Why I Started Freelancing & How It Helped Me Grow As A Designer

As someone who’s been freelancing for over 3 years, I’ve had the chance to experience a lot of the positives and negatives of being your boss.

The truth is that it’s fantastic, but also a lot of hard work. No doubt you’re reading this article because you want more information before you leap.

And that’s great! I’m sharing my top ten reasons why I started freelancing, plus how freelancing helped me grow as a designer. Also, I will include some frequently asked questions to help get you started with your freelance career.

How To Start Your Freelance Graphic Design Career – YouTube

Takeaways
1. Personal Growth: Freelancing provides opportunities for personal and professional growth as a designer, allowing for continuous learning and skill development.
2. Flexibility and Independence: Embracing freelancing offers the freedom to work on projects of interest and set your schedule, promoting a sense of independence and work-life balance.
3. Diversifying Portfolio: Freelancing enables designers to work on a variety of projects, broadening their portfolio and showcasing a diverse range of skills to potential clients.
4. Building a Network: Engaging in freelancing fosters networking opportunities, connecting designers with like-minded professionals, potential collaborators, and future clients.
5. Overcoming Challenges: The journey of freelancing comes with challenges, but embracing and overcoming them can lead to personal growth, resilience, and a stronger freelance career.

Table of Contents

I Love Learning New Things

I love learning new things, and freelancing allows me to do that. I can learn about a client’s industry, business, or processes and then apply that knowledge in my work with them.

I’ve learned how a company can use tablets for inventory management and then used my skills to help them implement it.

I’ve learned about the significance of having access control in an office building and then used those insights to help companies secure their facilities more efficiently.

I’ve learned about the importance of marketing analytics and how they can be used effectively by businesses of all sizes large or small to make better decisions about their marketing campaigns.

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I Love Working From Home

Working from home is awesome. There are so many benefits to working from home, and I’ve listed 10 of them below:

I can be more productive. When there’s no commute involved, I can put in a few more hours of work in the day, which means that by the end of it, I’ll have accomplished more than if I had been stuck in traffic on my way back and forth to an office job.

Evenings and weekends are also prime time for freelancers because there aren’t as many distractions at home as there would be at an office job (or any other place).

I can be more creative in my workspace. This could mean anything from decorating your desk with fun colors or accessories to having plants around for fresh air whatever makes you feel comfortable.

Having a cozy space where you enjoy spending time will make working from home even better!

I can be more efficient since everything is right at my fingertips; if something needs to be done quickly amidst other tasks then those few minutes matter even more because they’re going directly towards finishing up what matters most right now instead of wasting away doing nothing until later down.

I Can Spend Quality Time With Family

I work from home. That’s the standard answer you’ll hear, but it’s not quite true. I work from anywhere in the world. I can be on a beach in Hawaii one day and the next day in my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. There are no limits on where I can go or what I can do; all that matters is how much time I want to spend at home.

I’ve worked for clients who have asked me to travel with them for two weeks straight in luxury hotels around the world and I’ve also done projects where all people ever saw were my hands typing away under dim lighting for hours upon hours each day (this was more common than not).

Financial Freedom

Another reason to freelance is for financial freedom. When you work for yourself, you can choose your clients and set your hours. You’re not at the mercy of a boss telling you when to start or leave work, or how much time off you can take.

If there’s something else going on in your life whether that be a family emergency or just being sick and it takes more time than usual, then no one is going to dock your pay or give you grief about taking some extra days off without notice. This also gives you the freedom to pursue side passions like writing articles like these.

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I Can Have More Freedom And Flexibility

You don’t have to answer to anyone. You can take time off when you want, or work late at night if that’s how your body responds best. If a client isn’t happy with the work you’ve done, they don’t get the right to tell you what to do next you’re in control of where your career goes next.

You can work from anywhere in the world, or even in your underwear (if that’s what floats your boat). Because freelancers are self-employed and make their hours, there is no one else dictating when they go home for the day during a busy week.

This allows them flexibility and freedom over their schedule which allows them more time off with family and friends outside of work hours because there aren’t any set working hours anymore!

I Can Travel Anywhere And Work Anywhere

Most people don’t get paid to travel. I do. I can work from anywhere in the world, and because of that, I have been able to visit some of the most beautiful places on Earth. This includes:

The mountains of Colorado
The beaches of Costa Rica and Mexico
A hut in the middle of a jungle near Bali (that was a particularly rough week)

If you’re looking for an excuse to travel, freelancing is it! As long as there’s an internet connection and a place where you can sit down for eight hours straight, you’re good to go.

There Are No Limitations To My Income Potential

Setting your rates and fees is one of the best parts of freelancing. You can charge for your time, or for the value you provide.

