What’s ON your refrigerator?
No, I didn’t ask, “What’s IN your refrigerator?” What’s ON it?
Remember when you’d dash home from the bus stop after school clutching an A paper or a favorite drawing from art class? What happened next? That’s right: Your mom or dad would tape or magnet your masterpiece to the refrigerator door. For many families, the refrigerator is a kid paper-and-artwork Hall of Fame, a shrine to creativity and success.
Now you’re all grown up. And you’re still doing great work. How do you celebrate it?
I call the work that I’m button-busting proud of Refrigerator Projects. They’re rare beasts, these jobs. Special. Worth showing off (and writing about in your newsletter).
Think about the hallmarks of your Refrigerator Projects:
- they may challenge you to work above what you think you’re capable of
- they harness your deepest creative energy
- they often involve collaborating with people you’re interested in
- they garner great feedback from clients, collaborators and the public
Chances are, you know the Refrigerator Project when you’re in the thick of it. You get in the zone, where you feel confident, skilled and strong, where you do your best work.
My most recent Refrigerator Project? A feature story for the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Food section that highlighted The Clara Project. (Read more about my ongoing recipe and cooking exploration through a serendipitously acquired collection of vintage recipes.) With some persistence, I finally managed to pitch the story to the section editor; when the story ran (in my hometown newspaper!), I felt like I’d hit a home run.
Three pivotal things came out of the story:
- I was so proud of the work, I couldn’t wait to show copies of the story to my family.
- I made a wonderful and meaningful connection with the daughter of Clara Shenefelt, the woman whose old recipes inspired me.
- And national media picked up the story, resulting in booming website traffic, new readers and some interesting project leads.
Do you love your Refrigerator Projects? Want to do more of them?
I think there’s a karma to doing great work. Great work begets more great work. Great work gives you confidence. It lets you speak with energy and enthusiasm about what you do, and prospects respond to that. Great work builds your portfolio. Great work is, at its core, a blast.
What’s ON your refrigerator?
Worth Reading
Rethinking the Case Study—If you’re doing great work, you need to tell everyone about it. This super-smart article from Newfangled talks about how to write a great case study.
Great Case Studies—In the spirit of sharing good work, here’s a selection of project case studies I contributed for Enrich, a creative group in St. Louis focused on food and wellness companies.