For a networking event I attended the portfolio seminar at Daemen hosted by the Buffalo Ad Club. This event was more of an informational meeting, talented members of the board discussed what art directors are looking for in our portfolios. After the session we had coffee donuts and pizza and allowed us to talk more with some of the members. I got a chance to speak with Peter Reiling, a freelance creative who works in marketing and advertising. He knows my professor Mike Gelen so I had a common ground to start a conversation, I asked him about collabing with Professor Gelen on projects with the Irish Classical Theatre. He told me how he worked for years in advertising and just recently went off to freelance work. This event was an inspiration, it gave us good insight on what professionals are looking for but also stressed there are alternative routes for creatives (freelancing). I cannot see myself getting a job right out of school, I already have a decent clientele and getting to talk with other successful freelancers was assuring. I believe the most important part of being a freelancer is discipline, you need to push yourself and not be complacent. It can be hard to find work so networking is a huge skill to have. Aside from the talented speakers, I got a chance to talk with other students. Though they may not hire me or pay me collabing with other like-minded students is a great way to network. We all have different skills and can learn from each other, its quite common to have web designers collab with illustrators and designers for example. Creating a good report with other young creatives can lead to bigger things in the future.