You can charge per hour, per project, or even a monthly retainer fee if you have an ongoing relationship with a client.

You can charge for your expertise, creativity, and experience or even just because you’re an awesome person.

You also have full control over how much money comes in each month based on what kind of clients you want to work with (or avoid).

The more valuable you are perceived by others as being, the more they’ll be willing to pay for what they believe will bring them higher profits down the road.

Tax Write-Offs That Save Me Money

As a freelancer, you are your boss. You can write off most of the expenses associated with your freelance work.

When I first started, I didn’t know much about taxes and accounting. I’m still not an expert in those areas, but I have learned enough to keep my business out of trouble with the IRS and maintain a good relationship with them while still saving money on my tax bill each year.

Here’s what you can write off:

Phone expenses (cell phone, landline if you need it)
Internet access and equipment/modem costs (office supplies)

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Low Overhead Costs

You might not need the services that freelancers offer, but if you’re thinking about starting your own business or exploring new career options, freelancing can be an affordable and low-risk way to do so.

Freelancers typically have very low overhead costs. That’s because they don’t have to pay for things like office space; they can work from home or wherever there’s internet access.

The same goes for utilities, office supplies, and equipment (such as a computer), insurance and benefits packages for employees (freelancers are usually self-employed). In other words: no employee training.

I know this may sound too good to be true and it is kind of amazing how much less expensive it is to run your own business as a freelancer than with all those bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from large companies but it does require some extra planning on your part before jumping into this type of career path.

Job security

I’ve always been a huge fan of job security. The only reason I decided to leave my 9-to-5 job was that it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to find new employment in the industry.

But ever since becoming a freelancer and working for myself, I’ve realized that there is more job security than working at an office. Here’s why:

You can’t be fired – No matter what happens to your business or how it performs, you’re not going anywhere unless you want to go somewhere else. It’s all up to you.
You are your boss – As long as you treat your clients well, they’ll come back again and again (and probably recommend other people who need similar services).

This means that if one customer doesn’t work out well with another customer who needs the same service will probably come along soon enough and then everyone wins!

There’s more stability in terms of where/how often we work – This can mean working from home versus commuting every day into an office space or even taking time off during holidays without worrying about whether or not someone else will have taken over.

Our spot during those days because there isn’t any particular “spot” per se when working remotely from home; just wherever

How Freelancing Helped Me Grow As A Designer

When I got my first freelance web design gig, it was a big step for me. I’d always been passionate about graphic and web design, so the opportunity to work for myself was very exciting.

But it was also scary I had no idea what to expect as a freelancer, or how running my own business would change me as a designer. As it turns out, going freelance has not only made me better at my job it’s helped me grow as both a professional and a person. Here’s how:

Freelancing Has Helped Me Distinguish Myself As A Designer

I’ve been freelancing for a little over a year now, and it’s been an incredible learning experience. It has helped me grow as a designer and distinguish myself as such.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the biggest benefits of freelancing is that it’s allowed me to find my niche in terms of what kind of design I want to focus on. When I was first starting, I was focused on creating logos and branding for small businesses. While this work has its place in my portfolio (and makes up about half),

The majority of my freelance work has been centered around web design and development this helped me establish myself as someone who knows how to build beautiful websites from scratch using HTML/CSS/JavaScript etc, rather than just creating logos (which also have their place).

Freelancing Forces You To Learn New Skills

As a freelancer, you have to learn how to market yourself and sell your services. You’ll have to be able to manage your time effectively so that you can get things done on time and within budget.

You’ll also have to learn how to manage finances, client relationships, workflow management, and project management. At first, it might seem like an overwhelming list of tasks but once you start doing them regularly they become second nature!

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Freelancing Has Helped Me With The Whole Client Thing

I have learned to be a better communicator. When you work for yourself and are responsible for finding work, you have to be good at communicating with clients and potential clients.

You can’t ask them to trust you without being able to communicate with them effectively, so I had to learn how to do that.

And luckily enough, it wasn’t too hard. Just like any other skill that requires practice and effort, it gets easier as time goes on and I get more experience under my belt (so they say).

I have learned how valuable patience is when working with clients who need help understanding what kind of design they want or need because they don’t know themselves yet (or maybe ever).

It takes time to learn about each client individually before coming up with the best solution possible especially if they haven’t worked with designers before.

Plus being patient helps me stay calm during stressful moments where deadlines are tight or expectations aren’t met initially as long as everyone keeps talking openly about everything going on between us so nothing comes out later on unexpectedly from either side.

Freelancing Has Helped Me Build Up My Portfolio

Freelancing has helped me build up my portfolio by forcing me to produce a lot of work. Instead of just building one site for a client, I’d probably be building multiple sites for them at the same time, which often includes redesigning their website’s layouts and designing new pages.

