If you haven't felt it, you've know someone who HAS had a slow down in work this year.

Here are 11 tweets that shed light on what's happening, what to expect, and, because I'm an optimist, some hope for the future.

1. How's everybody doing?

Responses to Joey and Ariel Costa are mixed. Some freelancers are doing fine/better than ever. Some haven't had work yet this year.

I put a poll out there asking who things were going... almost 50/50 split on things going well vs not going well.

2. What's happening?

TJ Kearney's take (This is probably the most thorough thread written about the current motion design slow down):

TJ's Tweet: For everyone asking what’s happening in the industry right now - layoffs, canceled projects etc. What you’re feeling is the trickle down effect of poor vision and poor management from company leadership. [a thread on the current state..

Ryan's take:

Joel Pilger's take:

3. Now what?

Jobs overall will likely pick back up later this year. But nothing is certain.

TJ's take:

Tweet: My outlook is that budgets will be tighter than they were the last couple years but the opportunities will increase later this year.

Shea Lord's take (from her newsletter yesterday ... and if you haven't subscribed to that, go ahead and do yourself the favor):

“Adjusting for Q2

If companies are being more careful, we have to be more intentional.

Portfolio revamp. Yep, it’s been on my mind. Now is the time to make it a priority.

Re-positioning with productized offerings. I love the idea of a pre-packaged offering.

Retainers. Create a package that can keep businesses coming back.

For example, there are a lot of new companies popping up offering video editing as a monthly subscription, with limitations on how many concurring projects a company can have depending on their subscription tier. This could be translated for YouTube videos, social posts, or paid ads.”

— Quote Source

Ryan’s take:

And finally my take:

Tweet: 5. Double down on my close network connections to make sure I share the love when I'm busy. Keep a pulse on how things are going for them. And we can all help each other out.

While nothing is guaranteed out there, you can go make shit happen.

It's time to level up your positioning and networking.

Look for work in places that aren't your usual stomping grounds.

And keep delivering on what you promise to clients.

With a willingness to pivot, re-position yourself (perhaps as a generalist for the time being), and reach out to new folks, I believe this can be a great year for you.

Would you like to make more money with freelance motion design? Here’s how I can help.

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