I wrote an article for Modern Arabian about the benefits of introducing your show horse to trail class with Michael Damianos. It was really fun to write about a new breed for me (Arabians) for a new publication for me! Loved learning more about this breed and how these horses do trail. Hope you enjoy!
Four years ago, I stepped out of my comfort zone and left a wonderful job to begin a freelance career. It was scary and I didn't know how things would work out. I trusted God, kept plugging away and built my business one assignment at a time. It's been quite the journey, but I'm so grateful for this job that I love and the people that I get to work with. I've now been freelancing for nearly as long as I worked at a magazine! And I wanted to share a few things I've learned along the way--some things I'm still learning!
Communication is everything. You could be the best writer, with the best story ideas, and still struggle to get published... if editors find that you miss deadlines, are difficult to work with or hard to get ahold of, they won't want to take the risk and hire you again. I try very hard to have dialogue with editors during my planning and writing process, so if a sticky situation crops up, we can handle it together. Deadlines run my work life. I know from being on staff at a magazine that when I turn in a story, it is just the first step in a long chain of work completed by other people. So if I'm late, it pushes everyone else back. The least I can do is get my part turned in on time!
Maximizing efficiency is crucial. This is a lesson I've learned from taking on too many assignments at once during busy times. But it really hit home when I became a mom, and I went from being able to work all day every day to a finite number of hours in a day. I cannot waste time. I struggle with this daily, and I've tried all kinds of things to keep myself on track. Here are the things that help me: 1. A written to do list front and center on my desk. I write out how long I think tasks will take, and highlight the most important tasks of the day. Checking things off makes me feel accomplished and motivated to do more. 2. Passion Planner, also front and center. This planner helps me, well, plan out my days, weeks and month and it relieves a lot of stress from remembering when I have a commitment. I've used Workflowy, and it helps, and I use Google Calendar, but they don't relieve mental stress like these two paper items. 3. The Antisocial app. This app on the computer blocks social media sites and any other site you want to avoid (cough Etsy) for a set amount of time. I use it when I'm transcribing or have writer's block. 4. Dragon dictate. Transcribing is my least favorite writing task. It makes me want to stab my eyes out. I have a couple of techniques to avoid transcribing every.last.word, but if i want to get a long interview transcribed quickly, I use Dragon Dictate. It's not perfect, doesn't really get horse terms, but it saves my fingers and brain... and of course, some time. 5. Photomechanic. If you have to edit photos.... or even just look at them and sort them quickly... you need this program. It took me 4 years to get it. So much time wasted! 6. Break tasks into time slots. I also categorize my work tasks into "things to do during Wilder's nap" that include interviews and phone calls, and "things to do after he goes to bed" which include writing less urgent emails, editing photos, transcribing and actually writing articles.
Do the work. Despite all of the above, freelancing is still a lot of work. I might not go to a 9-5 job, but I definitely put in a lot of hours. Flexibility is a tradeoff! I get to take Wilder to the park, and travel with our family, and run errands during the day sometimes, but I also work just about every night till bedtime and every nap, and early in the morning, and of all the trips we've taken, I only took off work twice. To make that happen, I worked and worked and worked before and after those trips. I've interviewed people at 3 am while I was on Australia time, written articles from a hotel room more times than I can count, and learned how to transcribe on my laptop during our mandatory monthly trips across Texas. It's a blessing to have the flexibility, but I still have to put in hours. I absolutely love it though!
Being homeschooled and a horse girl was an asset. I used to think I could never be my own boss. My mom was an entrepreneur, and she was always encouraging my business ideas. I was really bad at making them work though. I just floundered. So I always thought I was the kind of person that needed to go to a job everyday and answer to a boss. Zach was the one that helped me see I could make freelancing work. Though I left because I needed flexibility (ha! see above) I quickly learned that the freelance lifestyle was perfect for me. People used to ask me how I found the motivation to work. In my head, there are always deadlines and assignments. They have to get done. I have to plan out ahead of time to accomplish those assignments. I also work best in the evening. These lessons, I learned by being homeschooled, and by having horses. In high school, I had a stack of books and workbooks, and I had to get them done on my own time. I had to plan my days and complete my assignments, or I wouldn't get to go ride. In college, I had to balance school and the equestrian team. All that to say, I'm definitely comfortable managing the workload at this point, and I never feel like I did when I was trying to grow a startup. I think I found the right business!
Self-care is important. This is one I've learned more recently. Taking the time to exercise and even go get my nails done makes me a better worker. I actually was able to set up a magazine photo shoot once after running into the model, a friend of mine, at the nail salon! I get burned out at times, so little breaks to watch a tv show one night or go to the zoo with Wilder are awesome.
