Lessons from the creative fringe

Last November, I quit my full-time job to go freelance full-time. Corporate life was toxic to say the least. For many reasons, I had to leave for my own well-being. I've successfully freelanced in the past, so I figured it wouldn't be much of a stretch to quickly find some work.

Almost a year later, after challenges and rewards, I've pinpointed ten things that helped me achieve my goals as a freelance creative. It's been a rewarding journey, and I look forward to what next year brings. In no particular order, here we go:

1. F-You money—

This is probably the single most important factor that gave me the confidence to leave my full-time job. Saving up enough money to make the leap can be tough. However, having a financial safety net is crucial in the freelance industry. I'm not talking about retire-early-money; I mean a 6-8 month emergency fund. This way, when things slow down (and they will), you can rest easy. How do you accumulate F-You money? Start small and be consistent. Plan for slow times even when you're busy, and set aside a percentage from each paycheck. If you need some personal finance help check out r/personalfinance and read A Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins .

2. Say yes. And say no.

Say yes to as much work as you can, but make sure it's the kind of work you want to do. You didn't choose freelancing to get stuck in the weeds. While there will always be grunt work, make sure you're doing it by choice. If a project doesn't align with your goals, say no and help find someone who will say yes. This approach helps maintain a positive relationship with potential clients and strengthens your network for the future.

3. Don’t look for work

Spending 8 hours a day searching for work isn't healthy. Instead, allocate an hour or two to expand your network. Connect with like-minded creatives online and locally in real life. Identify agencies and companies in your region and connect with department leaders in your field on LinkedIn. Arrange lunch meetings to get to know people and the work they do. Don't ask for a job, they'll know your reason for connecting. The most important thing is to establish the connection. The work will come.

4. Live in the past

“Roads? Where we are going, we don’t need roads.” But, we got where we are on one. Think about who you went to school with, worked with, interviewed with, or simply road the bus with. Everyone is a potential client or knows someone who is. It's cliché for a reason—connections are everything. Maintain contact with people and remind them of your availability. Things will fall into place.

5. Stop looking. Start making.

It's easy to compare yourself to other creatives and feel discouraged. Put down your phone and create something. Establish a daily or weekly creative practice. I started painting again after nearly two decades, but I also dedicate time to fly tying, sketching, collage experiments, playing around with AI image generation, and fishing for striped bass (that counts as creativity, right?). Be curious and have fun.

6. Don’t chase traffic

Towards the end of my FT role, distractions and negativity led me down a rabbit hole. I struggled to focus on what mattered. I started meditating on the Headspace app to find some balance, and I've kept up the practice. It's been a huge benefit for my mental health, by allowing me to let go of distractions and move forward with intent. Meditation might not be for everyone, so consider establishing a daily creative practice, going for a walk, or keeping a journal. Create your own ritual to process daily stresses and let the traffic pass you by.

7. #DWYSYWDWYSYWDWYS

When I left my job, I reconnected with an old ECD I worked for in Seattle. I freelanced for the agency for three years before switching to full time. He was excited for me to be following my own path again. He told me the biggest reason I stayed on the roster for so long was that I was reliable. I showed up everyday, and delivered; creatively, strategically, and socially. It made me realize that reliability supersedes almost everything. You may not be the best designer or writer—I most certainly am not. If you do what you say you will do, when you say you will do what you say, it goes a long way in your career and life.

8. Have a contract

I was recently working with a new client who wanted to use a monthly retainer structure. I started on the project mid month, and we prorated the hours. I completed the work in half the time, and sent a couple of follow up emails to see if they needed anything else. At the end of the month, I sent an invoice for the retained hours. Surprisingly (or not), they were confused as to why I billed them for the entire amount, rather than time spent. After some discussion, it was clear they wanted to reserve my time, but only pay for the hours used. I ended up billing them hourly, and opted out of the remaining work. Their lack of communication, and flip-flopping on the arrangement made me nervous, and I wanted to make sure I could stand by my commitments to other clients. The whole thing was structured on a handshake style email. That was a mistake. Contracts moving forward.

9. Value your time

I talk a lot with other freelance friends about hourly rates. If there is one thing I've learned, we often don't charge enough. When a potential clients asks for rates I give them an hourly rate. Sometimes it's a guessing game; high enough that I can make some money, but not so high I lose the bid. It's led to some moments of regret. I was doing good work, but knew I should be getting paid more for it. I've been lucky to have some Creative Directors, who on the side, tell me I should be charging more...so I did. I started adding an additional $10 to my rate, then $20, and no one batted an eye. Even better, someone asked for a day rate and I just went for it. Boom, they agreed. On your next project, increase your rate. Chris Do makes a lot of really good content on the business of design/creativity—especially around pricing.

10. Always be learning

A client recently paid me to make some Jib Jab style videos using his CEOs head on a dancing hillbilly. I can't make this stuff up. I have some moderate AfterEffects chops, but had never done motion tracking before. I'm old enough to recognize similarities between the plethora of design, and editing applications, which enables me to scale up quickly. So, I said yes. In fact, it would have to be a pretty far fetched ask for me to say, "I can't do that." If I hit a roadblock, I find it takes less than an hour of research and practice to keep the ball rolling; thanks Youtube. My point is, if someone asks you to do something you've never done before, don't say no. Figure. It. Out. As creatives we are curious. The road to discovery is often what makes us tick. Get out there and discover something new. Besides, we are all faking it, until we make; literally, everyone is.