Diary of a freelancer

Getting started in the freelance business

2006-11-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

Introduction

I am going to start by saying this article is geared towards Graphic Artists and Web Designers. Some of the advice given can be applied to other Freelancing Opportunities but Graphic Design is what I know. So let's dig right in!

Get Familiar with Your Craft

Before entering any freelance career, you should have a firm grasp on what it takes to do the job. It doesn't make sense for you to start a freelance writing career if you have never written anything or had anything published. If you don't know what you are doing, no one will trust you. Plus, if you do get a paying gig, you don't want the pressure of having to learn something right on the spot. I believe that skills can be learned by doing but you don't want to come across as unprepared or unorganized.

For me graphic and web design are my two loves. I started my freelance career about two years ago. I really love it but I was really scared at first. I have always been artistic but I was coming from a training background professionally.

A few years ago, I was forced to learn Macromedia Flash because my current employer wanted me to develop some online training courses. I fell in love with the application but never thought about using it to jumpstart a career.

Discovering Your Calling

A few years ago, I was scouring the internet to learn how to make cartoons in Macromedia Flash. I soon stumbled across www.cartoonsmart.com. I was very skeptical at first. The guy there offers some free videos to give you a little taste of what he can teach you. It didn't take long to realize the videos were incredible and cheap. This guy really knew his stuff and I have been buying his videos ever since. He also made realize that I was talented enough to do this kind of work. He gives lot of free tips to anyone considering a career in Graphic Design. Please pay Justin a visit at www.cartoonsmart.com. You will need to get Macromedia Flash to follow his lessons. You can get Macromedia Flash Here.

Don't Quit Your Day Job

I going to be blunt. Whatever you do, do not quit your day job to start a career in Freelancing. I am sorry but like anything else, freelancing takes time. The first few months, you may not get any business at all. The trick here is to start a freelance career while you are working fulltime for someone else. You will be doing this in secret of course. Most employers will frown upon anyone they feel may not be in it for the long run. My advice is to stay the course until freelancing is steady enough and is paying the bills and then quit your day job. If business is good, this will be a natural step and you will be forced into a decision.

Practice Make Perfect

While you are doing double duty, continue to practice your craft. Make up designs as if they were real companies. The really good ones can be put into your online portfolio. This leads me to my next discussion.

Develop a Website

This one is obvious. The best thing you can ever do is give yourself an online presence. My website can be found at Tim Miller Web Designs. Your website should look amazing and should be easy to navigate. This will give you instant credibility to anyone who views it. If a client needs someone to build a website for them, they expect the website of the person developing it to look good. Here's another tip, navigate your website on a somewhat frequent basis. Make sure that there are no broken links.

Somewhere on your website, you should have a portfolio of your best work and it should be very easy to find from the main page. Put in a contact form so potential buyers can contact you about work.

Promoting Yourself

This is by far the hardest part of the whole process. How do people find you? I still struggle with getting listed in Search Engines. I keep trying though. There are so many submissions and so much competetion on keywords that it makes it very difficult to get listed well. My advice to you is goggle search "SEO" (search engine optimization) and to find other ways to promote yourself.

The best source of revenue that I have found is Elance.com.. There are different packages that you can subscribe to. Depending on your area of expertise, the subscription fee and amount of bids changes.

Other ways of promotion include some of the old reliable methods. Business cards are nice. Occasionally, I'll run into someone I haven't seen in a long time. Give them your business card. You'd be suprised how many times I have generated leads that way.

Start a blog. This blog you are reading now was just started a few weeks ago. I have been able to generate decent traffic in that time.

Find ways to promote yourself locally. My local newspaper offers free online classifieds. Myspace.com also has free classifieds as well as Craigslist.com.

Final Word

No matter what your approach is, try something and keep trying new things. Don't give up. At times, I still feel that I am wasting my time but then I will discover something new which gets the ball rolling again.

If you find this information useful and informative, please feel free to make a donation . I'll be back soon with all new information.

