As an Art Director at several advertising agencies, I needed to work faster and more efficiently so that the hours were used in a better way; the results were awesome. I decided to not go back to my previous employer path and focus on freelance full-time. In this article I’ll share some advices on how I work as a freelancer and also, how you can become one.
Being an Art Director at the beginning, I would waste a lot of time planning the next day of work. As I became more experienced, I started to focus on the result and planning was reduced to only essential steps to be taken. If you want to work as a freelancer, focus on what you want and how to achieve it, just do it and share your work. There’s a lot of people waiting for someone like you. And if it doesn’t happen, in the end, that’s your fault.
Freelancing is not easy. However, if you are willing to take the right steps and believe in your strengths, you will be able to overcome all difficulties in search of your own freedom. The feeling of having financial stability and independence as a freelancer is unique!
I’ve been freelancing for almost three years now and here are some advices I can share about the process:
Do what you enjoy, and do it for the right reasons. I’m making better money than I ever did in advertising—and I work less hours. If you want to freelance, make sure you have a stable income (with as little as possible variables from month to month) and that you’re doing it to make more time for your family or other passions that really matter. And if you do it because you want to do it, stick out and be patient: if your income is not enough yet then give yourself some time. Never forget that without sacrifices nothing will move forward.
As a designer, we must change our focus from the end product to the process that leads up to it. It’s what can I do in order to be more efficient and work faster? How can I use my time better?
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and that I was able to clarify in some point how I work. Feel free to leave a comment with questions, or suggestions of what you may want to know about me.
