Welcome to Part III of our series on civic mindedness. Previously we’ve heard from the head of the Northwest Freelancers Association in Washington State and a freelance public relations manager in Ohio. Today we talk with a top-notch professional wedding photographer with a big heart.

A former photographer and photo editor for USA Today and The Washington Post, Emilie Sommer moved to Portland, Maine in 2003 to open her own wedding photography business called emilie inc. Her business has grown to include two additional photographers, videographer, graphic design artist, and photo booth.

In the ultra competitive world of wedding photography, Emilie Sommer stands out from her peers, not only because of her talent and business acumen, but because of a side project—Pink Initiative. Sommer started this nonprofit to bring wedding industry professionals and private donors together to fund awareness, outreach, education, and research for breast cancer. Continue Reading

Welcome to part two of our discussion on the importance of being civic minded. In researching people to interview on the topic, I virtually stumbled upon a website called Good Things Going Around. Owner Lisa Desatnik is a freelance public relations manager and runs her Ohio-based business with an emphasis on raising awareness and strengthening relationships for clients who have a heart for the community.

Desatnik’s cause-related PR campaigns have earned her numerous regional awards. She is currently working with the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, the Cincannati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired, and the Appalachian Festival, among others.

Why is it important to you to be connected to your community?

Being connected to my community and thinking about others is just a direction that my heart takes me. The type of gratification I receive from bringing smiles to others is just immeasurable. My parents have instilled in me an appreciation for all of the beauty that life brings us and I hope to share that with others because life is really special.

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Justin Knechtel lives in between the cities of Seattle and Bellevue, Washington, on Mercer Island. As the founder of the Northwest Freelancers Association (NWFA), an independent nonprofit organization, Knechtel works with freelancers throughout the entire Pacific and Inland Northwest.

Knechtel also created and runs The Small Potatoes, which is a design and consulting agency made up of freelance professionals living and working in the Pacific Northwest. The Small Potatoes works with small businesses, nonprofits, and startups to provide services on a pay-what-you-can-afford model.

When researching the topic of civic mindedness in freelancers, Knechtel seemed like the kind of freelancer who would have a lot to talk about on the topic. I wasn’t disappointed.

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Well, this is it people. You’ve read Part 1 and Part 2 of our Crazy Comment Personality Guide. Although there is a heap more crazy on the Internet, this week we’re going to wrap up our tour of the crazy comment personality types you will most likely face on your blog.

Hopefully you have learned through these articles how to identify these special people and deal with them. Feel free to use your knowledge to root them out and step all over their dreams.

** Warning – this article may contain humor **
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This time of year, there are a lot of opportunities to volunteer. Lots of non-profits are looking for help to do holiday donation drives and many have special projects to help people out around the holidays. Just about every non-profit could use a spare pair of hands — and many of them need specialized help, like design or copy writing.

I have an easy time of justifying not helping to myself: I’m short on time, my income isn’t as steady as someone with a day job or I’ve got my own obligations to focus on. But these are just excuses. I’m reminded every year around this time, that volunteering is important and that I can help out in ways that many others can’t, just because I’m a freelancer. The number of organizations that rely on volunteers is huge and many of them are working on issues that we feel very strongly about.

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