8 Lessons Learned From 6 Years of Working as a Self Employed Creative
Vol. 014
A quick bite:
Starting, maintaining and growing a freelance creative business is tough! I’ve been doing it for 6 years, and I’ve learned A LOT. Below are some of my 8 key realizations and takeaway that have enabled me to maintain a sustainable creative business.
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8 Lessons Learned From 6 Years of Working as a Self Employed Creative.
A few of the most important takeaways that have enabled me to start, grow and maintain a thriving creative business.
I recently hit my 6 year self employed anniversary! And let me tell ya, this has been a wild ride. My salary before starting my business was $27k, and over the past 6 years I’ve grown my annual business revenue to 8x that salary, and I’d love to share a bit of insight on how I think this was possible!
I’ve experienced seemingly every work situation you could imagine (though, let’s be real, I’m not naive enough to think that the ride has stopped here) everything from failed projects where I’m firing church-clients, threatening lawsuits, chasing clients for invoices for 10+ months, submitting work with typos, to working with NBC, Sharpie, and New Belgium on amazing projects, rebranding the largest dispensary in Colorado, painting, acting, modeling for magazine covers, working with global fitness apparel brands — the learnings and experiences are an endless pool that deepens daily.
Through the meandering path that has been my creative career, I’ve picked up a lot. I’m not here to lie to you and tell you “I have this all figured out, and if you do this, you’ll find success.” There is no 1-trick secret. However, I am here to tell you that through blood, sweat, a lack of sleep and most definitely some tears, I’ve found myself with a dream career that continues to grow as well as evolve with my ever-evolving tastes and interests.
Below are 8 key realizations and takeaways that I’ve absorbed over the past 6 years of creating and maintaining a successful freelance creative business:
The business stuff is just as important (if not more important) than the creative stuff.
Of course, you must first master your craft. In order to get recognition in your creative field, you need to stand out with outstanding work. While yes, there’s always room for improvement in your craft; however, at some point, you’ll need to think like a business owner, not just a creative. The sooner you focus on networking and building relationships, marketing your business, speaking professionally and succinctly about what you do, how you do it, and how it solves a problem, the better off you’ll be. I go more in depth on this in an article here.
Don’t be scared to ask for help.
Whatever ego you may have when it comes to your work, leave it at the door. Asking for help has been one of the best things that I’ve ever done for myself and my business.
The two main ways that I’ve asked for help:
People I looked up to: At the beginning of my career I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know how much to charge for a logo, how many concepts to present for a branding project, or the process to go about designing a T-shirt. It was through reaching out to studio owners, freelance graphic designers and other creative entrepreneurs and asking them questions that I was able to sidestep a few of the self employed creative speed bumps that many encounter. Simply asking other people who I looked up to about their process saved me a ton of headaches.
If you do this, keep in mind that you are a random person asking another stranger for “their secrets” for free. When reaching out to a professional and asking them for unsolicited help, be professional, be succinct, be intentional, be grateful, and pay it forward. Don’t send a list of 10 bulleted questions. Professionally introduce yourself, give context, ask 1 or 2 concise questions (max), expect nothing and be extremely grateful for any of the free advice that you’re receiving. When others ask you for help in the future, remember to pay it forward.
Design/Business support: Ask for help in the form of creative and/or business support. Learning to start delegating work that I didn’t have to do was one of the most liberating accelerators to my business. For me, this comes in the form of a CPA who does all of my finances as well as various freelance graphic designers, illustrators and lettering artists who support me when needed. When you have others help you on things that you’re not good at (or overflow), you’re able to spend your time doing what you ARE good at. This will help you find a groove sooner and advance your business more quickly. I look at it like this: I value my time at ~$150 / hr. It used to take me ~5hrs to gather everything for quarterly taxes (20hrs/yr). 20*150=$3,000. So, if I can find someone to do my taxes for under $3k (which I did) then I can focus on building my business while that task is handled for me. I also don’t have to worry about effing everything up and being audited!
