For many creative people, the work that they do is a solitary occupation, not a group activity: writing, painting, illustrating, pottery, jewellery… whatever their ‘thing’ is, they’re most likely doing it on their own, at least for part of the process. And they’re doing it when they want, where they want and as often as they want which is brilliant.
Becoming a freelance creative puts a slightly different spin on things. There’s no option to hide in your garret (or artist’s studio, spare room or garden shed). You’re now running a business and with that comes a variety of roles. To (slightly mis-)use the quote from one of Warwickshire’s most famous creatives, Shakespeare:
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts…”
‘Plays many parts’. That rather neatly sums up a freelance creative’s life! So what sort of roles can you expect to play?
Marathon runner: this is not a sprint. Results, growth, success – these rarely happen overnight. It takes time and effort to build up a business. So this is about playing the long game. There will be obstacles on your journey; there may be setbacks, detours, frustrations so pace yourself and your expectations. The good news? It won’t be over in a flash. This is worth committing to and enjoying the journey so the longer, the better, I say.
Office manager: there will be admin (hello, emails, invoices, calls to suppliers!); there will be tax returns and balancing the challenges of an income that goes up and down. That means being disciplined about paperwork and financial planning. Don’t worry! It shouldn’t overwhelm you if you put aside some time on a regular basis to keep on top of this. And, if you don’t feel confident about it, get help. There’s a lot of advice online about setting up as self-employed and starting a business (for example, this government website .explains how you go about setting up as self-employed).
Cheerleader: or PR agent if you prefer. Basically, this is all about self-promotion - but not standing on a table in a crowd shouting out how wonderful you are!. As Benjamin Disraeli said, “Without publicity, there can be no public support”. Think of yourself as a brand. You need to market yourself (just as much as what you are creating) on a regular basis. So get a website; have a presence on social media; go to networking events. Have a digital and physical presence. Tell people you meet, at every opportunity, what you do. And be a cheerleader to yourself; you are worth it. It’s about being your own advocate. You have a value as does your work. Don’t undersell yourself or what you create to make a quick sale.
Specialist: if people know what you do, it’s easier to ‘sell’ your product and yourself. It’s all about having a focussed approach to your work, a speciality. And this doesn’t limit you; it actually opens up more opportunities. You become the go to person for that particular sort of creative work.
Gardener: you will be constantly planting seeds – you want to nurture any new customers. However, just as importantly, keep a close eye on your established clients. If you ignore them, you can’t expect them to hang around if all your focus and attention is on getting new business. And whether your clients are ‘big’ or ‘small’, treat them the same.
Employee: yes, you are in a way. You are your own employee. Just because it’s your business that you’re running doesn’t mean that you can’t have days off, sick days, holidays, duvet days…Don’t burn the creative candle so hard that you burn out.
A Jack of all trades Yes, maybe but you will be in good company. 33% of creative workers are freelancers. And recent figures show that the UKs creative industries contributed £115 bn to the economy in 2019 – more than aerospace, automotive, life sciences and oil & gas sectors combined! So don’t think you’ll be alone. Take a deep breath, step out on that stage and come and join us.
Friend: working for yourself can be lonely so make sure you keep in touch with people. It can be difficult to make the time if you’ve got your head down, trying to meet deadlines, keep your social media feeds up-to-date, juggle the accounts and so on. By keeping in contact with your friends and other creatives (and that can be either online or face-to-face), gives you a fresh perspective, support and the opportunity to just step outside of your work. And creatives are really good at networking and being supportive of each other. If you’d like to chat further about being a freelance creative, let’s chat.
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