siotha.com

A passion within… as a Graphic Design Freelancer

Written by Siotha on June 19, 2008 – 2:21 pm -

I’d like to make a quick statement. Right now, as you may or may not know I’m taking a break from xTrain.com. My hopes is to find that carefree freelancing passionate girl that I used to be with design, marketing, and life. With that said. I’d like to take a minute and write about what life as a freelance designer is like

Pro’s:

Choose your hours
Choose your clients
Artistic freedom is your choice and not your client, so if the project doesn’t fit your style – don’t hassle.
My working hours are 9 to noon, and 7-midnight when needed
Spend time with my family
Home office upgrades are cheap thanks to craigslist
anything business related is a tax write off, as the more I earn, the more I spend… and the more taxes I owe.
Working from the lazy boy isn’t an issue with my boss (oh wait, I am the boss!)
No Degree required, even though I loved getting mine in Media Marketing and Management!

Con’s:

Choosing a client when you need to pay bills isn’t always an option
Clients come out of the woodworks wanting 40 hours of your time for something you would make $2 an hour for if you take them on and bill what they want to pay
School activities sometimes get in the way of work schedules, therefore extra flexibility is required
I’m responsible for: billing, invoicing, balance sheets, purchasing, selling, and all business needs – including finding resources that match the job at hand
New software or hardware seems to come out every month!
My iphone bill is getting expensive
Security of a paycheck is only as good as the person who is writing the check – it could be net 30, 60 or even 90 days if you don’t have a solid contract in place
Smoozing clients is fun but not my favorite thing to do, every day!
The only benefits are self created – be sure you’ve got good insurance!

Why the heck do I love it though?

My hair color is not required to be normal
I can sleep in
I can travel when I have money (which – strangely, I’ve earned more frequent flyer miles in the last 8 weeks than I did in the last 8 months)
No pressure of “the man” watching me
My time with my daughter has increased 75%
My stress levels aren’t constant anymore – they fluxuate with each new situation – allowing my health to get better!
Somehow I’m spending 80% family time even with my work schedule – (My mother is a consultant who works from home, my father is retired and is home for a few weeks, and my daughter is out of school for the summer…. Now I just need to work on my time with my husband, besides in the bedroom!)
I am 100% responsible, at fault or a winner when a project is done and over with. (I like to think 100% proud!)