Since being a freelance motion designer can be quite lonely, even with social media friends, I suggest you build a small crew of motion designers. A keyframe crew if you will.

Here’s how I would start building a crew today if I had to do it from scratch

1. Start small (you + 2 others) - Think of a couple motion friends you’ve made (in person or online) who you get along with - Throw the idea out to them - Don’t get discouraged if you get a “no thanks”… we’re all busy and adding one more thing to the pile of things to keep up with might be too daunting for some

2. Choose a way to stay connected - iMessage - WhatsApp - Slack - Discord - Zoom - Etc.

3. Grow slowly - The reason I suggest this is because it allows you to keep the group small and intimate - Big Discords are fun, but if you add people too quickly, it will lose the tight-nit feel

Then...

1. Support each other like crazy - Create channels for things like 2D, 3D, $, just for fun, etc. - Ask for advice and give advice - Hop on calls every month or so to catch up

2. Send work to each other - When you’re busy or you’re not the right fit for a project, pass it on to someone in your crew

3. Make your own collab projects - Have one person take the lead - Create parameters - Make a general timeline (this will likely get pushed back and that’s ok) - When it’s done, share and tag each other

4. Have fun - Sometimes social media can feel like a job (it kind of is when you are a freelancer) - So let loose inside the walls of your keyframe crew

5. Stay secret - You don’t have to tell the world about your keyframe crew - The point isn’t to have a public facing secret society - The point is to have a small group to connect on a deeper level

I love the idea of there being 100s or 1000s of little keyframe crews all around the world. Everybody’s warm and cozy, feeling less lonely and growing together.

Bonus notes:

- I’m guessing most motion pods like this start and grow more organically… so this step-by-step how-to is just a guide to motivate you and get you started.

- Another fun thing to do with a group is give it a fun(ny) name, possibly based on an inside joke. This allows for an instant inside joke when people join (not to exclude, but to join together).

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