There are SO many different ways to make money
If you’re feelin’ strapped for cash, or you’re not making what you want, or you’re not finding consistent work, you might need to start thinking outside the box. Here are a few ways I currently make income, or have made income as a creative in the past:
Freelance graphic design work at agencies. Most medium–large sized agencies hire freelancers on a regular basis for over-flow work. These big shops pay competitive rates, and it’s actually quite fun to hop into their world for a bit.
Selling prints (on your website, Etsy, etc.)
Wholesale / Consignment sales. I sell a good deal of my prints through other shops (boutique shops that sell various knick knacks). These wholesale and consignment relationships bring in ~$5,000–~$7,000 / year.
Work through creative staffing agencies. The Creative Group and The Creative circle (if you’re a denver-based freelance graphic designer or other creative) are two that I’ve used in the past. There are agencies like this all over the country, and they help connect the dots between you as a freelancer and businesses looking for quick creative help.
Your network is your net worth
I have first hand experience to fully back the statement: “it’s who you know not what you know.” While yes, it is massively important to hone your skills and understand how to run your business like a business (not like an artist) the majority of the large and notable opportunities I’ve had came from someone I had previously networked with.
Why does this happen? Your network is comprised of people who you know (even informally) and that personal connection builds a level of trust. Because the creative world is one that many don’t understand, trust goes a long way. I truly make a point to mention what I do to almost everyone I meet. There’s always a chance that they’re in need of a graphic designer, or a mural artist to paint something beautiful in their office.
I have found success in prioritizing building trust, relationships and connection, and then money follows. Think of a situation where you go to get your oil changed, and the random mechanic comes in and says, “you also need new brake pads, transmission, and a rear differential...it’s gonna be $3,800.” F that. Now, consider a similar situation, but it’s a mechanic who you met through a friend and you’ve used this same mechanic for a few different visits. That trust that’s been established makes you far less skeptical when he tells you that you have a $3,800 car issue.
Persistence pays off and pays out
Everyone wants a short cut to success. Trust me, I still want to shortcut making more money with bigger clients, etc. I’m here to tell ya that there aren’t shortcuts in this game. Everyone in the world would be working for themselves and building their own, ideal dream career if it was easy. But it’s not. The sooner you accept that you’re in it for the long haul, and you’re able to enjoy the process, the better off you will be.
Routine and Structure are key
I think there’s a misunderstanding that having structure or routine depletes us of our creative prowess. In reality, a routine and some structure affords you the opportunity and gives you the space to think creatively. I wrote about productivity here and talked about how I stay on task here. These articles dive into this topic a bit more, and elaborate a bit more on how I break up my day to get the most out of it. Having a consistent routine allows me to be truly creative because I don’t need to think as much about the steps or the process, I can just create. I HIGHLY suggest following some sort of routine for some part of your day.
Learn to take a punch
I’ve messed up on so many things in so many ways. Whether that’s getting absolutely owned by a client, getting screamed at by someone for something that’s not my fault, had 10+ revisions on projects because my contract allowed it...the list goes on. The sooner you can take these hits in stride and see them as instances to learn and move forward instead of roadblocks holding you back, the more quickly you will find your groove.
Don’t get stuck in your ways
I have built the career of my dreams through, what I refer to as, chasing the fog. It is through being open to a meandering career path, as opposed to a direct linear route, that I’ve wiggled and wandered into some of the most profound opportunities and relationships. If you’re dead-set on a straight path with a narrow vision, you’re likely to find yourself beating your head against a wall. If you’re open to change and you’re open to taking on opportunities that you didn’t plan for or expect, you’ll be more flexible, adaptable and more susceptible to falling into your truly ideal creative career.
That’s that. I don’t necessarily think that there’s anything super surprising or revolutionary in here. But that’s just it — you don’t necessarily need to do anything crazy out of the ordinary to find success. Spend some time embracing these concepts (sorry yall, the career of creative entrepreneurship is a long-haul) and I’m certain you’ll see the needle move forward.
You know the drill: hit me with any questions!
