Per Our Last Email

We're kicking off today's episode with one more Harry Potter cocktail (this one's a smoky activated charcoal margarita called “Skele-Gro”), and some news… Today's episode is going to mark the end of an era — AKA, the season finale for a very long season 1!

Meet Emma Maja — our Australian gal (who joined us at a wildly early hour bc of the time difference!), who's a freelance graphic designer, illustrator, AND dog accessory and apparel designer! Today we're kicking off with another Harry Potter themed cocktail (AKA, a frozen midori sour with a twist called Polyjuice Potion), and Emma dives on in with us over an espresso martini. We got to hear how Emma's product-based business has informed her service-based business, all the things she's learned in and out of freelance, and her journey as a designer — anchored, of course, by some killer stories. Duh. First, we get to hear about the TRUE AUDACITY of a client whose mission was to “empower women” but, well… hint, hint, DIDN'T. They treated her horribly, kept hinting towards ~future work opportunities~ and asked her to lower her already low rates… and you're gonna cringe when you find out how much work Emma did for way too little money. We also hear about a client who reached out via Facebook Messenger and gave Emma ~the ick~ for a project that ended up having a total lack of boundaries… as they sometimes do. We loved having Emma on the show and hearing about everything from her practical advice to the lessons she's learned along the way to the mistakes she's made — and it's a really good one. You know what to do!

Today, meet Jason B. James —  an incredible food and beverage photographer by day and DJ by night! We kicked off this episode with another Harry Potter-themed cocktail (we named this one Reparo — a gin cranberry sour inspired by Command Z, AKA the Photoshop shortcut that saves our lives). We loved hearing about how Jason transitioned from being a behavioral therapist to a photographer (AND a DJ) — and he told us how he describes his work as a little surreal, almost “like you microdosed” when looking at it. #weloveit You'll get to hear about one of Jason's events from hell during a NYE DJing gig gone wrong annnnnd his last straw before deciding freelance life was going to have to be the life for him. Because, as we all know… sometimes freelancing can be ROUGH, but man oh man is it better than anything else.

Who knew Per Our Last Email would be getting into unsolved mystery podcast territory?

In today's episode, you get to meet the incredible women behind Four Course Media, Rylee and Laura! We're kicking off this episode during the massive heat wave in San Jose (um, 108 degrees?! Bye), and Rylee & Laura contributed the cocktail for this month's HARRY POTTER COCKTAIL THEME ✨ We dove in over a fernet and vermouth spritz cocktail named “The Leaky Cauldron” and talked about how they went from meeting in a Slack group for freelance photographers to starting their studio, which offers imagery, styling, recipe development and branding consulting for food and beverage brands. In the ep you'll get to hear about how they style food with real, fresh ingredients, tackle food waste in the industry, and run their business living in different places (Rylee's based in Denver and Laura in Chicago). You'll also get to hear about a very insane, traumatic story (ugh) with a ridiculous, stressful, and absolute jerk of a client who was full of red flags — like, hi… can we NOT with clients who do things like nitpick, delay, and, um… send emails like “Did something upload incorrectly? The colors in these photos are not showing up as expected. Do you mind checking the link to see if that's what you meant to send?” LIKE YES IT IS WHAT WE MEANT TO SEND, PHIL.* *Not the client's real name.

Today we're talking to the incredible Megan Rizzo, an amazing creative, artist, and illustrator who's worked with tons of companies (hello… like MTV, Sony, and BET!) — and we're kicking off with a delightful college-themed cocktail that plays off of Jungle Juice, called “Welcome to the (Freelance) Jungle.” (Megan's a new mom who's taking it a little more low-key than we are, so she's enjoying an apple juice mimosa while we breathe in memories of frat houses. Sigh.) There's absolutely nothing better than a multi-faceted conversation about all the things, which is exactly how our conversation with Megan went — starting diving into her work, which she describes as “playful, bold, and comforting,” and how she draws inspiration from herself and her own struggles in her work (which includes #casual things like illustrating and writing children's books). So freakin' cool. Our favorite part of every guest ep is getting to hear stories from our fellow freelancers, and Megan tells us about a client who had wildly unrealistic expectations (AKA they wanted her to completely change her style) which obvi resulted in endless revisions… Oh and we also get to hear about an inquiry she received asking her to illustrate ✨sexual encounters✨ for a sexual poetry book. Ah, we love it. You guys know what to do!Send your most audacious stories, thoughts, highs and lows to perourlastemail.com.Forever accepting memes, gifs and stress-relieving videos via Instagram, too.Follow Megan on IG at @daizydoodles and check out her website at daisyillustrations.comFollow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

