How I Started Freelance Design Work, While On Paternity Leave

When I decided to take six months of paternity leave, my wife and I knew we were in for some financial challenges.

After all, there’s only one income now! Still, just because we had to cut back on things like vacations, nights out at restaurants, and new pairs of shoes didn’t mean I had to be a total shut-in.

In fact, I saw it as an opportunity to do something that was both lucrative and satisfying: freelance work. Specifically, I started doing freelance design work.

This brief guide is about how you can do it too even though you may have limited time (or childcare!) available to you during your days off from handing the baby over to your partner or the babysitter.

Navigating Pregnancy & Maternity Leave as a Freelancer

Takeaways
1. It is possible to start freelance design work while on paternity leave.
2. Careful planning and communication with clients are essential for a successful transition.
3. Building a support network and seeking guidance from experienced freelancers can be beneficial.
4. Balancing work and family responsibilities requires setting boundaries and managing time effectively.
5. Freelancing during paternity leave offers flexibility and the opportunity to pursue creative projects.

Learning Is A Process

When you start working on something new, it’s hard to know what you don’t know. It can be difficult to tell if you’re doing a good job or not. You might feel like your work is subpar or that it’s not good enough.

And that’s fine! Learning is a process, and the more time and effort you put into learning something, the better you’ll get at it.

It’s also important to remember that mistakes are inevitable there will always be areas where your skills could improve.

The goal isn’t perfection; rather, it’s about continuously improving so that over time your work becomes more polished and refined:

If every day were perfect for me as an illustrator (and for other people), I’d never get better at my craft because there wouldn’t be anything left for me to improve upon!

When it comes to succeeding as a freelance designer, having a strong online presence is crucial. Check out our comprehensive guide on how to become a freelance SEO expert in the tourism industry to learn valuable strategies for optimizing your online portfolio and attracting clients.

You Have To Start Somewhere

When I was first starting, I thought that I needed to get experience and build my portfolio before approaching clients.

The truth is, you don’t have to be an expert at something to start doing it. And even if your work isn’t perfect, chances are someone will still hire you anyway because they need help now and they don’t have time for all the learning that goes into becoming a professional.

If you’re just getting started on freelance design work, or if this is your first time starting anything from scratch as a freelancer, here are some tips for how to start small:

Start simple you can always add more features later! This applies both when creating new projects from scratch as well as editing existing ones. If you want more complex functionality (like adding buttons or changing colors).

Then add those features when there’s room in the project budget rather than trying to squeeze them in early on because it’ll only make things harder later on down the road when deadlines loom closer and closer.

Start with something familiar if this is your first time working independently from home (or maybe even just outside of school), then start somewhere where there aren’t many unknowns around every corner.

And finally… Start with something meaningful if this were easy or fun then everyone would do it!

But what makes any job worthwhile isn’t necessarily its paychecks; instead, it’s finding meaning within ourselves while contributing towards making positive change happen through our efforts.

Build For Yourself

It’s important to build things that you want, even if they’re not necessarily profitable. If you’re freelancing, this is particularly important because it will keep your motivation high and help you avoid burnout.

Building products for yourself is also a great way to learn new skills, especially in areas where you’re weak. The more places I can add value as a designer, the better! It’s also fun for me!

This strategy works well if:

You have the time and energy to take on another client project (or two).
The product idea has enough potential that someone would be willing to pay money for it eventually (even if not immediately).

Here are some ideas:

Writing effective proposals is crucial for freelancers. Learn the fundamentals and best practices of crafting winning proposals in our informative article, Freelancing 101: What Are Proposals?, and discover how to present your skills, expertise, and value proposition to clients in a compelling way.

You’re Going To Be Bad At Stuff

In the beginning, you’ll be bad at things. That’s OK! Everyone is bad at something. The only way to get better at anything is by practicing it over and over again until you get good at it.

So don’t worry about the stuff that comes naturally to other people (or maybe even your past self).

You’re going to want to focus on what works for you and your business the things that make sense for who YOU are as a person and designer right now. And if something doesn’t work out, no problem just try something else next time!

I used this time off to learn new skills like animation (which I now do regularly), music recording/mixing/mastering (something I’d always wanted to do but never had time), and logo design (which I still suck at but have made some progress).

Learn From Your Mistakes, But Don’t Dwell

After you make a mistake, don’t dwell on it. Take a step back and think about what you could’ve done differently.

For example, if an email was sent to the wrong person, figure out why it happened and make sure that doesn’t happen again in the future (such as double-checking who you’re sending emails to).

Instead of dwelling on the past, learn from your mistakes so that they won’t happen again. Don’t let them define who you are or stop you from moving forward with your career goals!

Don’t Be Afraid To Start Over

You may be thinking, “I could never do that.” It’s natural to feel this way. You’ve invested your own time and effort into a project and now you are being asked to start over again.

But it can be done! And if you think about it, starting over is something every designer does every day when we set out with our fresh minds and a blank page or canvas in front of us.

The same goes for asking for help just remember that there will always be someone who has more experience than you (even if they don’t know it), so don’t be afraid to ask questions!

For example: “How do I make my logo bigger?” or “What’s the best way to create consistent spacing between elements?” Asking these types of questions often reveals useful information which can apply broadly across many projects.

You may also feel like there is no point asking other designers because what they say won’t work for your project anyway; however, this couldn’t be further from the truth!

Every project is different; therefore every solution should be tailored specifically toward that problem without fail.

So take advantage of all resources available to get through tough times and if those resources include other designers willing (and able) to give their advice freely then go ahead and take advantage!

