workingforfree

Raise the Dead of WintertimeA sighing wind brings heavy snowEvery good woodcutter knowsIt fills the road and blocks the doorIt lays and stays and waits for more

The Jeffery boys are strong and leanThe best damn workers you’ve ever seenThey’ll cut more wood than a horse can haulNear six chords before nightfall

We’ll get up at the break of dayAnd hitch the morgan to the sleighAnd as we work we’ll sing a rhymeAnd raise the dead of wintertime

Deep in the woods our fuel is bornIt meets the axe to keep us warmWe trim the branches, pile it highAnd leave it for the wind to dry

The yellow birch, the spruce so redAnd juniper to bake good breadHard maple when the flame’s in doubtAnd cedar if the fire dies out

And when at night we’re by the stoveOur bellies full and our stories toldThe winds of winter might blow coldBut none of us will feel it

Allan Rankin“New Branches”Wild Garden Music1995

workingforfree

is not...

notcharity

not volunteering

not interning

not bartering

not businesslike

notaltruistic

and

(perhaps)

notrational

workingforfree

involves no...

noselling

noadvertising

noestimates

noinvoices

nopayroll

notaxes

noboss

nomeetings

nofear of

losing a job

and

nomoney

workingforfree

provides...

creativelicense

influence

access

equality

power

risk

respite

opportunity

and

freedom

working

is likeprostitution

workingforfree

is likehome-based sex

❧

huh?

procrastination

oI-[ ]

[Casa Mia]

oI-u

()

the talk

oI-[ ]

[Casa Mia]

oI-u

()$0

the talk

oI-[ ]

[Casa Mia]

oI-u

()$0 +1

the talk

happy

satisfied

nothing moreneeded

workingforfree

selfishaltruism

targeted injections of free labour to enhance

local sustainability

workingforfree

• Find some “visioning” money to get hired as a consultant.

• Negotiate contracts for services.• Hold meetings with potential

stakeholders and users.• Prepare a report of findings,

with suggestions for next steps.• Find additional funding to move

to the practical planning stage.• Hold meetings with involved

parties, negotiate responsibilities, reporting structure.

• Develop action plan.• Proceed with project.

called a meeting

[ University]

oI-[ ]------

--- - oI-[]___= \

-

oI-[ ]-

another meeting

[ University]

oI-[ ]------

--- - oI-[]___= \

-

oI-[ ]-

my work here is done

[ University]

oI-[ ]------

--- - oI-[]___= \

-

happy

satisfied

nothing moreneeded

cross-domain scripting

leveraging contacts and

personal curiousity to

build business-academic

partnerships

workingforfree

how to make it work

trust each other

or

ignoreeach other

not “almost free”

not “a good deal”

be clear about the basics

passion is good

small is good

local is good

be prepared for suspicion

be prepared for rejection

workingforfree

why I love it...

feeds my curiousity

try outnew ideas

access to cool people

access to “backstage”

creativecontrol

influence my

community

and

it’s fun

workingforfree

thoughts?