Behind every freelancer is a great mug. Your mug leads a life of quiet, selfless service, and it's time to give it its 15 minutes of internet fame.

Every mug has a story: Who gave it to you? Why do you love it?

We asked our freelancer friends for their mug stories, and we hope you share yours with us too. E-mail us a photo of your mug plus your name, occupation and website to lvanthoen@freelancersunion.org and we may feature you on our blog.

First up:

Name: Lauren Dlugosz
Occupation: Writer at Freelancers Union
Website: http://authorstalker.tumblr.com/
Your mug story: My friend Kelly is an art teacher who spent one summer volunteering at MudLOVE, a pottery studio and charity. She asked the owner to make me a coffee mug with an owl on it (yes, I had fallen prey to the owl craze), and this was the end result: a mug with the word 'owl' instead of a picture of an owl. It's a funny miscommunication that makes me smile every time I drink out of it. Plus, the handle has a thumb rest! The thumb rest on this baby makes all other mugs seem inferior.