Started From The Bottom: A Guide on Freelancing
Starting out as a freelancer and how to make your mark
For me, graphic design is a way of communication. They say a picture paints a thousand words, and I stand by that with everything I make. Experimentation is a huge part of graphic design, as it allows us to adapt to new situations and appropriately convey a specified meaning.
Graphic Design was a new concept to me back in June 2016. Sure, I had learned the ways of Paint.net, studied Art in school for 3 years, but opening up that free trial of Photoshop for the first time seemed alien to me. Reading about professionals using Adobe products made me feel a little cautious and somewhat anxious when I was going to try out Photoshop for the first time. I bit the bullet, and opened up a fresh 1920x1080 canvas- only to find that I did not know one single bit of what was going on. Instead of giving up, I pushed myself to get over that barrier and really give it a shot. Reason being… well, I had recently finished my Junior Certificate Examinations, a major exam for 3rd year secondary school students in Ireland. After they were finished, I wanted to make my summer at least somewhat productive; hence the push to be productive in Photoshop. I was going back and forth between Paint.net and Photoshop until I finally got a sense of what Photoshop was about. Every day, I would try out Photoshop and aim to figure out something new that would benefit me. I quickly began to realise that Photoshop had a ton of useful features-stuff that could be done with the click of a button- instead of the long, drawn out procedure in Paint.net.
Stepping into the design community
I got my first start by none other than JParty, who added me to the Developers Forums back during REM 16 (a European Meetup that took place in July 2016, as RDC Europe was not taking place that year). If it wasn’t for Justin, I would not be where I am today, and I owe my sincerest gratitude towards him. After joining the DevForums, I grew attached to the little community there, and settled in nicely with the rest of the members. Soon, people found out I was an upcoming graphic designer, and was given my first paid job by a user named ‘jewelycat’. I put paid in bold, as I was not expecting to start making money. After opening an official commissions portfolio, I was quickly being commissioned by other developers,, and it went uphill from there(and thankfully, still going up).
A number of different factors led to my personal success in freelancing.I encourage anyone attempting to start freelancing to take into consideration some of the points I explain, as they may help you out in the short and long run.
1. You are not bad at your craft.
Comparing yourself to others is a very bad idea, as it leads to a negative outlook on your craft- be it art, code, modelling, etc. However, taking in inspiration is the best thing to do. Think of the positives, never the negatives. You are never bad at what you make; you do it a different way to others, you have your own style to it. Of course, it’s always good to get tips from other creators as to how you can make your own style better.
2. Make a portfolio.
Making a portfolio as a freelancer has to be one of-if not the-most important things to do when starting out; be it, an image, a website, a tweet, etc. This shows what you’ve made, your pricing and extra little details as you see fit. This is the best way to get people to notice what you’ve made, as well as getting work out of it.
3. Advertise, advertise, advertise.
You may think that advertising yourself is embarrassing and leads to more problems than positives, but it’s far from it! If you know how to advertise properly, without sounding too extreme, it can have a great impact. One example that worked great for me when I tweeted my commission sheet on Twitter, was to include ‘Likes and Retweets appreciated!’ in the tweet itself. If people see that, they’d be more inclined to retweet, but you’re not asking them to. Thus, if they retweet, your content is spread around. Simple strategies like this have worked wonders for me in getting my content out there, and you build up a following in the process. If it weren’t for me just simply asking people if they would like some work done, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
4. Charge a price that you feel comfortable with.
There is no point in pricing your commissions below the minimum wage. Talk with friends, family and other freelancers to gauge a price that suits both you and the client. Something too expensive will not work as well, and something too cheap will not benefit you. It’s all about getting a good medium. If you are known for your commissions, people will be more inclined to pay your price, knowing that they will be getting a commission from you.
5. Optimism is key.
It’s important to maintain optimism and have a professional personality when discussing with clients. Nothing is as bad as an awkward conversation with a client who wants a commission. If they happen to be rude, the best thing to do is to take it in stride and not let it affect you. The last thing that you want happening is for a client to then share their side of the story, which could portray a bad image of you.
6. Practice makes perfect.
Keep improving and learning. You are great at what you do, but you can always be better. I often look back at things I made years ago and instead of getting embarrassed, I see how much that I have improved from where I am now.
Conclusion
The best advice I was ever given as a freelancer was by BSlickMusic: ‘The worst thing that someone can say to you is no.” He’s right; get out there, talk to people, ask if they’re looking for artwork, modelling, etc. If they say no, then keep looking. Chances are someone will be more than willing to offer you a job as a freelancer.
Most importantly, have fun! Freelancing is a wonderful practice, and can lead you into successful industries, high paying job offers and more. Good luck!