And we are BACK with a good ole' stories episode… arguably our most audacious one ever, so get ready! College cocktail month is still going strong, so we're sipping on the lovely Adios, Mother****** that we've aptly renamed A Magical Freelancer, and kick off telling you guys about the ~audacity~ of a company who wanted to buy our images for $15 each. Love it. But, we digress — because the stories we have this week are INSANE. First, we hear from a listener whose client simply could NOTTTT understand why her prices had raised from pre-pandemic times — and who decided that she didn't agree with renewal of licensing and usage, either. #nothx. Then we hear about a listener who got on a call with a potential client, only to LITERALLY hear the phrase “oh NO, we don't work with budgets, it's more about VALUE for us…” when she was explaining her budget. Spoiler alert… this means they didn't want to pay.

Today's episode kicks off with Lina Cordero of Onlychild Design, a branding and design studio, and we're OBSESSED WITH HER… as you'll be able to tell in this ep.

Imagine getting trolled for a year and receiving not one but SEVERAL inquiries by someone pretending to be Lady Gaga...

On this week's episode, we're shakin' it up with a good ole' discussion topic… CONTRACT CLAUSES. But, before we dive in over key lime martinis (that we've named Offlime, because… #catchy), we get really, really real about the burnout and the exhaustion we've been feeling this past year — caused by the pandemic and by massive changes in our personal lives. We're in this phase where we want to really focus on what's important to us and what's bringing us the most joy, you know?! We get a little deep, okay?!

Guys, is there anything better than a stories episode?! NOPE — and get ready for this one!  We're still going strong with our OOO cocktail theme, and we kicked off this episode with a peach cocktail called “Less Work Mo Beaches” before talking about how we just recently celebrated 2 whole years of Per Our Last Email (!!!) and finished a Photography Bootcamp Adobe livestream that we had the time of our lives on! This stories episode is full of some goodies, starting off with a good ole' fashioned SCAM ALERT (ugh, is there anything worse?!), talking about something we all now like to call the ✨bikini model debacle✨ and what happens when you connect your personal phone number to your Google My Business account. SOS. You know what to do, pals!Send your most audacious stories, thoughts, highs and lows to perourlastemail.com.Listen to Andrew Hochradel's episode: OopsiesCheck out our week-long livestream with Adobe: Photography Bootcamp with Weekend CreativeForever accepting memes, gifs and stress-relieving videos via IG, too. Find us at @perourlastemail @weekendcreative!

You know those cool, chic, insightful, and incredibly talented people that you see online and immediately want to be friends with? Yeah... that's Lauren Jones for us!

We're back with a STORIES EPISODE! But, tbh, we're only really halfway back — AKA, Arabela forgot to make the cocktails & we had to pause to, well… make them. If you needed an insight into what our lives are looking like right now, there you go

This week, we're stepping into the creative world of Giulietta Pinna of Limonata Creative and Prop Up Shop. We're chatting over some piña coladas, AKA "I Need A Vacation," a classic recipe that we just had to bring back for this month's OOO theme. Giulietta is an art director, prop and set stylist based in the Baltimore/DC area and to say that she's killing the game is an understatement. Not only is Giulietta an inspiration in the work she creates, but she's been doing some amazing stylist advocacy work and has even put out a photo stylist contract template of her own. She's an icon, she's a legend, and she IS the moment.

And, we're BACK with part 2 of our 100th episode, feat. our BFFs at Little Drill!On this episode we're diving in with James and Shelby's most horrifying horror story — but we, of course, have to kick off with a random convo about Harry Styles and then how they've already been checking on their emails prior to this recording sesh and are already #bitter.Hence, the name of this episode's cocktail (which, reminder, are basil & lemon spritzes named ”Don't Be Bitter”).James and Shelby's story happened during a campaign with a top East Coast agency on two brands that we can GUARANTEE you've both consumed and bought. Lovely. This is a nice mixture of unrealistic expectations and a lack of boundaries, and it's also a project that James and Shelby realized almost immediately they should have said “uh… no” to.Sigh.You'll get to hear about firing a model who had too many wrinkles on her hands, about absolutely insane editing requests post-shoot, and a good ole' realization that the ethos of the brand they were shooting for did NOT align with their public image.Episode's live — you know what to do!

