Creative Focus - Freelance Life

The breadth of the creative industries can seem daunting, especially when you’re new to that world. For many creatives though, going freelance is an opportunity to make their passion their job and celebrate their innate creativity. Here at Duke Studios we have a wealth of makers, doers and creatives on our doorstep. Meet four freelance creatives; Hattie Clark, Ekaterina Sheath, Rosy Turner and Anna Wanczyk. We asked them what their advice is for taking the dive into the freelance world, how they navigate pricing, the challenges they face and joys of creating from within Duke Studios.

GOING FREELANCE

Juggling full time work and a growing creative practice can be a struggle. How do you know when you quit your day job and take the dive into freelancing??

“I just did It. It got to the point where I was going to try and focus on my illustration full time. I ended up spending too many hours doing part-time jobs and I wasn't focusing on my art enough. I think the fear of it being your only income makes you work harder at it.” Hattie Clark, illustrator and desk dweller

Hattie Clark, an illustrator of bold and bright inky lines, has been with Duke for 18 months, and we’ve had the pleasure of watching her business grow from a fresh graduate to the accomplished illustrator she is today.

There are a lot of different freelancers at Duke Studios, each one unique. While Hattie’s illustrations can be found on clothes, posters, in magazines and on shopfronts, Ekaterina Sheath - Kat - is an illustrator whose work focuses on community driven and historic projects. “I really enjoy these long term projects that I can develop for specific reasons, with a community that's based on research,” says Kat. “That's what I find really fulfilling as my job. I find products not worth the stress in my experience. But then if you speak to Hattie she really enjoys it and it gives her a lot of freedom to make stuff she wants to make.”?

Even within the same job title, freelance creative work gives you the freedom to tailor your practice however you like and find your place in the creative world. Rosy Turner,?known as Rosymotion, is a 2D motion designer who recently made the choice to expand into different realms of the industry, looking to take on more one-to-one client work alongside her usual work with studios. "A few podcasts have suggested niching down your style is the way to go to stand out," Rosy says. "I can imagine it comes with its own risks as you may be eliminating some work opportunities along the way" That's what I'm trying to do now - explore more avenues to see if I want to go down that route".?

Here we have 3 different creatives who, although doing similar jobs, operate in different fields and work in completely different ways. Finding their niche, a specific style of working that suits them, has allowed them to tailor their work and thrive in the industry.

STYLE & NICHE

Niching down is an excellent way to go, but how do you go about finding the specifics of what you want to do? Here’s Kat Sheath with some advice about finding the style you’re passionate about.?

"At uni, I just explored loads and did loads of things. Everything I could get my hands on. I did some music album covers, some screen printing I liked but it wasn't like ‘whoa, this is how I want to do my work.’ When I painted the media box in Chapel Allerton, I'd never done anything like that. I thought, 'Yeeeeah, let's have a go'. And then it just sparked. THIS is what I'm interested in. Experimenting is the best way to go about it."?

Established graphic designer and coworker, Anna Wanczyk or CZYK Design, believes versatility is the key to successful designing.

“I'm technically a graphic designer. I find defining this quite difficult because I think graphic design covers lots of different?specialities, and then people obviously carve out their niches. Being a freelancer, you also have to learn more and be more adaptable to be able to do different things. So, I generally do branding but with that also comes a website, and then the client might want an app, so you might have to do a bit of?UX?and?UI?too. Yeah, I do a lot! I'm a designer, and I'm a bit of a doer!”?

Perhaps the key is to find the balance between the niche, specific methods of working you enjoy, and keeping your practice open and versatile enough that you can complete the briefs you want to. Continue to learn, gain knowledge on new subjects and build yourself the career you want to have.

PRICING

“It's a funny one because I was never really money driven. I always thought 'I want to make amazing things'. But at the same time I've got to pay bills. So where do you draw the line?” Rosymotion

Whether you’re just doing 1 day a week or delving into full time, part of the ambiguity around freelancing is in pricing. Particularly when you’re starting out, figuring out how much to charge can feel like an overwhelming task.?

Ekaterina Sheath sums up the struggle well; “With pricing, if you go for high, and the clients drop you because it was too high, then you've lost that entire job. Whereas if you go lower, then you're being underpaid for the job. So it's like a weird balance. The tricky thing is each project is completely different. With the ones that I do, they will have a budget for this project so you have to make it work.”?

Even if earning money isn’t your main focus, we all know that it’s important to be earning enough to be comfortable. There’s often a secrecy around pricing in some freelance circles; fear of stealing jobs, underhand trickery or competition can lead to mistrust. We won’t judge when you slyly google ‘how much should I charge?’ - we’ve all been there. But thankfully Duke Studios has plenty of people who would be happy to help you figure it out.