Learn to say no. Another one I've really learned since becoming a parent. I built my freelance career by taking every job possible. As I've gotten more established, I've been able to develop relationships with the editors of magazines for whom I really value working. Now that I am a mom, if I take an assignment, I have to be sure I have enough time to get it done by deadline, and I also balance how much work I do by how much time I am missing being away from my child. I love what I do, but I love being mom and the moments spent with Wilder are precious. And I'm also not doing anyone any favors by working too much, turning in subpar content or missing assignments. So I take on less work, and I have to make hard choices and pray the editors understand. Babies are little for just a short window of time, but I hope to make writing and photography my career for many years, so I weigh every assignment carefully. This will become even harder in just a few months, when I'll have two babies!
Don't be afraid to ask for help. This is a mom lesson. I don't want you to think that I get all my work done during naps and bedtime. Childcare is also a part of the equation. I couldn't do photo shoots or some of the more hectic assignments without the help of both Zach and my in-laws. My MIL watches Wilder 1-2x a week, and I swap work times with Zach, since he works from home as well. It's a balancing act, but I absolutely could not do this job without their help!
Colleagues aren't competitors. I strongly believe that there is enough room in the horse industry for good freelancers, and it doesn't hurt me to share things I've learned. I have always had enough work (thank you Jesus!) but I am indebted to many friends, colleagues and superiors for getting a foot in the door. I have learned so much from other writers and photographers that were willing to share their knowledge, and I want to pass that knowledge on when I can. If I have to turn down work (really hard to do) I try to to pass on the name of a fellow freelancer. I've gotten great story ideas from friends and colleagues, and I try to return the favor. It's a really small world, this equine publishing industry, and you never know who's help you'll be needing tomorrow. Plus, I've made some really good friends in this business!
Never stop learning. This year has been a season of growth for me. I've discovered podcasts like Being Boss, for example, and it's really helped me evaluate what I want to do with my business. Not having a horse right now makes digging up hands-on topics tough, but wherever I am, whatever I'm reading, I am always thinking of story ideas. I keep a running tally of stuff that catches my interest. It's really hard to come up with good topics sometimes, but just being open to ideas has really paid off in getting to not only learn about cool things, but also write about them!
This turned into a much longer post than I anticipated, so if you're still with me, thanks. :-) I hope something I shared here rang true with you. I'd love your feedback!
Thank you Darrell Dodds for the photo!
The American Horse Publications Seminar is one of my favorite events of the year. It's a time where writers, photographers, editors, publishers and other folks connected to the horse magazine industry gather. We gather to network, gain education, recognize hard work and most of all, have a good time. Each year hundreds of articles and photographs are entered in the AHP Seminar contest, where a panel of judges from the industry critique and place the pieces. I've won an award once before, when I was on staff at the Paint Horse Journal, and I've gotten 2nd place and honorable mentions a few times. This year, three of my stories were finalists. My story about white line disease for the American Quarter Horse Journal placed second in its category, and I got two first place awards. One for my profile on Aaron Watson for America's Horse and the other for a mane and tail care article with Colleen McQuay for Horse & Rider. So much effort is put into each article submitted to the contest. It's an honor to be recognized amongst my peers.
The weekend was so much fun, and it was a wonderful time connecting with other industry professionals. It was even more special because the seminar was held in my hometown of San Antonio!
White line disease is a tough condition to treat. It eats away at horse's hooves, and can be both painful and chronic. This article for the American Quarter Horse Journal explores diagnosis and treatment options with the help of several veterinarian experts.
This article places second in the Service to the Reader category at the 2015 American Horse Publications seminar this past weekend. Read the article below:
Lyle Lovett has a palomino stallion that is a real-life Barbie horse. His mane is LEGENDARY, and he is so talented. Smart And Shiney stands at McQuay Stables in Tioga, Texas. Last year I pitched a mane and tail care story to Horse & Rider with Smart And Shiney as the model! The experience was so much fun. Colleen McQuay was a wonderful source and I'm really happy with how the photos turned out.
The story ended up winning first place as an instructional article at the 2015 American Horse Publications Seminar last weekend! Here's the article below:
Aaron Watson has long been one of my favorite country artists. I spent most of my college years attending several of his concerts each semester at the Texas Hall of Fame (RIP) and two-stepping the nights away. As he's matured, he's grown his reputation as a family man and an unashamed Christian. In 2013, I attended Carol Rose's dispersal sale and noticed two things: 1. Aaron posted a photo with his new QH the same day and 2. he was the surprise music the preview night. I did some follow up research and in 2014, pitched a story about Aaron as a QH member to America's Horse, AQHA's member magazine. Lucky for me, editor gave me the green light.
Aaron's manager was gracious and set me up with an interview right away. Aaron chatted with me for a long time, and I felt like the story I wrote for the magazine was one of my best. And after the story was published, Aaron's latest album The Underdog went on to break records for an indie album on the country music charts!