Business Supplies

2006-11-02T17:29:00.000-08:00

Today I realized that I am a contradiction in terms. On one side I love technical stuff like TVs, Cell Phones, and Computers. And then again, I hate things like Instant Messaging, Text Messaging and so on... It cracks me up that most teens have trouble pointing out the United States on a map but ask them to figure out every function on a cell phone and they will figure it out in 2.2. All kidding aside. I found a really cool MOTORAZR V3 cell phone for my business and it is completely free. It comes with VGA Digital Camera, Bluetooth Capability and Streaming Multimedia. Maybe I'll let my teenage nephew show me how to use it.

That is all for now.

Tim

New Coffee Addict Design

2006-10-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

Introducing my new value t-shirt on Big Tee Shop - Coffee Addiction. For all of us struggling with our caffine addictions. Just remember, admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery.

I love this design. Maybe no one else on the planet will get this but it always makes me laugh when I see it.

Click here to get it now at Big Tee Shop

New Naughty Santa Design

2006-10-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

I just created a new t-shirt at Big Tee Shop

Please take a moment to rate this design.

Thank you,

Tim

Cafepress.com

2006-10-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

Cafepress.com is a great website for graphic artists wanting to start a business of their own. They will allow you, for free, yes free, to add custom graphics and/or text on various merchandise. Available merchandise includes tshirts, sweatshirts, hats, coffee cups and bumper stickers. This merchandise can then be sold to anyone who may come across your design.

The real beauty of this operation is in the fact that Cafepress will handle all of the billing, shipping, and customer service inquiries. This allows you to do more important chores, like designing and promoting your site.

On the downside,Cafepress will absorb most of the profit and will leave you with a small percentage of the sale. Before you run away in disgust, it really does add up if you can generate enough traffic. With Christmas just aroung the corner, this is not an issue with a little time and effort.

For a small, and I do mean small, monthly fee, they will even throw in additonal features that will allow you to better grow and customize your store. Multiple stores can also be linked together and affiliations can be formed with other shops. The support system is top notch. Everyone there wants to see you succeed.

If you are interested have a look at my store to see what can be accomplished in a very short amount of time and a little bit of effort. www.cafepress.com/bigteeshop

Happy Designing!

Tim Miller
Graphic Artist

Outsourcing of American Jobs

2006-10-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

Get Outsourcing Tshirt

Is it just me or is anyone else surprised that the outsourcing of American jobs is never really discussed in the American media or on the web. When you do hear about outsourcing, you always get the positive side of the story. For instance, you'll hear how much American companies are saving by taking advantage of it or how well India's economy is doing as a result of it. You don't hear the nasty side. Does anyone ever cover stories about how people who used to make 6 figures have lost everything? Don't get me wrong, I am glad that India is starting to prosper but not at the expense of seeing the American economy crumble as a result.

Do American companies realize that they are shooting themselves in the foot? In 10 years, who is going to buy their over priced crap? Americans making $8.00 an hour or less certainly won’t be.

I find it ironic that car companies like GM have mis-managed themselves into the toilet. They are a pioneer in the field of outsourcing. One would think that all those years of outsourcing would have made the company prosperous but yet the price of GM cars has continued to rise. All this while Americans are making less money and they continue to lay people off or find a reason to cut those jobs. The very people who used to buy their crap can't afford it or have a sour taste in their mouth about the company that used to employ them. Part of what used to make GM so great was the loyalty that the American public used to have for them.

American companies that think outsourcing is a great idea should use some common sense and look at GM as an example of what long term outsourcing can do for them instead of just looking at the bottom line.

Here are some interesting outsourcing tshirts at http://www.cafepress.com/bigteeshop/1832823

Tim Miller
http://www.timmillportfolio.com

A little about me

2006-10-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

I am new to the blogging world and I am anxious to see what all the fuss is about. For all the young people out there, I warn you ahead of time. Even though I have been involved in the technical world for sometime, outside of terms like "lol" or "lmao", I will not understand you IM shorthand. LOL!

My whole goal with this project is to network with others who have similar interests. I am looking to connect to individuals that have started their own business, or are currently making plans to divorce themselves from the normal 9 to 5 of the corporate world. I myself have been unable to make a complete break just yet. By my calculations, I still have about 6 months until it is a complete break.

That is it for now. It is my hope that as a community, we cann al help each other out. For anyone who is curious, please visit me at timmillerportfolio.com or at my tshirt shop at cafepress.com/bigteeshop.

Tim