And, we're BACK with part 2 of our 100th episode, feat. our BFFs at Little Drill!On this episode we're diving in with James and Shelby's most horrifying horror story — but we, of course, have to kick off with a random convo about Harry Styles and then how they've already been checking on their emails prior to this recording sesh and are already #bitter.Hence, the name of this episode's cocktail (which, reminder, are basil & lemon spritzes named ”Don't Be Bitter”).James and Shelby's story happened during a campaign with a top East Coast agency on two brands that we can GUARANTEE you've both consumed and bought. Lovely. This is a nice mixture of unrealistic expectations and a lack of boundaries, and it's also a project that James and Shelby realized almost immediately they should have said “uh… no” to.Sigh.You'll get to hear about firing a model who had too many wrinkles on her hands, about absolutely insane editing requests post-shoot, and a good ole' realization that the ethos of the brand they were shooting for did NOT align with their public image.Episode's live — you know what to do!

And, we're BACK with part 2 of our 100th episode, feat. our BFFs at Little Drill! On this episode we're diving in with James and Shelby's most horrifying horror story — but we, of course, have to kick off with a random convo about Harry Styles and then how they've already been checking on their emails prior to this recording sesh and are already #bitter. Hence, the name of this episode's cocktail (which, reminder, are basil & lemon spritzes named ”Don't Be Bitter”). James and Shelby's story happened during a campaign with a top East Coast agency on two brands that we can GUARANTEE you've both consumed and bought. Lovely. This is a nice mixture of unrealistic expectations and a lack of boundaries, and it's also a project that James and Shelby realized almost immediately they should have said “uh… no” to. Sigh. You'll get to hear about firing a model who had too many wrinkles on her hands, about absolutely insane editing requests post-shoot, and a good ole' realization that the ethos of the brand they were shooting for did NOT align with their public image. Episode's live — you know what to do!

Guys… WE MADE IT TO OUR 100TH EPISODE!

On this week's episode, meet Elise Swopes — AKA, one of the sweetest, coolest chicks on the internet and an all-around amazing human being and creative. Elise is a whole vibe (she came on wearing a fuzzy orange jacket, orange clips, AND had an orange drink & straw — we love to see it), and we dove in with a pink grapefruit spritz cocktail named “Pink Outside the Box.” We talked a lot about Elise's super unconventional journey, about graduating college late (she just got her degree, so cool!), and about how NFTs have changed her whole career. We also get to hear about an event she photographed in Chicago that featured a really disconcerting, uncomfortable side of borderline animal cruelty and the time she ended up being on a hot air balloon that crashed — yes, CRASHED! — while working with a tourism board. Never a dull day, huh?! We also get to hear about passing on projects that don't align, the weirdest inquiry she's ever received, and what she's learned about herself on her creative journey. This is a really, really good one — and you can listen now! Send your GIFs, memes, stories and thoughts to perourlastemail.com!Follow Elise on IG at @swopes and check out her site at swopes.infoCheck out her NFT creative community: Sunrise Art ClubView her Adobe Live Streams: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3Follow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

This week on Per Our Last Email we're hanging out with graphic designer and artist Josiah Goldsmith! We jump right in over a cocktail we group-named “My Money Don't Jiggle Jiggle, It Aperol” (LOL), and get to talk about all things British accents and South Korea culture with Josiah, who is — you guessed it — a Brit living in SK! We touched on a ton of topics during this episode, which is our very favorite kind of ep. From exploring creativity to the Korean design industry and everything in between, we really got into it (especially since it was only 8:30 AM for Josiah and he was drinking a cocktail right alongside us)! Josiah talks about a client with a Clip Art-esque logo who told him that he was demonic and the anti-Christ (yes… you read that right), and also talks about working with a client who hadn't been paying him… only to realize that the business owed designers over $200,000 in total. K. This one is a goodie, and you'll learn a ton from Josiah and his insights. You know what to do, pals!Send your most audacious stories, thoughts, highs and lows to perourlastemail.com.Forever accepting memes, gifs and stress-relieving videos via Instagram, too.Follow Josiah at @thejosiahgoldsmith and check out his site at josiahgoldsmith.comFollow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

On today's episode you get to meet Jenn Shore, the badass behind design agency Shore Creative (and our triplet flame — she wore a jumpsuit that said “tipsy” during our interview. Iconic). Over “Grey Rocking” cocktails we dove into learning how to turn failure into success and all about Jenn's journey as an entrepreneur. We also heard about how she wants to become a “freelance matchmaker” of sorts, which is fab. We also got to listen tons of great stories — with notes! — about client red flags (like, no… you can't have these assets until you pay me, ok?!), when an influencer stole her designs (

You guys know there are few things we love more than a great stories episode, and we're starting off this week's with a bang (AKA… stories). We're diving in over citrusy cocktails named “Can I Pay You With (Sun) Exposure?” and cuddling with Elle's new dog Cooper, who says hello at the beginning of the episode. (Bringing light to the clients who ask to pay you in exposure, ya know?) In this episode we hear about a freelancer who ended up doing a 12-hour trial shift — ugh, unpaid, of course — for an assistant job, a story that actually ends up being really helpful around how and why to fire a client, and some crazy wedding photo stories… including a bride who he later saw on Bumble. Ah. The freelance life is just such a charm. Psst… have some charm you want to share with us?! We're always accepting new freelancer stories and would love to hear from you! Visit our website and tell us alllllll the tea, pals. Send your most audacious stories, thoughts, highs and lows to perourlastemail.com.Forever accepting memes, gifs and stress-relieving videos via IG, too. Find us at @perourlastemail @weekendcreative!

