We return to FreelanceLife with talented Designer and Artworker, Luke. He graduated from Birmingham City University in 2016 and spent a year and a half working as an art director down in London before returning to the Midlands. He has been described as being 'A perfectionist who knows his craft to an extreme extent.'
It's the week of the big freeze so grab a hot drink, put your feet up and let Luke tell you all about his FreelanceLife!
1. What is your favourite thing about being a Freelancer?
If freelance has taught me anything it's that you should always give the client 3 options to choose from. So my three favourite things are more time, more money and more variety! Freelancers, in general, get paid at a higher rate than their full-time equivalents. A fatter wallet and the odd Wednesday off combined with knowing that you'll never get bogged down with the same few clients is the best motivation someone can have.
2. What is your least favourite thing about being a Freelancer?
The quiet periods, a day in your dressing gown watching Friends is great, a week of it, not so much, plus most of my friends work 9 to 5, the selfish buggers.
3. What skills are essential for a Freelancer?
Adaptability is the most important, every client will have different targets and methods for achieving them, and the ones that don't will require patience and guidance, you'll need to have good people skills and know how to make a proper cup of tea as well.
4. On average, what time do you start and finish work?
On an in-house/agency booking it'll be the fairly standard 9am start, unhealthy lunch at 1 and finishing in time for the rush hour trains between 5:30-6pm. For remote work I'm allowed to indulge in my night owl tendencies and will usually be working in the early hours of the morning (if a nocturnal agency exists and someone from it is reading this, please hire me).
5. How often do you work remotely?
Just over a third of my work is remote, through clients I've built up through word of mouth over the last few years working on a variety of projects big and small.
6. What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?
I think impostor syndrome is common among new freelancers, but don't second guess yourself, they've asked for your rate because they've seen and liked your work, they've hired you because they know you're worth what you think you are, you can handle this, don't worry!
7. Would you ever consider going for a permanent position?
If the right one comes along! But it would take a great agency to pull me away from my aforementioned dressing gown Wednesdays.
8. What is the most standout memory from your Freelance Career?
Worst - Walking 20 minutes down a country road to get to the train station in the December darkness, I kept thinking "this is how horror movies start" and then fell over on the ice as soon as I reached the end, I got a taxi after work every night for the rest of that booking.
Best - Meeting all the dogs! Every agency seems to have one.
9. What song best represents your Freelance state of mind?
Normally I like something instrumental like a film or game soundtrack (shoutout to the OSTs of Mirror's Edge and Life is Strange) or an electronic artist (everyone should listen to Tycho and Blackmill).
If forced to pick one song I'll go for the one I used late last year when some urgent amends came in and we had half an hour to deliver them (failure would push back the printing to the New Year). I put on some power metal, as an ex-Guitar Hero addict I chose Through the Fire and the Flames by Dragonforce, 7 and a half minutes of completely over the top guitar soloing, I clicked "export" exactly as the last beat hit and felt like a king.
Another great look at a top Freelancers' day to day life that is got us reaching for the old Guitar Hero controller!
Catch up on all the other posts from FreelanceLife here.
If you want to share your FreelanceLife with us, please do, you can get in touch with us here.
