Although I’ve worked on independent projects for the last ten years, this September will mark the completion of my sophomore year as a full time entrepreneurial videographer. In that time I’ve learned quite a few lessons that I think could be beneficial to anyone entering their first year of said situation. Here are some pointers.
Do things out of your comfort zone. Reach out to people you wouldn’t normally talk to. Go spend time in places outside of your house. Chance encounters set off chains of events that would never happen otherwise.
Be the squirrel. Load up on work when it’s available. Not to the detriment of its quality but push yourself to accomplish more than you’re comfortable with, because there are floods and there are droughts when it comes to paying work. Set deadlines for yourself even if the client gives you none and you’ll be surprised by how much you can get done in a day.
Create for fun. Speaking of droughts… Stay confident. When your clients stop calling and they will stop calling(very likely in the summer for us AZ residents), take the opportunity to work on something short and sweet that you are passionate about. Make sure you can both show off the skills you wouldn’t normally get to flex and is accomplish-able in a reasonable amount of time. I’ve had clients tell me on several occasions “I loved piece x you did! Our thing is nothing like that but will be really easy compared to that.” *BONUS* This type of content is great for your SEO.
Buy tools. Investing back into your business is a great way to keep your momentum going and your drive to create revving. In addition, buying tools is a great way to offset the taxes that you will inevitably have to pay and which you may or may not have had the discipline to save up for in advance.
Share your knowledge. As a professional artist, it’s difficult to believe that we may know more about anything than anyone else. We’re the worst. But that’s typically not the case. On set, you’re the professional being paid to have an educated opinion, so share it with confidence. Off set, make it clear that you want to share that knowledge with your peers and good things will gravitate towards you.
Now fly my lovely little frosh! Prosperity be with you!
If you have any pointers to add for blossoming freelancers, go ahead and add them in a comment below!