You know it's going to be a good one when you hear us starting to throw out all of our best chicken expressions and puns.

On this week's podcast we're hanging out with our IG friend turned pod guest, creative photographer and artist Suzanne Clements! We're talking about alllll the things (and red flags) with grapefruit, cranberry, and vodka cocktails named “What a Breeze,” which is aptly named for the best kind of clients AND Suzanne's Florida livin'. We dove in talking about Suzanne's journey to photography and why she loves the kind of work she does before getting to hear about her insanely cool personal project called relax.rehab (think: 80s pop and synth music meets imagery — seriously so fascinating). Then we got to hear some of Suzanne's WILD client experiences, including a ~wildly inappropriate~ male client who told her to try out some nipple balm for her boyfriend (ugh. ew) and a client who expected her to somehow have access to a private jet for photos. Sigh. Do you ever just…? Because we do, too. Alright, friends! Come hang out with us and Suzanne — see you there!Send your most audacious stories, thoughts, highs and lows to perourlastemail.com.Forever accepting memes, gifs and stress-relieving videos via Instagram, too.Follow Suzanne on IG at @suzannecgd and check out her website at suzanneclements.comCheck out her personal project: Relax.rehabFollow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

And we're BAAAAAAACK! On this week's episode, we're finally welcoming our hilarious Scottish friend Alex Baxter (whose accent we LOVE, as you'll hear). We're diving in over tequila guava nectar cocktails we've concocted called “You Guava Be Kidding Me,” AKA how we're all going to respond to anyone who annoys us from now on. Alex has been a longtime IG friend and POLE star (we've shared a couple of his stories on the pod already, like a two-word response he got after sending a proposal: Too expensive.), and we had so much freakin' fun talking about everything from green and red flags to Scottish freelance culture to his work as a photographer and graphic designer in the hospitality industry. On this episode, you'll get to hear about Alex's stories about a client who essentially wanted to pay him with… a cake (ugh, the red flags we look past as green baby freelancers…), a broken hard drive with photos on it from a MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANT (#cries :')), and a really fun shoot with a yoga instructor that ended with the saying “I'M COMING, I WILL FIX YOUR TITTIES!” LOL, you just have to listen — there's a lot to unpack. Ready to unpack it with us?! See you soon!You know you're sitting on a good story that you're just dying to share. Send it into perourlastemail.com. Submit the story now, deal with your conscience later.Follow Alex on IG at @alexbaxter.co and check out his website at alexbaxter.coFollow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

…Honestly, there are no words.Do you all go and search for the weirdest clients ever, just to entice us? Are you forever in the pursuit of a good meme?Actually, don't answer that.We can't really “allude” to anything in this episode, without just blatantly calling it out. It's a stories episode. There are mentions - nay, allegations - of instances of hormonal imbalances,

It's true. @elliotisacoolguy.A very cool guy.A guy who runs a flourishing creative business, but a guy who isn't very good at freelancing, nonetheless.Yeah, we said it. (only because he did

Remember that time you paid your rent in popsicle sticks?No?Well, what about spoons?Still no?Weird, because we could've SWORN that it was considered socially acceptable to pay for the important things in life with inanimate objects. Just like it's okay to pay for creative work (i.e., photography) with anything other than money, right?*scream cough scream cough*Yeah so, someone had the audacity to attempt to reason with someone else that paying for work with their spoons was acceptable. Thousands of dollars' worth of spoons. That's a lot of spoons.You can imagine our response to that.Sigh.And then someone else dealt with a homeless person running off with their prop food. Because that's the big city, baby. Is that why they call it the Big Apple?And then you'll hear us discuss our attempt to fly with 25 lbs of sand and food poisoning, how Elle enslaved her childhood friends, and why lowering scope > lowering rates.It's a lot. Are you ready to get angry about spoons?Subscribe, listen, follow, pay and sponsor us, k? You can do allll of that and share your confusingly thought-provoking tales to perourlastemail.com!Why aren't you following us on Instagram? Really, the audacity. (Find us at @perourlastemail and  @weekendcreative)Check out Barley & Sage's reel on Instagram: Charge What You Are WorthWatch the infamous reel by Cashmere & Cocktails Blog: Currency - Spoons

