when are you ready for freelance?
polycounter lvl 12
hi guys,
i've noticed a lot of times there are artists that start way too early, with very little skill. which leads me to believe that they are giving shit rates to get any kind of work. to me, that's unacceptable.
i wanted to start freelance, but i realized that i am not ready yet. i still have stuff to learn.
so, when ARE you ready to freelance? now, of course this depends on your field, but in general, do you have to be good as pros with 2+ yrs experience or almost as good as pros?
also how do you calculate your rates depending on your skill?
thank you.
i've noticed a lot of times there are artists that start way too early, with very little skill. which leads me to believe that they are giving shit rates to get any kind of work. to me, that's unacceptable.
i wanted to start freelance, but i realized that i am not ready yet. i still have stuff to learn.
so, when ARE you ready to freelance? now, of course this depends on your field, but in general, do you have to be good as pros with 2+ yrs experience or almost as good as pros?
also how do you calculate your rates depending on your skill?
thank you.
Replies
You're ready when you have your portfolio(s) up, you have a plan how to get business, you've identified who's or what's your target market, you know your rate(s), how to get money to your bank, you have an idea how much you have to make to make it practical either as full time work or extra income on top of a day job. And...you know your rights (so you won't get taken advantage of).
People have stated their rates here before but figure out your own hi & low (it's my personal style anyway, others seem to prefer just one rate).
You can figure out if your rates are competitive or not depending on your success rate in getting projects. So, if potential clients liked your portfolio and sound excited over email but stopped talking to you after giving them your rate...you may have to re-consider what you charge if this happens a lot or at least be ready with a counter offer (something like not as low as what client wants but maybe between your high rate and theirs).
Personally speaking, you shouldn't automatically fear or dismiss lower rates if you want to stay busy and increase your client list. I prioritize volume (what the total dollars I could bank per project) and continuity (cuz you're not guaranteed jobs after you're done with one) over always demanding a rate that some job survey or graphic arts book says you're supposed to get. Not everybody lives in an expensive city, so if that's your case use it to your competitive advantage.
And when I say "lower rates" it doesn't mean McDonald's level hourly. It could mean just a few percentage off you're best rate for one specific project or client. Your best discount price so to speak. If customer wants lower than that past your threshold then it's automatically time to move on to the next customer.
Having said that...have the balls to open with your best rate! And learn how to back it up (how to communicate it either by phone, video chat, email, in person).
If you start feeling somethings wrong in the negotiating phase be ready to walk out or cancel a deal.
Finally, if you have a day job...don't quit your day job even if you land one good gig. But maybe you're rich or have stashed emergency funds, so freelance away :thumbup:
Also, when starting out freelance keep an eye out for a couple of things, firstly people asking for stuff like props and paying $5-10 per asset. The amount of time it takes to make these things can be a few hours or more and even though it sounds tempting to do at first, you soon realise it really wasn't worth it and start to dislike the project because you're seriously underpaid.
Secondly, this line is my favourite: "We can't pay, but it'll look great in your portfolio" or "We can offer you great exposure for your work"
Great, thanks. So not only do you want to cheap out on rates and get me to work for next to nothing, but you're also implying I am unable to come up with exciting ideas of what to put in my folio ¬_¬
Calculating rates on skill comes with experience and can vary depending on who you work for, the complexity of the work, etc. you figure it out over time
That inexperienced artist who can't cut it will find out quickly because they wont be able to retain work.
How do you know you are ready to freelance? I think when your portfolio is drawing interest from outsourcing studios after you initially contact them, or if they are cold calling you. If they reach out to you, that would be a good sign.
Beyond that it's up to you to work your ass off on your first assignments and sink or swim. Take direction well and lose some sleep if you have to in order to get the work done. You will quickly gain better time management skills and your results will improve with each new job you get.
Emphasized truths, post it up and if some people aren't ready well that is the market now it seems they want cheap price cheap quality, everything goes hand in hand now-a-days after they are done with said project they will be dropped cause they fulfilled there commitment and goal with said company and they no longer need them, then it is back to square one over and over again, get used to that cause it will happen.
Some lucky artists get reoccurring work if they make there employer happy all around, like with delivery, communication and price but that is dependent on communicating your needs and pretty much being honest.