Monday, May 16, 2011

The Designer is “IN”


In an effort to continue reflecting what is going on in my life I have produced the following single-panel comic. It’s part reflection and part tribute…to the late, great Charles Schultz of course. It is also indicative of my quest for work. I have been living the life of a freelancer for the last two years. I have pursued opportunities in architecture, the field in which I am formally trained. I’ve done graphic design & illustration, which is and has always been my passion. Lastly, in an effort to diversify I went back to school to earn a degree in web design. All of this has been in an effort to invest in myself and facilitate my own personal advancement.

All I need to be happy as a freelancer is a creative outlet, challenging projects, good clients and the ability to work or collaborate with people I enjoy. I’ve been lucky in this regard. I’ve been doing exactly that however my biggest challenge has been finding enough work to stay busy “full-time”, as in 40 hours worth of work a week. Don’t’ get me wrong…schedule-wise I’m putting in the time. I’m working a lot more than that but I have single-handedly put the “free” in freelancer. I find myself doing lots of work to get work these days- it’s a new world of business out there and those are the breaks; lots of free advice (hey, you get what you pay for), marketing and competition…and don’t get me started on spec work. I value my time enough to charge for it, even if it’s just peanuts. (pun intended Mr. Schultz)

On any given day I remind myself of the opportunity I have; I am working for myself and doing what I love. I want to take this opportunity to thank the people that have put their faith in me to assist them in bringing their ideas to life or assisting with their business; be it a website, logo, architectural design or otherwise. Working together has forged wonderful relationships and those relationships mean the world to me. I truly believe that it is these relationships that will contribute to one another’s success. I sincerely invest in them but I’m not only talking about professional relationships but personal ones as well. People have continued to support me, pimp me out to their friends and grant me opportunities to do what I am passionate about. Just wanted to say thanks and over the next few posts I will plug a few of my colleagues in an effort to return the favor.

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