On this week's episode, we're welcoming our longtime friend and fellow creative, Claire Xue of Moodelier! Over mezcal hibiscus sours we've named “Taking Care of Business” we dove in quickly to talk about everything from insecurities and old stories to enneagrams and Reddit.  We looooove a tangent! We have been wanting to get Claire onto the podcast for a long time, so it was so freakin' fun to hear more about her start with Moodelier, the things she's learned as a creative and a brand owner, and taking risks in business. We heard about a situation when she was on visa and at a seeeeerious disadvantage with a client, clients with LOTS OF OVERPROMISES, and some good ole' red flags. We do love a red flag on the pod, huh? Okay, pals — are you ready to tune in?! See you there!Send us your stories already. You know the ones we want to hear

We are the living embodiment of the “story time! WAKE UP!” TikTok sound this week, because we have some goooood stories to share… including some of our own! We're pouring up a beer, whiskey, and shandy cocktail called “Feeling Dandy” and diving right on in with two different brands and sites who have hijacked the heck out of our images here recently and then absolutely destroyed them with some truly, truly #terrible Photoshop action. Ah. Nothing like the sweet smell of copyright infringement. In this stories ep, you'll get to hear some good ole' pain-in-the-ass client stories (it happens), fun stuff from a client who decided to launch 3 (!!!) businesses at the same time but didn't want to pay full-price for the branding — because of course — and some confusing, rockstar-esque, what-does-it-MEAN feedback one freelancer got from a university marketing team. Plus, we're musing on the difference between commercial work, personal work, and art… which turned out to be a great convo. So, story time! WAKE UP! (Can you tell we've been watching lots of TikTok…? But, really — have fun!) You know you're sitting on a good story that you're just dying to share. Send it into perourlastemail.com. Submit the story now, deal with your conscience later.Find and fight theft: PixsyCheck out Sprout Law's contract: Copyright Cease + DesistFollow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

This week, we're so freakin' honored to have artist Megan Galante on! We're keeping with our beer month theme, and dove right into this convo alongside a half Guinness, half cider cocktail we coined “The DM Slitherer.” This episode kicks off with a little fangirling, a quick Anna Delvey tangent, and all things wine (we love an off topic moment, ok?!) — before we start digging into Megan's journey. She's such a cheerleader for others, which we LOVE, and it was so fun to hear about how she merged her passion for mixing art and interiors into an actual career. You'll also get to hear alllll the hilarious and relatable stories and experiences she's had along the way, including a freelance experience involving a basement AND a wardrobe ~malfunction~ situation, a reminder to be careful about the platforms you're working with out of the country, and the super fun (#sarcasm) time that a fast fashion brand used her work online without her permission. Plus, you'll even get to hear a special appearance from Megan's cat, Chester. We love Chester. Ready to tune in? Click that play button, and we hope you have as much fun as we did!Submit your stories and questions at perourlastemail.com, and we'll do our best to read them as ridiculously as possible.Follow Megan on IG at @megangalante and check out her website at megangalante.coShop Megan Galante: CASETiFY and Society6Find and fight theft: PixsyFollow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

This week on the pod, we're diving deep with Keegan Evans, a photo and video content creator and educator (and one of our fav follows, always!). We're drinking beer cocktails again, a la micheladas we've called “Chel-of-a-lada Money,” even though… Arabela isn't a beer gal and Keegan went rogue with a mojito. The sacrifices we make for the pod.

We've been absolutely living for the stories episodes lately, and today we're giving you another jam- (and humor-) packed ep full of ‘em! After we both give you a WebMD update on our lives, we're kickin' off a new month with beer-inspired cocktails. This one is a root beer float situation with chocolate ice cream (!!!), aptly named “Rooting for You.” On this episode, you'll get to hear a wild medley of freelancer perfect storms, as you do. From a bizarre photo trip featuring kitchen rats and a pirate trip to a marketing bro (ugh) who “hates working with freelancers” all the way to good ole' unprofessionalism in the workplace and one of the most… incredible… email responses we've ever seen, we've got quiiiiiite the lineup. (Do you want a hint? It is literally a 2 word response, saying “Too expensive.” Smh.) The way we see it, we have to smile through the pain… so come smile with us! Because, here's the thing — we're on this rockin,' rollin,' sometimes weird journey together. Tune on in.Submit your stories and questions at perourlastemail.com, and we'll do our best to read them as ridiculously as possible.Check out these two new podcasts: The Freelance Founders Podcast and For The Love of Freelance Listen to Alex Baxter's story in the Bright Live Episode: Ninja-Ing (Live on Bright)Check out our latest Domestika course: Creative Freelance Fundamentals: Building Your BusinessFollow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