It was my honor to win an American Horse Publications first place award for this profile last weekend! Here's the profile:
This article was fun to write. I love fashion, and learning about new items these businesses are carrying and crafting was really interesting. This piece was for Western Lifestyle Retailer, a business-to-business special publication by Western Horseman.
Training articles are always fun, and ponying is a topic I haven't covered before. After interviewing these experts, I feel better prepared to take on this challenge in the future. Check out this article for the Paint Horse Journal.
I really enjoyed researching this article for Chrome magazine. Zach and I are considering building some kind of outdoor entertaining space at some point, and after writing this article, we have a better idea of what to do next. Hope you enjoy!
Last year, the horse world lost a legend. Gunner, aka Colonels Smoking Gun, had an immeasurable impact on the equine industry, particularly for reining and the Paint Horse breed. I was honored to write an obituary profile looking at his legendary life for Quarter Horse News.
This sweet baby foal stole my heart while I was out at the Fulton Quien Sabe Ranch in 2013. There's something so special about foals! This photo was published on the August 2013 cover of the Paint Horse Journal, which seems a fitting tribute to Joe Fulton, the founder of the ranch and breeder of such greats as Peppy San Badger. He passed away August 1, 2013.
One of my favorite shoots took place in Northern New Mexico. CS Ranch is picturesque, and despite a horde of monster mosquitoes, I captured some lovely images of the ranch's horses. Check out the feature that ran in Western Horse & Gun (formerly Western Shooting Horse) .
Last year, sweet Cade started kindergarten, and his mama Courtney asked me to take photos of his first day of school. I've had the privilege of photographing Cade every year since he was born, and it was so special to capture his big day. He's getting so big! Here are a few photos from Courtney and Cade's photo shoot.
Last year I traveled to a series of ranches for Western Shooting Horse magazine. Bartlett Ranch in Weatherford, Texas, was one of them. The ranch is spread across three locations in Texas, Alabama and Wyoming. I really enjoyed getting to talk to Mr. Bartlett and touring his beautiful Texas ranch. His home was so unique--I could write an entire article on its decor. I hope you enjoy the article as well!
Emergencies can happen with horse at shows in an instant, but you can prepare for many of them. In this article for the American Quarter Horse Journal in April 2014, my experts shared how to spot common equine health issues encountered at shows, as well as how to treat them and prevent them.
The Bittlebrun-Radwanski wedding was such a fun affair. Bright and colorful, with lots of fun details, the wedding was really a tribute to two wonderful people. Friends traveled to attend from all over the world. I really enjoyed seeing Jana and Michael celebrate their next chapter with all of their loved ones. Here are a sampling of my favorite photos!
Speed control can be tough for youngsters. I definitely remember the days of ineffectively kicking my slowpoke gelding in hopes of getting somewhere a little faster. This article with Mason Lyons for the Paint Horse Journal was fun and I think it's great information for riders young and old alike. What do you think?
This July 26 will mark three years since I started Abigail Boatwright Communications. I can't believe it's been that long--it seems only yesterday that I was packing up my office at APHA and nervously pitching my stories to editors. I've been really blessed to have had steady work and awesome assignments these last few years. I'm excited about what the future holds. And now I'm unveiling my brand-new website!
The biggest change this year is THIS… my website has received a makeover! The talented team at Rethink helped me rebrand my company and I'm so happy with the outcome. I hope you'll find my site easier to navigate, with content bigger and brighter than ever. Check out each of the sections if you get a minute--it's all been updated. My favorite feature is the way the portfolio items are displayed. Now you can click on each article thumbnail and it'll direct you to the full scale PDF on my site. You can also click on photo thumbnails and they pop up into large photos. I have a contact form and links to my social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Finally, my photo proofing site on Smug Mug has been integrated into my toolbar.
Other highlights from this year:
Thanks for your interest and support. I hope to continue bringing you interesting articles and compelling photographs!
Also, if you're looking for recaps of my (personal) travels, you'll want to check out Through Abby's Lens. The rest of my personal blog lives at Downton Blabby.
My garden is pretty small. It consists of about 8 herb plants. But I'm always looking for yummy vegetable recipes. This article for APHA'sChrome addresses the problem of when your garden ripens all at once and you're left with say, 10 lbs of zucchini. I personally tried each of the recipes--one is from my own brother-in-law--and I give them all my stamp of approval. So what do you think? Full article PDF HERE.
Jana was the very first friend I made when I joined Texas A&M's Equestrian Team back in 2003. She was a team captain and she really made me feel welcome. We became close friends throughout all those practices, competitions, Aggie football games and especially nights out dancing at the Texas Hall of Fame. She's now a pharmacist (and pretty awesome at it). When Jana asked me to be her wedding photographer I was so thrilled. We shot her bridals photos in her aunt and uncle's beyond gorgeous home and at historic Gruene Hall--a honky-tonk where every Texan worth their salt should spend a night dancing. It poured down rain throughout our shoot, but Jana was a trooper and we had a good time!