“It is such a taboo topic to talk about money. I'm honest about telling people how much I charge because I'm gonna be telling my clients that anyway.” Rosymotion

Having been animating freelance for 4 years, Rosy has some sound advice for figuring out your rates; “Break it down; think about the many hours that you've studied?to get to the level you are now in your craft, the software you pay to use, all your kit, the admin. I raised my day rate this year because I'm now taking on more overheads - I'm renting the studio, I've got to pay for my flat, if I get sick I pay for myself. That's something that is quite scary when you first come out of uni. You don't understand that entirely just yet.”

Ultimately the key is confidence.

“You have to be confident in yourself, you do this because you love it. You spend hours and hours sitting at a small desk, studying this craft, paying student loans in order to get to this point.” Rosy Turner

It’s down to the individual to decide how much they want to charge. Whether you break it down by hour, day or project, it’s up to you. Here though, is a small community of people happy to help you figure it out.

? Rosymotion for CHSF

? Rosymotion for Lumetiq

? Rosymotion for Wildlife Markets

ADAPTING PROCESS?

So you’ve got your brand set up, you know how much to charge and you’ve found a style you enjoy. Now let’s get making!

Maker and drawer Hattie Clark’s approach revolves around combining analogue and digital media to find that sweet spot. “I use a brush and a pot of ink mostly to paint all my lines. I actually found that easier than using a pen, I think that’s just because I've done it for so long. I scan the design in and either add colour or texture and all the different elements to it, compiling multiple scans into one composition. I also work using procreate and an Apple pencil as well, I do like to work digitally for a bit of a mix.”

When a tight deadline is thrown into the mix, these creatives have got to be calm and adaptable. Hattie adapts her process to suit a tight turnover. “Sometimes my process is dependent on time frames too - if I've got less time I‘ll start digitally and go from there. If I've got more time I'll paint it up and scan it in. If I want something to be a bit more rough and ready or more hand-drawn in appearance then I’ll create it by hand. So a little bit dependent on aesthetic and a little bit on time frame - bit of a combo!”?

With the freedom of being your own boss comes the need to adapt, adjust and tailor yourself to the project. Residents at Duke have mountains of experience in so many different areas and industries, so that when the need arises there’s bound to be someone with that key bit of knowledge you need. Perhaps it’s advice on the way you think about the brief, or maybe it’s a hack on photoshop you didn’t know about that saves you a day of struggling. Adapting your process doesn’t have to be a stress when you have your deskmates to help you through it.

THE END OF THE DAY

So the project is complete, sent off to the client, invoices emailed and that’s that. The feedback you’ll get varies from job to job: sometimes it’s a brief ‘thanks,’ other times there’s a bit more communication.

When Rosy collaborated in house with Roamer Vans, another office here at Duke Studios, she found the process to be unique. “I put Roamer’s finished logo animation up on my computer and they were amazed! I've never had feedback like this before and I felt really embarrassed because we were standing around my computer getting me to replay it. This is what you do it for.”?

Right by the doorway into Roamer’s office sits Rosy’s workstation, metres apart. It makes the collaborative process a lot easier when, instead of waiting a week for a response to an email or hopping on zoom after zoom, you just swivel your chair around and consult your client directly.?

"Sometimes I'll send a project to my client and won't get much feedback in terms of how well I may have done on that job..." says Rosy, "But actually hearing firsthand how passionate Roamer were about the animation I made for them made me feel super emotional and accomplished in my work"

The job is done - or at least the day is. It’s so important to have a work/life balance, which can be hard when your work is your life. It’s something Kat feels passionately about;

“I think there's an issue with creatives in that it's hard to turn off when it's so tied up with who you are as a person, not just a day job.” says Ekaterina. “Often my friends can leave work at work because if it doesn't get done, it's not their problem. Whereas, if you're a one man band, if it doesn't get done, that is your own issue. So Duke Studios is amazing. It has that work/life separation where you do have to commute here, then you have your workspace, then you go home at the end of the day.”?

Or you can slide into Sheaf Street Cafeteria for a Friday night pint with the rest of the residents. Perhaps we’ve organised an after work social, like a trip to a food festival, a workshop on a new craft, or step into the event space for a talk on AI in the Arts. Wind down with a drink, some grub and the easiest company.?

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SO THAT'S THAT

Going freelance is a tricky thing; it can be scary and joyful all at once. Duke Studios has been built to support freelancers as much as possible, with collaboration central to our ethos and a creative team that lean on each other and have a laugh.?

There are people of all different stages of freelancing here at Duke; from those who are dipping their toes in on the coworking desks to the people who have grown from desk dwellers to studio holders. Our team works to help everyone here grow, collaborate and look out for each other.?

If you’ve decided to give freelancing a go, or fancy a fresh space to spread your creative wings, drop us a message at [email protected] and book a tour.?

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All the artists mentioned in this blog are current residents of Duke Studios. Check out their work and get in touch to discuss projects.?

Anna Wanczyk

Ekaterina Sheath

Hattie Clark

Rosymotion?

Roamer Vans