This week, we're sitting down with two of our pals, Alexis and Max of Colors Collective — a next-level creative content studio based out of Brooklyn, NY! We're sippin' mocktails turned, well… cocktails this week (sometimes you just gotta add mezcal), and we aptly named them “The Dream Client.” (Psst… you'll understand why we added mezcal to a ~dream client~ once we get started on their story.) We were squealing-level excited to get Alexis and Max on the pod, and we loved getting to listen about how they fell in love working together (!!!), the growth that Colors Collective has experienced over the years, and the importance of taking a nice long break. In this episode, we're digging into some wiiiild stories, like the horrible realization that your dream client is really the worst kind of client… ever (we're talking ghosting before payment and all of that fun stuff… ugh). Plus, the Colors Collective team also dives into their favorite projects to date and the biggest lessons they've learned from the work they do. So, are you ready to jump on in — with mezcal or without? We're ready for you, pals. You know what to do!Send your GIFs, memes, stories and thoughts to perourlastemail.com!Follow Colors Collective on IG at @colorscollective and check out their site at colorscollective.comListen to Alexis' previous episode: And He Hangs Up The Phone ft. Alexis Jesup of Colors CollectiveFollow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

Guys, let's be real — the freelancer life is FULLLLLLL of stories. Like, all the time. And then some. And, while some of those stories can make us want to ram our heads into the wall (just being honest), they are pretty dang fun to tell… and we're excited to be back for another STORIES episode! Today we're pouring a delicious mocktail that we've named “Put in the Work” with alllll the De Soi… so pour yours, and settle on in! On this episode, we've got lots of stories — and then some. We'll dive into a good ole' freelancer scam via an old man who “needed a family reunion photographed” (those are air quotes), a pickle one of our community freelancers has recently found herself in, a very… CRINGEY DM/client inquiry all rolled into one, and every freelancer's worst fear — AKA, lost files. Plus, Arabela shares a story about the time she had completely forgotten 2 v important props on set. As we say, we're all in this together… for better *and* for worse. LOL. Ready to listen on in and get reminded that you're never, ever alone on this wild journey? You know what to do!Send your most audacious stories, thoughts, highs and lows to perourlastemail.com.Forever accepting memes, gifs and stress-relieving videos via IG, too. Find us at @perourlastemail @weekendcreative!Get your De Soi and use code PEROURLASTEMAIL: 15% OffSupport our friend Helen Koker: Help rebuild Helen's livelihood after Lismore FloodsSupport our friends Sasha Michkovsky and Julia Masalska: Help Ukraine

This week, meet the incredible Juan Cazares, AKA the face behind @juanskindiary! We're sippin' mocktails this week thanks to De Soi — this one is named “A True Champion — and we dove right in with Juan in between sips. We actually found Juan when one of his insanely ~top-tier~ TikToks made its way to IG Reels, and we were so excited to have him on the pod. Plus, he's literally walking proof that you do *not* have to have crazy prior experience to make big moves. He worked at Home Depot before finding an obsession with skincare and becoming an insanely talented content creator. In this episode, we're talking about all of the things, from clients who think it's A-OK to text ya at 8 pm (side note: it isn't) to the most draggy of client projects to the importance of reading — and enforcing! — your contracts. Plus, Juan shares his favorite client green flags, as well as all of the incredible lessons he's learned along the way. Now, who's ready to listen (and to get more inspired to look like a glazed donut with excellent skin at all times)?!Listen on in! Send your most audacious stories, thoughts, highs and lows to perourlastemail.com.Forever accepting memes, gifs and stress-relieving videos via Instagram, too.Follow Juan on IG at @juanskindiary and check out his twitter at @juanskindiaryCheck out the infamous TikTok: When Clients Ask For The Raw ImagesFollow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreativeGet your De Soi and use code PEROURLASTEMAIL: 15% Off

This week, we're chatting with Carolyn Bothwell and Kate Cervini of Freelance Founders. Over delish mocktails called Happy Hour (a la our new sponsor De Soi), we jumped straight in. Freelance Founders is a digital members-only community for creative and marketing freelancers from all around the world (AKA, our dreaaaam group, huh?!), and Carolyn actually started it as a pandemic passion project. We talked about how they've grown Freelance Founders, and we dove into their current FT jobs, too! Carolyn and Kate are rockin' the freelance hustle life as they grow their business, so we had tons to chat about. In this episode, we're discussing everything from how hard (but important it is) to establish boundaries all the way to creative ways for getting your clients to pay ya. (Hint… get your accountant friends to call ‘em!) You ready?! Us, too! Listen now.Send us your stories already. You know the ones we want to hear

