Lorena's Epiphany

The Good, the Bad and the Freelancer

Whenever someone asks what I do and I explain that I’m a freelance designer working out of my own studio, I tend to get the same reaction “You’re so lucky! I wish I could work on my own too.”

But becoming a freelancer wasn’t something I really planned in advance. It sorta chose me.

Yes, being a freelancer certainly has its perks – I won’t lie. I get to wake up at 9 or 10am on most days and head to the studio at my own leisure. You also get the freedom of being your own boss. No one to tell you to do this or that and then expect you to fill in a time-sheet to prove you did your work. And even better, you get to chose the kind of work you do rather than it being handed to you from your boss whether you like it or not.

For the first three years of my career, I was a 9-to-5er (which if you’re working in the design field is more like 9-to-9er). I learned a lot and it helped to work in a smaller agency where I got more creative freedom while working closely with the management team.

When I moved back to Lebanon, I figured my career would follow the same path. You know, do a few interviews, get myself a steady full-time job and keep doing what I’ve been doing the few years past until I’ve built a strong enough portfolio to go out on my own.

Truth is though, my full-time working career in Lebanon lasted exactly 3 weeks. For one (and other creatives in the field will agree) it’s frustrating as hell – the boss’s ego, the client’s ego, impossible deadlines and basically putting your social life on hold until the weekend (when all you really want to do by then is rest in your PJs all day).

And then the check comes in and you have to stop and think: “Is this really worth it all?”

For me, it wasn’t. But that’s also a very personal decision and many people are fine with the 9-to-5 job and wouldn’t think of trading in the steady paychecks for uncertainty in the freelance field.

More than a year after going out on my own, I’ve come to discover that freelancing has many ups and downs. And often when it’s down, it’s REALLY down so you should be prepared. Whenever I hear a friend say he/she is fed up with their full-time job and wanting to go out on their own, I remind them of the following points for consideration first:

1- It’s gonna take a lot of blood, sweat and tears to stand completely on your own. You’ll probably be working a lot more than you ever did at any agency and nothing is ever certain by ways of work. You may have a great line-up of clients to work with for 2 months and then a dry spell for a few months after.

2- You’ve got to network like crazy. Before you do anything, get some business cards made (like right now while you’re reading this) and start spreading them around. Especially here in Lebanon, I’ve noticed word-of-mouth is your best PR. Keep expanding your social circles and the more good work you do, the more word-of-mouth you’ll generate.

3- Plan the legalities. Register yourself and learn a few things about the accounting side of things. Many times I wear different hats – designer, client manager, accountant and PR. You’ve got to be ready to follow-up with clients consistently, be open about discussing rates and then ensuring your projects get done in time. It helps to learn the most you can about everything so that once you start hiring employees, you already know what to expect. No one likes a boss that’s a dummy.

Image Source: Business TM

4- Being a freelancer doesn’t mean working in your PJs. Work in your PJs if you must a day or two during the week, but don’t make it a habit. I recommend having a space outside your bedroom to freelance from. That helps you take your freelancing more seriously and get dressed in the morning – it’s very psychological. Getting dressed + a space to work + lots of coffee = Mental readiness for the tasks at hand.

5- Get ready to talk money. It was never easy for me to confront clients about what I should get paid. Even harder when you’re a woman. Many times I settled for lower rates than the project merited just to ensure I was getting paid that month. It’s not pretty nor do I support that, but when you’re starting out, you have to make a few sacrifices. Also, NEVER EVER start a project without a signed agreement and ask for a deposit upfront (even if it’s as little as say $200). Clients will take you and your work more seriously if they’ve already invested in you.

6- Start saving up. You’re gonna have some great days as I said with plenty of clients keeping you busy, but then not-so-great days, weeks or months, when there’s nothing really going on. I opened a savings account recently just to safeguard myself from that. Don’t blow away all the money you make from one job on a shopping spree or vacation (I’ve been guilty of both). Plus, although many of us can fall back on our parents for worst-case scenarios, I’m not a fan of asking my parents for money. At 27, that simply feels wrong.

7- Cold calling is chilly, but something that leads to bigger things. The best projects I’ve worked on where projects where I called people and said “hey, I love what you’re doing and would love to find a way to collaborate” Then comes the selling. You’ve gotta be ready to highlight your skills and achievement and have an idea in mind why the hell you’re calling them. One of my friends took this idea to a whole other level when she wanted to get more web design projects. She started the Digital Cleaning Lady – a fun approach to reviewing websites and then providing them suggestions for their layouts. More often than not, the suggestions were well taken and that would open doors for her working with them.

8- Give yourself a break every now and then to do stuff you really love. When everyone else is on work vacations, I’m right here in the studio catching up on emails or working on a project. (I’m guilty of being a workaholic) It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the work so you forget that you need a break to simply rest. One of my favorite things is to go to galleries mid-day, grab a coffee somewhere or simply wander with my camera. That way I can come back with a fresh mind. It also gives you time to work on non-work stuff that you enjoy – like writing, taking photos or whatever else tickles your pickle. Remember that book you’ve always wanted to publish? Give it its due attention during these off-periods.

9- Social media is your friend. Use your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media outlets to keep people updated on your latest work. Blogging is also a very popular trend for many designers to showcase their latest work with little snippets of text for descriptions. But most importantly, get a website up and running to show your work and what you’re specialties are – which leads me to point #10.

10- Specialize. It really helps to specialize in something to help you stand out. Find your passion in your specific field and think of creative ways to make that “your thing”. Take some courses, attend workshops, spend time with people that inspire you and keep evolving your skills. There are so many designers, writers, photographers, etc out there and competition is fierce – all over the world – so you don’t get lost in the crowd. I’ve met other designers, for example, who specialized (and are quite talented) in motion graphics, web design, corporate identities or illustration. That way people will approach you for these kind of projects rather than jobs you don’t care too much about.

Reading this, you’re probably thinking, that’s not so bad. And it probably isn’t. You learn a lot of it along the way. No matter how bad it gets at times, I love being a freelancer. I’ve never felt more inspired, free and in control of my career.

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Check out the follow-up post here featuring some of the comments received from you + a big THANK YOU to everyone reading!

April 19, 2011 at 10:45 am 164 comments