How to start as freelancer?!?
polycounter lvl 4
Well soon my study in game art ends and I still worry if I can get a job right after finishing ... and so I would like to know how to work as a freelancer or better to say: I want to know what I have to consider before starting (watch out for). 
I alrady have for texturing sowftware and so a freelancer license
would also like to hear your toughts about the topic freelancer
I alrady have for texturing sowftware and so a freelancer license
would also like to hear your toughts about the topic freelancer
Replies
A lot of people who are struggling to land studio gig see going freelance as a last resort option, a plan B.
Thing is, freelance is a LOT of work and requires you to have the skills and the maturity of someone who aldready has industry experience.
WIthout that industry experience it WILL be hard to find contract and the contract you will find will be for ridiculous wage and sometimes with shady client that will try to avoid paying you.
I'm not saying this is impossible, I'm just saying that what makes more sens for you at this point would be to focus on landing a studio job to build up experience.
Like dustin said, sometimes you gotta bite the bullet, find a ''normal job'' to pay the bills and work on your folio, every night and weekend.
Continue to post on Polycount for feedback and spread your name around.
School can be great for learning the tools and everything, but in the kind of industry we are in this is just a small part of what's required to find a job.
Good luck
Now, if you are looking to directly make money off even 'lousy ' models, there are plenty of asset stores you can sell through without worrying about clients, but expect to maintain your assets and expect to be making A LOT of them to turn a livable wage.
It's definitely not a "Plan B"
It's a huge task and alot of hardwork before you can even start getting payed by clients. But that's the easy part! The actual really fucking hard part is getting a stable flow of clients and work, building a reputation and have enough savings to survive a couple of months with no income.
To echo what everyone else said, it's not a Plan B. Just different from studio work.
I may be totally out of whack here. But I think there's a lower barrier of entry for studio work than for freelance work, and a much smaller initial cost as you don't need to buy all the software etc yourself. (I think most large companies pays extra for a freelancer because they need the best of the best to do a specific task. But then again some people just want someone to retopo some assets, so maybe not.)
Work on your portfolio and do everything in your power to really, really create awesome art. If that means getting a "regular" job and doing portfolio work on weekends, or moving back in with the parents, or start selling everything you make on asset stores and try getting some other ways to pay the bills. I'm just brainstorming at this point, but make sure that you spend as much time as you possibly can to make your portfolio awesome, otherwise you'll be kicking yourself later!
if you didn't get a job yet
then you are not good enough yet
They do of course for the most part live in abject poverty, have terrible business sense and continue to work a handful of unskilled jobs to make the rent.
It's far better to suck it up and try to focus on getting an industry job (which is no easy feat with exp = 0), you'll learn a lot and if you are clawing the walls after a few years then yeah, freelance is for you. (as it was for me)
At least by that time you will know what it takes to deliver a project or asset under duress, and have the added bonus of seeing what temperament you have for deadlines on a regular paycheque.
the topic about getting a job was by us quite short and mostly was only about getting a job in a company,
so I was a little bit interested at how it works with freelancer.
we had once a talk with a Freelance artist as a lecture ... but was not that informative ....
Well the biggest problem to start freelance are connections ...in my region it is quite hard because there is not a lot to do with Game Art and stuff like that and only some little Events to create connections ^^'
Highly depends on the school.
that said, starting out as a freelancer with no prior studio experience is a dumb move to me. What do you sell people, and how? Your portfolio would have to be insanely good for someone to take that risk.
If you still wanna try it, find a safe spot. Some studio that will guaranteed hire you for 3-4 days a week, so you have a steady income. You can try freelancing on the side, build up a client pool and in time transition into it, if you like it.
Thats how I did it after 6 years in the industry and 2 shipped titles. I never regretted it, i worked on so many games since , and a lot of very great productions. But all of this is mostly due to my connections and reputation in this very community.
So get your name out, make people see your work and it can be done. But right out of uni? Damn son you are insane
No on knew of Microsoft, they started in a garage, no social media, nothing. Some people knew of Bill but laughed, no way they could compete with IBM.
Yes you can possibly make it, but the odds are quite a risk. Unless you are extra ordinarily good, bring something to the table that stands out. Of course you can always try surviving off of indie deals, maybe you get lucky, the game is a hit and you get shares. If you can risk that, go for it. If not, my suggestion is trying to walk before you run.
But how the hell should i get foot in this industry? i Really want to work in gaming industry, and i don't have motivation to work anything else.
i am 29, and i decide to change careers from software programming.
So, How to get in contacts with studios or people, who offer freelance?
My plan is to make industry level portfolio, i know is damn hard, but i will take the risk.
But, how to get those X number of years of experience, X shipped titles?
I have no industry experience however made the bold move to freelance in animation. It is really hard going, lots of late nights. Staying up to account for time zone differences so you can talk to clients. Finding clients who are understanding that you are still improving and learning cannot be thanked enough. It is a fine balance of earning enough to survive but knowing your skill level. I found been totally up front and letting my work talk for me has helped me massively. I have also been VERY lucky with some of my contacts, working on projects with industry veterans to kick my ass and tell me something is bad will always make the end result better.
Where I am now the jobs I have done that can be shown would aid me in landing a studio role. If I was offered that role I would take it in an instant. I am only as good as my clients need me to be for the specific job, working in industry you will be surrounded by professionals who will help push forward your skills, workflows and general attitude towards what you do.
On that note I would say work for as long as you can in a generic "9-5" job, if you have a passion and a talent for your discipline you will dedicate the time to improving!
a) If you are experienced and have a good portfolio and/or AAA experience etc then dont forget to price in the hours it took for you to gain those experience and skills
b) Just starting out with a little bit of skills, modding experience. Screwed around with blender or ye older gmax that sort of thing, if I say you're essentially getting an employer to pay you to earn then basically get paid. Take the smallest gig possible if you need to that you can complete and complete it well, get a reference, double your price for the next gig and so on and essentially keep raising your prices until you cant get gigs anymore then lower them bacak down. It is definitely not easy. For those who are still learning and earning and you're getting everything online anyway, I'd suggest moving out to SE asia (I recommend Thailand) so you can stretch the money out further and even take time off entirely between gigs with a lot less stress