In the past few years, people across the world have chosen freelancing and self-employment more than they ever have before. It’s estimated that 36% of working Americans identify as freelancers, and I am unashamedly one of them. While being a creative is a dream come true for me, it’s definitely been a process to get to where I am now, and I’m still growing and learning every single day. These are three foundational lessons I’ve learned in the six months that I’ve been a freelance brand designer.
- Experience is the best teacher.
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While it’s true for really anything, I’ve found that this principle is particularly important in the creative world. It takes practice and practice and even more practice to get really good at something. With every project I do, both for clients and for fun, I get a little more confident. In the beginning, I wished I could have snapped my fingers and instantly become an expert. But if I did that, I would have missed out on all the refining and learning that took place through my own trial and error. The best of the best didn’t get there by sitting around and waiting to get to the top — they worked hard until it paid off.
- You can’t do everything all the time. Rest.
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“Burnout” is a word we hear all the time — maybe more in the past few years than ever before. In fact, the World Health Organization has identified formal symptoms of burnout, as of 2019: “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.” Because I’m the only employee of my business, I wear all the hats: marketing, designing, developing, copywriting, etc. It can be easy to get overwhelmed and forget to take the time to be a normal human and do things like eat and sleep. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that I have a finite amount of mental and physical energy. I have to take the time to rest, whether that’s getting a full eight hours of sleep at night or taking the day off to rejuvenate with an activity that I love, like having a movie marathon. If I don’t take intentional time off, I run the risk of becoming a robot girl who only thinks about work, and I’ll eventually malfunction. One of my biggest pieces of advice for you is to remember that you are deserving of rest, however it may look for you.
- Comparison will kill you.
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Again, this lesson is true in all areas of my life, but most relevant when it comes to my work as a designer. A crucial part of my job is posting and networking through social platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, so I take in a lot of content during the day. Because I’m human, I often find myself caught in a spiral of negative thoughts like “I’ll never create content that’s as good as this person’s” or “I don’t have as many likes as them so I’m not as successful” — which can get really discouraging really fast. To fight these insecurities, I try to remember two things. First, I’m on my own path. This makes it impossible to compare myself to other creatives because their journey is entirely different from my own. Second, social media is a highlight reel. A designer may have an abundance of beautiful creations on their Instagram page, but they may have hundreds of deleted posts, or they may not be talking about the fact that they haven’t had clients in weeks. If we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, why would we evaluate our own worth based on someone else’s social media?
Although I’ve learned these things by being a freelance brand designer, these lessons can be applicable and useful for you in any area of your life. I hope this article makes you feel less alone if you’ve been dealing with struggles like imposter syndrome or burnout. Remember to recognize your accomplishments more than you recognize your shortcomings. You’re doing great!