Freelancer Focus is a regular feature, where freelance designers are invited to answer a series of questions about themselves and freelancing.
This week Belinda White (pictured left) is the freelance designer in question.
1. Your name?
Belinda White
2. Where are you are based (Country/Area)?
Newcastle upon Tyne
3. What type of work do you do? (design for print, web, multimedia etc)
All aspects of creative design – illustration, flash design, website design, packaging, advertising, retail display, literature, direct mail, logos and branding, magazines, presentations, motion graphics and flash games
4. How many years had you been working in the design industry before you went freelance?
20 years
5. How long have you been freelancing?
4 months
6. Why did you decide to go freelance?
Flexible working, I have two beautiful children, a four year old daughter and a one year old son.
7. How did you market yourself (find design work/new clients) in the beginning – (online portfolio/brochure/direct mail/email/phone etc)?
Website, direct mail, networking events, telephone calls.
8. How do you market yourself (find design work) now?
As above.
9. How did you decide what to charge? What was the process?
Work out all costs and outgoings and look at local market forces.
10. Do you work from home/have an office/work inhouse at design agencies?
Both.
11. How do you organise your workload, do you work long hours?
I have a bespoke Excel worksheet planner and I work long hours.
12. How much holiday do you give yourself?
None.
13. How do you keep up to date with what is happening in the industry?
Trade magazines, networking events, online.
14. What blogs, magazines, podcasts etc do you subscribe to?
Creative Review, Computer Arts, .Net, Design Week, Drum plus networking sites online.
15. How do you generate ideas/what techniques do you use to stimulate creativity?
Visits to art galleries, general design magazines including architecture, interior design.
16. What about the business side of things, accounting, invoicing, bookkeeping, how do you manage it?
I have a complex Excel spreadsheet set-up.
17. What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to someone starting out freelancing?
Promote yourself as much as possible, try to find different business angles and network, network, network!
18. Would you ever go back to fulltime work?
Yes. When my children are older.
19. Any thing else you would like to add?
Its hard work, but great to feel in control. Plus I get lots of family time.
20. Where can we see some of your work (URL)?
http://www.arttia.co.uk
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73 Comments
Nice to know you Belinda!
Thanks for the chat! Nice site!
I think deciding to freelance is quite a bold move, as you become a business and not just a working individual. But I guess it gets easier after you’ve built a stable client base.
Thanks for another interesting freelance focus.
I just wondered Belinda why you would like to go back to full time work? It’s just that most freelancers say that they’d never go back and I rarely see anyone say that they’d like to? Just being nosey really!!
Ditto, that’s the same reason I started freelancing, to be with my children.
I properly started when my first child was about one year old.
I’m at the other end of the tunnel now though – my youngest is four on Saturday and just starting off in party time nursery from the end of this week (full day Mon and Tue and half day rest of the week).
So lots and lots more time to work without children distractions from next week onwards! Yey! she cheers
I’ve been absolutely delighted with my time with my two children for the last seven years, but also delighted to spend more time on my business now they are older and off at school.
Good luck with your freelancing career, it’s just perfect for family life
Actually just spotted the thing about going back to full time work mentioned by Lucinda.
I concur, nothing would drag me kicking and screaming back to employment after experiencing the joys of self employment.
Not that it’s all joy, it’s hard as anything, but for me personally still much better than working for someone else any day.
Great work Belinda! You are definitely gifted with the work you do.
Belinda White’s responses are a little on the terse side, but this is still a great feature — keep it up!
Thanks for the interesting and useful information. Written well worth waiting for the next record.
I was interested in the work you do regarding motion graphics, how many or how often do designers get requests for motion grpahics, the multimedia web site is often spoke about yet less than 3% of web sites have motion graphics
Great idea to introduce yourself by writing such explanatory interview. Nice to meet you
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Freelance work has it advantages but disadvantages also. Anyway congrats on that step in your life.
Well I guess you have to run your affairs as a business when you’re a freelancer. But when you really take a look at it, you are a business when you’re a freelancer. Thank you for this informative post as always.
Way to go Belinda. Nice work. You did it again
Focusing on freelance is a great move and now its very in.
Its always quite tough to get regular work as a freelancer. However, freelancing does give users the ability to work from just about anywhere
Hi my self also doing design let me know review my work and if any freelance project let us know i be the part of team.
great idea Belinda.. i am a mom too and i prefer to work at home to be with my kids. the internet has really helped me a lot.