Let's be honest… this freelancer life is WEIRD. Like, so weird. But, the weirdness makes it the coolest, too — and it's why we live for a great Stories ep over here. So, come hang out with us over a mocktail that tastes just like Jamba Juice — “The Sweet Surprise” — and ring out our month of sweet drinks with us as we talk about all the things! We're hearing stories and diving into everything from a client with the v apt nickname of Big Al and bridezillas X 10 to a thinly veiled waitressing scam and our least favorite kind of client… a narcissist. Because, here's the truth: commiserating about the bad experiences makes the good ones a heck of a lot better. Ready to come hang out and pretend our mocktail is extra strong? Tap the play button, and we'll see you inside.You know you're sitting on a good story that you're just dying to share. Send it into perourlastemail.com. Submit the story now, deal with your conscience later.Follow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreativeHead to bit.ly/per-bonsai and use code PEROURLASTEMAIL to get your first month of Bonsai for only $1

This week, we're talking with the ultimate QUEEN, Denisse Myrick, who we've been waiting to get on the show for forever! We're clinking our glasses with a pink martini called The Power Suit (shoutout to our friend @freshprintmedia for this one), and there's so much goodness in this ep that we can't even handle it. Denisse is a freelance photographer, brand strategist, influencer, and new mom who is, quite, honestly, the ultimate badass. We talked about how she broke into photography in VSCO's heyday, about a little bit of “Annie Liebovitz jaded energy,” and about locking everything possible into her contracts so people can't even try to mess with her. Like we said… queen. In this ep, we're chatting about her most expensive lesson (uh… a $45K one), finding and building community as a freelancer, and our new favorite term — fresh hell. Alright, ready to fangirl with us? You know what to do! You know you're sitting on a good story that you're just dying to share. Send it into perourlastemail.com. Submit the story now, deal with your conscience later.Follow Denisse on IG at @chasingdenisse and check out her website at chasingdenisse.com Follow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreativeHead to bit.ly/per-bonsai and use code PEROURLASTEMAIL to get your first month of Bonsai for only $1

This week, we're jumping headfirst into the freelancing and copywriting world with Susannah Hutcheson of Susie B. & Co. (our copywriter!). We're enjoying a freakin' delightful pink strawberry daiquiri called “That Inquiry” (shoutout to @kellyngos on IG for the name), and talking about all the things, as usj. Side note: Sus writes our podcast show notes. Is she writing this episode's?! You'll never know

If you've ever opened a client email and thought “WTF?!” “the AUDACITY” and “ummm….” all within 1.7 seconds, today's stories episode is for YOU — because, this time, we asked for stories… and, as usj, you guys did not disappoint. So, pour yourself a cocktail (this ep's drink is fittingly named Cause Mo' Problems), and giddy up — because you're gonna hear about that good ole' ~freelancer experience~ where your client takes days and weeks to respond, only to *immediately* demand edits; finding the photography you did ON SOMEONE'S WEBSITE WITHOUT PAYMENT; the absolute adrenaline rush of demanding payment via email, and good ole' ghosting. Because, let's be honest — sometimes freelancing is a lot like online dating.

This week, we're diving into all things creativity and freelancing with Laura Grace & Katie Lynn of Mushaboom Studio! We're drinking a mocktail called “When Life Gives You Lemons” on this episode, which aligned perfectly with Elle's car battery dying AND our computers cutting off every 5 dang seconds. Woof. Plus, they cold-pitched us a la an iconic Jim vs. Dwight joke to be on the podcast… offish cementing them in Per Our Last Email history forever. So good. Mushaboom Studio is a twin-owned (!!!) photo and design studio focusing on branding, web design, AND product and brand photography. LG & KL chatted with us about all things ~working with your sibling,~ and we also HAD to talk about how we're all convinced that Mercury has essentially been in retrograde all freaking year. In this episode, we get to hear about a nightmarish, 51-email-chain shoot that resulted in a, well, less than ideal client… plus, we talk about outsourcing, creative education, and learning to stick up for ourselves as freelancers. Alright, friends — ready for it?! We are! Send us your stories already. You know the ones we want to hear

This week, we're digging into all things creative freelancing with Kelly Robyn of K+C Collective over some deliiiightful Old Fashioneds that we've named “Make It Work” in honor of #icon Tim Gunn. Kelly is a serial entrepreneur and does alllll the things in her career, which is so fun — and quite similar to the roster of things we dig into over here at Weekend Creative. In fact, she got into the freelancing life with advice from her mom, who told her to create many paths… and it's led her down LOTS of ‘em. In this episode, we're diving deep into the journey that's freelancing and entrepreneurship, talking about everything from the importance of rest and why it's so important to *actually* step back, all the way to the client that inspired an intense refund clause in her contracts and owning her introvertedness in a creative career. So, fellow freelancers… ya ready? As Tim Gunn says, let's “make it work.”

