10 points you should consider before starting as a freelance artist

 

Freelancing in cg industry is a situation where you work for yourself by accepting assignment from studios or clients. Freelancing can be part time or full time. A full time freelancer is a person who accepts assignments in such a way that he has no time to do any other work. For them freelancing is only source of bread and butter. Many people opt for freelance career for the obvious reason.

1) Work from home.

2) You are your own boss.

3) Working with convenience  of your own schedule.

Deciding when to start with freelancing is the tough decision. Quitting a job that pays a good recurring income is a tough decision. Is it really worth to quit a well paying job to become a freelance 3D Artist? In this article I will cover some points you should consider before starting as a freelancer.

 

Money is the main factor that will push you to become a freelancer. If you are making decent  recurring income as a part time freelancer you should consider quitting your job. In case if your earning becomes very less over a period of time it will be difficult for you to recover from financial crunch. So, I advise you to start freelancing along with your job, Once you start making decent income, you can consider switching to full time freelancing.

Are you good at writing? Can you deliver a lecture or take a session to guide people who wants to make a career as an artist? This skills will prove as a backup plan at a time when you have no project in your hand. If your income is low for a time being , you can offer to write for a blog or deliver a guest guest lecture to earn some extra cash. There are many options , you need to find out appropriate options that suits your need.

Are you fed up by the way your boss treats you? Are you not fitting in their scheme of things? Are you not enjoying your work? Tired of politics at your workplace? Your job is not paying you well? In this condition you can quit your job and start as a freelancer.

Job as an artist in a studio is so demanding that you cannot cope up with the schedule and may indulge in bad eating habits. Working for long hours without proper rest or sleep may affect your health. Bad eating habits and irregular sleep cycle often affects the productivity of artist.

After you resign from your job, you need to spend potential time on internet to learn new things and try out few assignments to evaluate your skills. Participate in discussions on forums , make contacts on social media, talk to other freelancers about how they approach and picth their ideas to the client before you start as a freelancer.

You need proper infrastructure to start as a freelancer. Infrastructure means you should have a high end computer that can render almost anything , a good internet connection to download latest softwares , videos and tools.

Apart from all these, you need a hard disk to back up your data , mobile phone and a power backup which will ensure that the work is done without any interruption.

Family play an important role in your life.  Before you quit your job make sure your family is aware about your decision. Avoid making decisions which will hurt them. Convince your family and explain them what your work is all about. Tell them how freelancing is better than working for a studio.

Artistic skills and marketing strategy are the main pillars of freelance 3D artist. It you lack marketing skills, work on it before you start working as a freelancer. You should be mentally ready to handle 5-6 assignment per month. by marketing, i mean reaching to potential clients, getting into conversations with fellow freelance artists.

Your friend will play an important role in spreading a word on social media websites. Also they can help you bring more work when you run out of money.

The most important point is ” Are you ready for freelancing?”. Are you ready to take up the challenge? . A lot depends on your confidence level and your mental strength. Your decision making skills and your skill to convince a client will be tested initially. You should not lose hope if you are not doing well initially. Things doesn’t happen overnight. It will take some time to establish yourself and build your reputation as a freelancer. Give at least 6 months to grow as a freelance artist and once you start earning decent income then you make a final decision

 

In the end it is you who are going to decide your career as a freelancer. Think twice before starting as a freelance artist. Don’t make hasty decision. Make sure you are financially secured. Talk to the fellow freelancers and take some tips from them.

 

These are not the thumb rules that I have discussed above but these aspects are worth considering before jumping into freelance business. If you have anything to say or ask, feel free to leave a comment.

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