Balancing freelancing and maternity leave can be challenging. Gain valuable insights and practical advice from our firsthand account in What I Learned from Freelancing While on Maternity Leave. Explore strategies for managing your freelance work and adjusting to the demands of motherhood during this significant life transition.

Just Ship Work!

You have to ship work. If you don’t ship, no one will hire you and pay for your talent. It’s as simple as that.

But what does “ship work” mean? It means sending off something complete, polished, and ready for someone else to look at it without any further refinement from your end (because it’s already perfect).

Your clients want this from you because they want to feel confident that their money is being well spent on projects that won’t take months of back-and-forth revisions.

Or require more time than initially estimated the worst nightmare scenario for anyone trying to launch a product or service in today’s market!

So how do we get there? The short answer: iteration! You have to iterate (i.e., make small changes) until what comes out of your computer screen looks like exactly what they asked for in the brief and then some an extra dash of magic sprinkled on top just because they deserve it!

Set A Schedule And Stick To It

The importance of setting a schedule and sticking to it cannot be overstated. Without a set schedule, you’ll find yourself working on client projects sporadically and randomly. Your clients will need to wait for you to get back to them, which is not ideal for any freelancer or client.

The way I did it was by using an online calendar called Trello (which I highly recommend). I put all my freelance work into different columns on the calendar:

Design Projects – These are ongoing design jobs that usually require more thought and design work than one day of work could provide
Client Requests – This column contains requests from clients who want something designed (such as ads or landing pages)
Client Follow-Ups – Clients who have already hired me but haven’t received the finished product yet

Be Deliberate With Your Time

You have a limited amount of time. You cannot ignore this fact. The best way to get the most out of your limited time is by being deliberate about it and making sure every moment counts.

Don’t waste time on things that don’t add value to your work, for example, playing video games or watching TV instead of doing anything productive like designing something for yourself or working on a freelance project.

Don’t do things that don’t help you get closer to your goals, for example, spending hours scrolling through social media when what you want is an in-depth conversation with someone about how they’re applying their skills in their own business (and why they chose those skills).

Don’t do things that don’t help you improve as a designer, for example, taking up another hobby like playing sports or knitting because you think these activities will make you more creative;

When all they’ll do is take away precious time from something else more beneficial for your business and career development (such as practicing new techniques).

Get Inspired By Other People’s Work

Inspiration is key to getting started. Here are some ways you can get inspired and stay motivated:

Look at other people’s work. This one sounds obvious, but it’s also the most effective way to start your design journey.

The web is full of inspiration from incredible artists and designers; there are so many great resources that it can seem overwhelming if you don’t know where to look first!

I like browsing Behance for portfolios or Dribbble for more polished examples of user interfaces or illustrations that fit my style. Other people might prefer Pinterest or Instagram instead whatever works best for you will be different than what works best for me!

Wondering if freelancing can be a viable career choice? Explore the pros, cons, and realities of pursuing freelancing as a full-time career in our thought-provoking article, The Simple Truth and Nothing But: Can Freelancing Be a Career?. Gain insights into the financial, professional, and personal aspects of freelancing to make an informed decision.

Look For Ways You Can Improve On Other Peoples’ Work And Existing Design Patterns With Your Own Unique Ideas

Look at other people’s work and see how you can improve it. Look at other people’s work, copy it, and make it your own. Look at other people’s work and see how you can make it better.

While this isn’t necessarily something that will get the client to say yes on the spot, it is a good way to show them that you are willing to put in extra effort in delivering a top-notch product for them, which would increase the chances of getting hired by them.

Don’t Just Consume Content

Let me be clear, in my mind, there is nothing wrong with consuming content. It’s important to do so as it helps you keep up with what’s new and fresh in the design world.

But if you’re looking to level up your skillset or get ahead in your career by taking on freelance work while on paternity leave, then I highly recommend going beyond just consuming content and creating some of your own!

Creating content is an excellent way to learn more about something specific because you can focus on learning one skill at a time. For example: let’s say that you want to learn how Illustrator works (or rather how it doesn’t work).

By focusing all of your efforts on learning how Illustrator works over and over again (which involves making mistakes), eventually, those little glitches will begin to fade away just like when someone learns how to drive a stick shift instead of automatic transmission.

Achieving a stellar reputation on Upwork is key to attracting clients and securing high-quality projects. Discover effective strategies to earn a 5-star rating on Upwork, even if you’re just starting out, by following our practical tips and proven techniques outlined in How to Get a 5-Star Rating on Upwork, Even If You’re New. Boost your profile’s credibility and increase your chances of success on the platform.

Conclusion

To sum it all up, I learned that learning is a process, and if you set a schedule for yourself, you’ll be able to learn anything. Even if it seems impossible at first.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to freelancing and parental leave:

Can freelancers take parental leave?

Yes, freelancers have the option to take parental leave. It requires careful planning, communication with clients, and financial preparation.

How should freelancers plan for parental leave?

Freelancers should plan for parental leave by notifying clients in advance, setting clear expectations, and creating a financial buffer to sustain themselves during the leave period.

What are some strategies to manage client relationships during parental leave?

Maintaining open communication, delegating or outsourcing tasks, and setting realistic expectations with clients can help freelancers manage client relationships effectively while on parental leave.

How can freelancers navigate the financial aspect of parental leave?

Freelancers can prepare financially for parental leave by saving in advance, exploring insurance options, and adjusting their budget to accommodate a temporary decrease in income.

How can freelancers transition back to work after parental leave?

Freelancers can transition back to work after parental leave by gradually ramping up their workload, reestablishing communication with clients, and prioritizing self-care to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.