This week, we're chatting with Zaid & Carolina of Vortic Studio over strong Negronis that we've aptly named “Not Your Employee.” …because, like. Can we all agree that we don't wanna be our clients' employees? Thx, but no thx. They create vibrant and beautiful work that genuinely, genuinely put a smile on our faces, and they're basically our freelance soul twins, because they met in college just like we did! In this pod, we got to dive deep into all things partnership + entrepreneurship, and it was so fun to talk about freelance life with another dynamic duo. In this episode, we're talking allllllll the things, from red flags and weirdly intense contracts (hence the name of this week's cocktail) all the way to hot mess express clients, and it's just as hilarious as it is insightful. Alright, friends — strong drink in hand? Yeah? Let's dig in!Submit your stories and questions at perourlastemail.com, and we'll do our best to read them as ridiculously as possible.Follow Carolina and Zaid on IG at @vorticstudio and check out their website at vorticstudio.comFollow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

It's officially 2022, and we're welcoming in the new year with Jen Thompson of Cashmere & Cocktails over *strong* cocktails, because, well… duh. And, because we love a good connection point, this cocktail is called Long Nights, which is a good reminder that, um, long nights sometimes require a strong pour. No shame. Jen is a longtime listener of the pod (she says she catfished us into having her on, but we just really like her :) ), and is a food photographer and content creator based in New Brunswick. When she's not developing rich, indulgent dishes and cocktails, she's cracking us all up — in fact, she's responsible for the ~infamous spoon spiel reel~ that still makes us snort. Is there anything better than someone who is funny as hell AND makes good cocktails? No. In this ep, we dove in deep to tons of things, as usj. From the coining of the term “freelance fetus” and free product exchange services (eek!) to truly laughable rate offerings and a phase where ~adult toy companies~ kept reaching out to her for reviews — to which Jen said “I make cupcakes…. I specialize in cookies”

We have a full-circle moment this week to celebrate our 75th episode! We got to hang out with Anna McNaught over a delightful mulled wine cocktail called “Mulling It Over” (thanks Mushaboom Studio) and talk #allthethings — and, for those of you who might not remember, Anna was actually who we started Per Our Last Email with forever ago!

Lindsay Ernst of Ink + Ellie came to hang out with us on this week's episode of the pod — over a v delicious, pregnancy-friendly cocktail that we named “Give Me a Break,” of course — and it was the most delightful, Dunder Mifflin-esque kinda ep. Lindsay is a visual branding, packaging, and website designer in the Bay Area, and we're infatuated. See, here's the thing: you guys KNOW we love The Office, and we actually met Lindsay when Elle hosted her on Adobe Live while she rebranded Serenity by Jan. Hooked. From the start. ~”I just come in here, and I SMELL MY CANDLES.”~ (Anyone? Plz? Andy and Jim, do you wanna invest in Per Our Last Email?! We're way more level headed than Jan Levinson, promise.) In this episode we talked about everything from The Office (duh) and client red flags to a v unique request she got from a client…. i.e., to Photoshop… Halle Berry's head… on a stock image. Oh, the freelance life, you guys. What. A. Trip. Plus, Lindsey left us some really, really good insights on growing when you want to, instead of feeling like you need to. She said, “you can stay small and still live a really fulfilled design life,” and it really connected. You ready to jump in? Let's go. Send your most audacious stories, thoughts, highs and lows to perourlastemail.com.Follow Lindsay on IG at @inkandelliedesign and check out her site at inkandellie.comWatch her Adobe Livestreams here: Day 1 and Day 2Follow us on Instagram: @perourlastemail @weekendcreative

Steven Lee joined us on this week's episode — over heavily poured tinto de veranos — and we can't wait for you to pop this goodness into your earbuds. Steven is a freelance fashion & commercial photographer based in LA, and his colorful style is a freakin' dream.  (Add on the fact that he's a longtime listener of Per Our Last Email, and, like… we're obsessed

We laughed, we screamed, we did it all.

Is it even a Per Our Last Email episode if we don't quote The Office at least once?

Let's be real... Maria Martinez didn't choose the pug life. The pug life chose her.