Freelance eureka
Freelance eureka
Freelance eureka
The single hardest part about freelancing is getting work.
Things like accounting, taxes, project management, or the actual work (!) seem like a cakewalk in comparison. The burden weighs heavy on many creative pros I know, and it only gets tougher in times of economic recession (read: now, yay).
It doesn’t help that there’s so much noise about how to actually get the work: Everything from constantly marketing yourself on Instagram, to attending meetups, to doing free work, to cold calling potential clients. There’s probably merit to each of these things, but… they generally make me feel anxious and overwhelmed.
However, I’ve noticed a pattern in my own work history over the last 12 months that seems a lot simpler (and a lot more chill). It goes something like this:
Catalog + share your best, similar-vibe work.
Connect with other “players” on the field.
Become known for something specific.
In essence: Get really good at a specific, clearly identifiably skill, with a style (and quality) that people can attribute to you — so that other creative pros in adjacent industries will be able to easily refer work to you. When you’re friendly, easy to work with, and generous with your time and energy, people are a million times (approximately) more likely to want to work together. The friendships alone are worth it, but this inadvertent career path really seems to make a lot more sense in the long run than the cringy, soul-sucking methods.
Get good, get referable, get work.
The single hardest part about freelancing is getting work.
Things like accounting, taxes, project management, or the actual work (!) seem like a cakewalk in comparison. The burden weighs heavy on many creative pros I know, and it only gets tougher in times of economic recession (read: now, yay).
It doesn’t help that there’s so much noise about how to actually get the work: Everything from constantly marketing yourself on Instagram, to attending meetups, to doing free work, to cold calling potential clients. There’s probably merit to each of these things, but… they generally make me feel anxious and overwhelmed.
However, I’ve noticed a pattern in my own work history over the last 12 months that seems a lot simpler (and a lot more chill). It goes something like this:
Catalog + share your best, similar-vibe work.
Connect with other “players” on the field.
Become known for something specific.
In essence: Get really good at a specific, clearly identifiably skill, with a style (and quality) that people can attribute to you — so that other creative pros in adjacent industries will be able to easily refer work to you. When you’re friendly, easy to work with, and generous with your time and energy, people are a million times (approximately) more likely to want to work together. The friendships alone are worth it, but this inadvertent career path really seems to make a lot more sense in the long run than the cringy, soul-sucking methods.
Get good, get referable, get work.
The single hardest part about freelancing is getting work.
Things like accounting, taxes, project management, or the actual work (!) seem like a cakewalk in comparison. The burden weighs heavy on many creative pros I know, and it only gets tougher in times of economic recession (read: now, yay).
It doesn’t help that there’s so much noise about how to actually get the work: Everything from constantly marketing yourself on Instagram, to attending meetups, to doing free work, to cold calling potential clients. There’s probably merit to each of these things, but… they generally make me feel anxious and overwhelmed.
However, I’ve noticed a pattern in my own work history over the last 12 months that seems a lot simpler (and a lot more chill). It goes something like this:
Catalog + share your best, similar-vibe work.
Connect with other “players” on the field.
Become known for something specific.
In essence: Get really good at a specific, clearly identifiably skill, with a style (and quality) that people can attribute to you — so that other creative pros in adjacent industries will be able to easily refer work to you. When you’re friendly, easy to work with, and generous with your time and energy, people are a million times (approximately) more likely to want to work together. The friendships alone are worth it, but this inadvertent career path really seems to make a lot more sense in the long run than the cringy, soul-sucking methods.
Get good, get referable, get work.