Ask an IDLancer: Meet Catherine!

Meet Catherine Beall—IDLancer, educational consultant, freelance instructional designer, and absolute pleasure to work with.

Here at IDLance, we believe in the power of real stories and real people, and real people using real stories to talk about how great we are.

Seriously though, we could not be more proud of our community of freelance instructional designers and this blog series gives us a chance to show ‘em off a bit.

You know that one neighbor who travels the world with her ceramic gnome collection and then invites you over for “tea with the gnomes” but it’s really a 2-hour slideshow of their “vacation” together? At first, you're like, “Wtf,” but then you're like, "Wow, I've never witnessed such an overwhelming display of boundless joy and love captured on film.” Ya know, that old chestnut.

Well, that’s how we feel about our IDLancers. Plus, they’re all adorable and great at warding off pests.

Without further ado, we present Catherine Beall:

What attracted you to join the IDLance community?

I had never heard of Instructional Design until March 2022. I saw a Facebook ad talking about teachers transitioning into ID, and I started digging. I was looking for honest reviews about the course advertising on Facebook, and that search led me to someone’s blog who mentioned IDLance as a great community for Freelance IDs. I found the IDLance website, and I knew I had found my people!

Would you recommend IDLance as a great place to contract for? (You better, or else a knuckle-sandwich is coming your way. But don't let that influence your decision, of course………..).

Yes! The IDLance team, especially Andrea, Parker, and Allie are GREAT to work with! I felt like an important and valued member of the team from the beginning. They are great communicators and always happy to answer my constant stream of questions.

What do you like best about how IDLance communicates with you before, during, and after projects?

I like how the IDLance team gives me a heads-up when there may be a project coming my way. Then, they keep me posted as they negotiate with the client and give as much notice as possible about when things could get started.

I tend to ask a LOT of questions to make sure I’m clear on expectations, and the IDLance team is always so gracious to take the time to answer them thoroughly. They are super communicative during projects.

With my most recent IDLance project, I really liked the retrospective meeting we had at the conclusion of the project. We went over lessons we learned, what went well, and where we got lucky so we can keep that in mind for future projects.

How does the feedback you receive throughout the project help you learn, grow, and be proud of yourself as an ID?

Feedback is so important! I have received tons of feedback from the IDLance team through the project management aspect, QA, and client feedback. It’s always been communicated in a super respectful and encouraging way, creating great learning and growth opportunities. I have become more efficient and more confident in my abilities through this process.

Is a hot dog a sandwich?

Nope. No way. Definitely not. Neither is a taco, while we’re at it.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Yep, physics and science still exist. I’m pretty sure.

Can you share a memorable project or collaboration experience you've had with IDLance and the client?

During my very first project with IDLance, we were converting Rise courses into ILT and VILT courses in Google Slides. It was a TIGHT turnaround. I was responsible for converting 9 Rise courses into one ILT/VILT presentation deck. It turned out to be over 400 slides long! (Don’t worry; several sections were optional and could be skipped in the live presentation.)

The IDLance team was great. We constantly communicated in our team channel on Slack. Everyone encouraged each other, helped each other out, and we laughed – a lot! The IDLance QA team was amazing and helped polish our presentation decks. The client was great to work with, too and was grateful for the quick delivery of quality products.

What’s the weirdest item currently in your workspace?

A little plastic white and purple unicorn, given to me by a former student. 😊 It stands among the neatly stacked post-it notes.

What advice would you give to someone just starting their freelance career in instructional design?

Network! The vast majority of my gigs have come through networking, and really, either directly or indirectly because of IDLance! The more people get to know you, your work quality, and your work ethic, the more they will think of you when it’s time to staff a project or recommend you to someone else they know.

Also, keep learning and upskilling. I took a ton of Udemy courses (there’s always a sale!) to get me started in authoring tools, design tools, video tools, etc. Then, I created something in each tool to practice. That’s how I started my portfolio—I have several courses/videos/job aids using different tools and about different subjects. This helped me to get comfortable with the tools pretty quickly.

The Google Project Management certificate through Coursera is also a great resource, especially if you’re starting your own business. Even if you don’t plan to take on any PM roles, the skills you’ll learn will help you manage your own projects.

What is your go-to source of inspiration when you hit a creative block?

Chat GPT (Chatty G!) has been a big help in getting me unstuck, especially when writing for a course or working to create an initial outline. I can usually glean at least one spark of inspiration every time I visit Chatty G.

What’s the worst training experience you’ve ever had?

At a teaching conference (I won’t name names), the presenting “master” teacher demonstrated sample lessons with facts that were not correct. She even said, “I just made these facts up, so this isn’t really a lesson you would want to give.” She was totally unprepared, admitted that she hadn’t really prepared anything, and was surprised, but honored, that she had been chosen to present (months before with plenty of prep time). She was admittedly making it up as she went.

She was presenting in the ballroom because over 500 people had signed up to attend her presentation a month ahead of time. That’s the one and only training event I ever walked out of.

Define what success means to you in 5 words or less.

Happy, confident, busy, shoulder-season travel

How has your experience working with IDLance impacted your personal or professional growth?

IDLance has either been directly or indirectly responsible for the vast majority of my gigs so far. The resources and support they provide are so generous. Ever since becoming a full-time freelie, I have been much busier than I thought I would be. I owe much of that to the IDLance community.

You have to spend the rest of your life living inside one movie. What is it?

Ooh, that’s a toughie. The Princess Bride and The Goonies come to mind, but I don’t think I could commit a lifetime to either.

Is Bigfoot real? Show proof.

Don’t know. Can’t show proof. Boo.

A huge, super thank you to Catherine for taking time out of her busy schedule to participate in this little blog series! Catherine, we’re so lucky to have you on our team! Not only are you great at what you do and such a treat to collaborate with, but you also have great opinions when it comes to hot dogs and tacos. We appreciate that.

Thanks for choosing us, Catherine!

If you’re interested in joining Team IDLance and possibly winning a one-on-one portfolio review with our Co-Head Honchos, click here to learn how!