Nice interview. I’m so proud to you Bellinda. You decide to leave your fulltime job to take care your children. I wish you succes in your freelance business.
World is round, everything comes back and so on….
I always get excited when there is someone decided to become a freelancer.
I checked your website, and looked at your works. I think you have a wonderful talent and with all that portfolio you present in your website, it is more than enough to convince people about your professionalism.
One thing that I wonder about the interview above, why would you like to go back to your full time job if you already successful as a freelancer?
I always get excited when I know someone quit from fulltime job and become a freelancer.
Belinda, I visited your website and check your graphic design works there. I think you have a wonderful talent, and by looking at your portfolio you provide there, it will be more than enough to convince people about your professionalism.
One thing that I wonder from the interview above, why would you still want to go back to your fulltime job again in the future? Isn’t that being a sucessful freelancer is much much more convinience?
That is really a very nice interview there Belinda, I am happy that you quit your day job and going fulltime into freelance business.
Who do you think the current environment around money will effect you as a freelance designer? Would you advise would be Freelance Designers to stay put in there current jobs until everything becomes a bit more stable? Thanks
Nice interview. I think freelancing job is a solution for mothers who want to stay with their family but still want to work at the same time.
Nice to hear of others who are doing what i am trying to do.
Freelancing is a great idea when u have small kids. Life is still interesting and one can set hours as per convenience.
Freelancing is the way to go without a doubt. I have started myself and took a big pay cut, but the peace of mind not to be beholden to working for others is worth so much more!
that is very inspiring… its good to know that in spite of your busy schedule you still have time with your family. keep it up!
I really would love the opportunity to go freelance but it takes a lot of experience that i just don’t have. Oh well
I have been trying to get into freelancing for a while now but with no success. I see some very interesting thoughts and I shall bookmark this page and I shall come back and take a closer look when I have the time. Thanks for sharing
When I first started my California mortgage business, I was worried about making it all the time. Freelancing is a very brave career decision.
Hi Belinda,
It is nice to see you that you are in this Freelancing Field for nearly 20 years from now. I do have a great respect for Freelance designers since that is a very creative job.
Regards,
Krishna
You have used a nice way to introduce yourself. I wish you success in your free lancing business. Bold move from your side…
Your story is very motivational. Become a freelancer. As they say, “Do what you love and he money will follow”. It’s nice that you have found something you are passionate about.
Wow, it sounds like freelancing is the way to go. It takes great organizing skills though, something I lack in greatly.
Nice to meet many other people who start doing and have been succes in freelancing. I’m interested to start it but still have doubt. This really encourage me to start soon.
Lovely portfolio and interview. I would love my husband to start freelancing.
Freelancing is a wonderful job. You can have more time with your family at home. You can decide your own working time. You can also decide your earning. You can start do it before you husband.
Nice portfolio Belinda.
Do you find it easy to get a design job or do you have to actually decline jobs?
“What blogs, magazines, podcasts etc do you subscribe to?
Creative Review, Computer Arts, .Net, Design Week, Drum plus networking sites online.”
thanks for this, i’m currently looking for valuable resources, will check those out later!
I have my own side company thats a freelance type of gig. It works well for off the side work here and there but I never jumped into Full Time freelancing. I’d love the joys of being away from the morning traffic commute. Shuoldn’t we all hate how a normally 20 minute drive takes over an hour. Once I have some retainer clients I plan to freelance from home full time and never go back to the office grind.
If you can do both office work and freelance, why not? You can have two income source. Usually when people decide to work as full time freelance, they’ll never back to office. That’s common fact I found.
Thanks for sharing, it was nice reading this!
Great post! I have a question for Belinda though.. do you get a lot of time after work or is it exactly like a full-time jobÉ
Design for me is quite challenging, just creating a site header banner or logo is a project that I need to source. It’s great to find a good go to gal for this.
Hey, I’m now considering freelancing in 2009. It sounds challenging but I’m all up for it.
I enjoyed the interview, and I have learned a thing or two now
Nice site, and nice to know you Belinda…..
Thank you
20 years!
nice experience right there. I think the flexible schedule is a huge bonus for all freelancers.
I agree its best to keep both job options going until you know you can make it on your dream job alone.
Nice site Belinda. Freelancing is a great way to have time with the kids. Its a lot of work though, but if you put your mind to it, it will work out nice for you.