animation fans! MicroCon 2008 is returning to the State Fairgrounds on Sunday, April 27. MicroCon is Minnesota's second largest comic book convention (the largest being FallCon, a two-day event in October). It's a fun gathering of artists, retailers, and fans. Expect to see dozens of artists including pencillers and inkers from Marvel and DC, local animators,...

I generally try to keep this blog about art-related topics, but every once in a while something completely unrelated grabs my attention. I beg your indulgence. Do you ever look up at the stars and wonder, "How on earth did we humans ever get here in the first place? Were we created by God, or did we evolve on our own...

The passing of legendary Disney animator Ollie Johnston has stirred a lot of emotion, memories, and discussion among animators and animation fans. In that spirit fellow Minnesotan Robbie Halvorson sent me a link to some of Ollie's notes on animation. The notes came from Disney animator G. Scott Owen Pixar's John Lasseter, who writes: When I was an animator at the...

Animation legend Ollie Johnston, the last surviving member of Walt Disney's famous "Nine Old Men", passed away yesterday (April 14, 2008). He was 95. Johnston was a phenomenal artist and widely regarded as one of the world's greatest animators. In 1935 he was hired to work at the Disney studio alongside his pal Frank Thomas. They rose to become two of...