First and currently foremost, I am a print designer for local small businesses, startups and non profits. I love doing work for smaller companies because it’s less about managing people’s egos and more about creating beautiful, effective print collateral.

Second, I am an illustrator which is great because it allows me to play with new color palettes and styles that I can eventually bring into my design work.

I became a freelancer a little over a year ago. I’d worked as an in-house designer and loved it, but then left for a studio gig that I just wasn’t as big a fan of. I had a pretty good client base started for myself and I decided to just take a leap of faith and become a freelancer. So far, it’s been one of the hardest experiences of my life but also the most rewarding.

There are lots of things to love about being a freelancer. First, I love that I can make my own schedule (no more dealing with the masses associated with weekend grocery shopping!). If I’m sick and need a day of Golden Girls on the couch, I can have it as long as I’m all caught up on my work. I can be totally flexible when it comes to meeting with clients because I’m not worried about juggling staff meetings and the annoying coworker that pops over to my desk to talk about the weather. There’s a certain sense of power you feel when you start to realize that you aren’t answering to anyone but your internal boss and your clients, and frankly…I love that.

I’ve also found it really rewarding that I’ve been able to learn a lot about how a business has to be run. A year ago, I had no clue how to pay taxes or do accounting. I had no idea how to deal with print vendors calling constantly or handle a computer totally pooping out as a project was in its last legs. While there’s still a lot I’m still learning, I have to say that jumping into the shark tank head first and learning as I go has been both really scary and pretty darn cool.

I think dedication is absolutely the key to freelancing. It’s by no means easy to work for yourself and it’s not nearly as glamorous as it looks/sounds. I’ve had panic attacks because my pipeline is empty and, EEK! I still have bills to pay. I’ve cried and bled and been an emotional wreck on more occasions than I’d like to fess up to, but I continue to get up every morning and work hard. So far, that hard work has really paid off and I can’t wait to see where I am in another year. And another, and another.

My biggest piece of advice is definitely to just do it. I was told for so long and by so many people that I should work for myself because I’d do a great job, but I was way too scared. Scared about money, scared about failing, scared about disappointing myself and others. If you let fear hold you back, you’ll never get anywhere. Take every day one and every experience one step at a time and just make it happen. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out, but you’ll never know unless you start somewhere.