← Monday Meeting10 Jun · 1 h 07 min
Moving through Disappointment After the Deadline | Jun 8, 2026
<p>In this open discussion episode, the Monday Meeting team leads a conversation about the emotional side of creative work—processing projects that get canceled, separating your identity from your output, and leaning on community through the freelance feast-or-famine cycle.</p><p>This episode covers:</p><ul><li><strong>When a project gets shelved at the 11th hour</strong>: Why it stings more when you've poured yourself in—and how to tell over-investment from imposter syndrome.</li><li><strong>Separating yourself from your work</strong>: How to keep your work from becoming your identity—plus a book recommendation that helps.</li><li><strong>"The client is not your friend"</strong>: How to stay emotionally distant while still doing your best work.</li><li><strong>Reframing canceled work</strong>: How a shelved project can still earn its keep—and why the ownership outlasts the client's approval.</li><li><strong>Coping strategies that actually help</strong>: The small daily habit that brings back a sense of control when everything else feels out of your hands.</li><li><strong>Soft skills over creative</strong>: Why how you handle a project going sideways can matter more than the final result.</li><li><strong>The feast-or-famine booking cycle</strong>: Saying "no," the "full restaurant" effect, and the booking pattern every freelancer keeps running into.</li><li><strong>Community as a lifeline</strong>: How these calls and the Discord help carry people through rough seasons.</li></ul><p><strong>Upcoming Events/Schedule:</strong></p><ul><li>Game Night: Wednesday, June 24th (now every last Wednesday of the month), ~6/6:30 PM Pacific—playing Gartic Phone</li><li>Next Open Discussion: Monday, July 13th (now monthly, every second Monday)</li><li>Off-Monday "Open Office Hours" voice channel on Discord for portfolio/reel reviews—not recorded, so good for NDA-sensitive work</li><li>Open to guest hosts and topic requests; new social media memes and challenges rolling out</li></ul><p>Visit <a href="MondayMeeting.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">MondayMeeting.org</a> for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!</p><p><br></p><p>SHOW NOTES:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/Monday_Meeting">Monday Meeting Patreon</a></li><li><a href="https://discord.com/invite/2zDcj7PyB7">Monday Meeting Discord</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/monday-meeting-podcast/">MondayMeeting LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mondaymeetingpodcast/">MondayMeeting Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mondaymeeting.bsky.social">MondayMeeting Bluesky</a></li><li><a href="https://mondaymeeting.substack.com/%E2%81%A0">MondayMeeting Newsletter</a></li><li><br></li><li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62192519-the-good-enough-job" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">The Good Enough Job</a></li><li><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/scott-pelley-fired-from-60-minutes-deepening-turmoil-at-cbs-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Scott Pelley Fired from 60mins</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG7dSXcfVqE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Do What You Can’t by Casey Neistat</a></li><li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/7723797-business-model-generation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Business Model Generation written by Alexander Osterwalder & Eves Pigneur</a></li></ul>
podlinkr.com/en/monday-meeting/8186750386069091
For a poster or slide.