Freelancing also forced me to learn new skills; this allowed me to expand my range as an artist and designer as well as become more versatile in my field.

I learned how to communicate with clients on various levels (from dealing with clients who have no idea what they want or need until after the design phase is over).

This was an essential skill that helped shape me into someone who can effectively communicate with others while working in teams instead of being all alone in their little bubble. Sometimes when working on projects you need all sorts of skills like writing copy or creating images so that helps too.

I’ve Grown As A Person Since Getting Into Freelance Web Design

When I was working for other people, I didn’t realize how much of a difference there was between what I thought I knew and what the reality was. Now that I’ve been working freelance, I know so much more about myself and my process than ever before.

I’ve learned how to be a better designer by taking on projects that are outside my comfort zone and figuring out that doing so can be rewarding.

There’s something very gratifying about learning something new; it gives your brain something to chew on for days or weeks afterward. As a result, you end up applying those lessons to other ways of thinking about your work (or life), which leads us into.

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Final Thoughts

I hope this article has shown you that freelancing isn’t just a great way to make money, it’s also an excellent way to grow your skills and help build your career. This requires a lot of hard work, of course, but I think the rewards are worth it! If you have any questions or would like to share some advice, please feel free to leave me a comment below.

People Also Ask

What’s The Best Way To Find Clients?

Look at your local market and see what businesses could use your skillset or services (think “What do people need?”).

Then reach out with a cold call letter explaining why you’re contacting them, what value you can add, etc., and follow up with an email every couple of weeks until they respond or take action (i.e., hire you).

If all else fails, try posting on Craigslist or LinkedIn for jobs in your area that sound interesting! Don’t forget about freelancing sites like Upwork if those options don’t pan out either.

How Do I Get Started Working For Myself Without Having Any Experience?

Get comfortable with failure! The first few months will be difficult because there won’t be any income coming in yet but keep going anyway because once things start rolling it’ll be easier than ever before.

Just remember that even though it might feel scary at first everything will work out fine eventually – trust me.

How Do I Get Started?

You can start your own freelance business in one of two ways. Either way, you’ll need to register as a freelancer with the government (which is free).

Start up your own freelance business and get paid by yourself. This means that if you want to hire someone else, they will pay their taxes and social security.

You are responsible for paying tax on all profits made through your company if it’s registered as an S-Corporation or C-Corp, but not with an LLC or Sole Proprietorship since it is considered “pass-through” taxation where only the personal income tax rate applies.

However, you may decide to have employees who work for you so that they can contribute towards medical benefits and retirement plans. Those costs would come out of their paycheck before taxes are taken out which means less money for them at first resulting in higher taxes later on down the road once everything has been calculated properly.

This will be discussed further in another article coming soon… stay tuned.

What Is The Difference Between Freelancing And Working For A Company?

A company can be defined as any organization or entity that produces goods or offers services. Freelancers work independently, and they often offer their skills on an hourly or project basis.

This means you don’t get benefits like sick days or vacation time. If you have a problem in your life and want to take care of it, working with a company has its benefits.

For example, if something goes wrong with your family member during this period, then you have someone who can help you out financially by giving them money from their paycheck every month (or weekly).

While some people choose to freelance because they aren’t satisfied with their current job opportunities at companies around town, others find themselves freelancing because they need extra cash flow when their income isn’t enough anymore due to rising costs associated with living expenses such as rent payments and utility bills etcetera.

The Bottom Line: Working within an organization gives employees stability while providing access

What Are The Disadvantages Of Freelancing?

It’s not easy to get a full-time job as a freelancer. You have to build up your reputation before you’re offered work on an ongoing basis.

This can take years, so you must be prepared for this potential delay in being able to make money from your expertise. It can also be difficult for people who thrive on structure and routine; if those things mean a lot to you, then working from home may not be ideal for you.

It’s also important that you do some research about what types of jobs are available locally before deciding whether or not working remotely would suit your needs best (and vice versa). For example: what kinds of skillsets do businesses need right now? How much experience do employers expect their employees will have when they apply?

These factors can affect how quickly someone might get hired by an employer who works remotely versus one who doesn’t.”

What Are The Best Ways To Find Work?

There are many ways to find freelance writing jobs and it’s up to you to figure out what works best for you. Here are some of my favorite places:

Mandy.com; This site is great because you can choose from lots of different types of writing gigs in one place and filter them by pay, length, and project type.

Problogger; Another great one! You have many options here as well for how much money per article or how long the piece must be (examples: 500 words or more; 1,000 words or less).

Just click “Post an ad” on your dashboard once logged in (you will need an account first) then select “Write for Others” from the dropdown menu that appears when clicking on ads & jobs at the top left corner of the homepage screen.”

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.