Let’s face it. Sometimes while freelancing, the jobs coming will just die down. Other times you’re so swamped, that you have to pick and choose; maybe even turn work away. There’s a simple solution to all of the madness!  Remember that old saying, “One hand washes the other”?

It’s always good to have a network of friends and colleagues to push work back and forth to/from. Remember – one hand washes the other. When you “pay work forward”, it all comes back around. Whoever is too swamped at the time, or doesn’t want to do a particular job, will push it over someone else that might want it. This type of arrangement is highly recommended with regards to any type of freelancing position.  Sometimes you might not want to deal with a certain type of a client.  Dealing with the public can be trying, and not all of us handle certain types of people as well as others.  This is another perfect scenario of why you might want to shoot the job over to your colleague; not to dump them with a jerk of a client, but maybe you know they really could use the work.  “Beggars can’t be choosers”.  Wow, two old school expressions in the same blog post *facepalm*.

Great platforms for building your social work network such are twitter, behance, google+, linkedin; anywhere you can interact and connect with like minded creatives.  It takes constant effort, though.  You’ll need to actually keep in touch with your “creative network” somehow, and make sure you communicate regularly.  You’ll want to remember members of your network, and hope they remember you as well.  Keep each other updated on how busy everyone is, and who is in need of the most work at that present moment.

Do you already have something like this?  Please share your story in the comments section below.

For those of us that are either self-employed or freelancing, have you ever thought about how difficult it might be to go back to working for someone else once again?

If it came down to it, where I couldn’t make ends meet – of course I’d go back. But honestly, even if I was struggling at the time – I would rather take a massive paycut over returning to the massive amount of stress I’ve had in my last few corporate jobs.  It’s not that you don’t get stressed freelancing, but at least you have a bit more control over the stress. Plus,  you don’t have to deal with as much with the plastic corporate politics and all of the other baloney that comes along with the territory. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a skilled freelance designer out of the UK on twitter named Pritesh (everyone calls him Pritz for short).  Here is a brief interview I had with him recently.

How did you get into the creative field?

When I was at school, I wasn’t interested in anything other than Art and Design, so that’s all I’ve ever done. As I got older I got more involved with digital arts and that’s how it all started.

Would you recommend education for those that are just starting out, or thinking about getting into the design business?

Education is always important. A good set of qualifications goes a long way, but you also have to make the right choices in courses and institutions. I went with what I thought would be best for me, so I would say go with what you feel seems right, and something you enjoy doing. I’ve learnt that education brushes up on the things you already know. I think my choices in education have helped me improve in my work, and gained my interest in areas I would never think about going in to.

What is one of the most important things you think freelance graphic designers will need to do in order to stay successful?

Staying motivated and inspired. This is why I blog things that I’ve looked at nearly everyday, that’s what keeps me going. I would also recommend printing things off and keeping things you like for example in a sketchbook. You just have to keep at it and work hard, then opportunities will be knocking on your door when you least expect it.
Read the rest of this entry »

All of my fellow self employed friends will get a kick out of this little cartoon.  After you’re finished watching it, make sure you get your stuff done!

Are you this guy?  We all need breaks in the day, but it’s funny how quickly one thing and lead to another, and before you know it your entire workday is shot.  Where did it go?  I dunno.  I’m still trying to figure out what happened to the month of August.

I hear this a lot from those looking into microstock to earn a full time living.  Questions like this come up frequently on microstock forums, twitter and facebook.  How many images will I need?  What can I make hourly?  Is building up a sizable microstock portfolio even worth the effort? Read the rest of this entry »