Working in the creative industries: is freelancing the road to success?

 

What does it mean to be a freelancer?

A freelancer is an independent contractor, they work on individual contracts for companies, but are not employed by them. A freelancer carries out specific jobs to completion and then moves on to another job, either with the same company or with another. Freelancing allows a certain level of freedom in that you can choose your own hours, which jobs you work on and set your own rates.

Key skills required of a freelancer

Being self-employed needs a level of dedication and self-discipline. You must be able to complete tasks to a deadline and to a high standard without the direction from a superior that you would have if you worked in a company. 

Time management is very important for a freelancer, as a self-employed person you can take days off whenever you like but if this starts to affect the quality of your work or means your work isn’t completed on time this will have a negative effect on
your relationship with the client and therefore your reputation.

The importance of reputation and professionalism with clients

Building a positive reputation as a freelancer is imperative. You will be competing for contracts with other contractors and if you have a bad reputation due to poor professionalism or timekeeping, the clients are more likely to go with another person for the job.  It is therefore imperative to build a good working relationship with your clients. If you have completed a job well and on time, word of mouth can generate more leads and enhance the trust that other companies and professionals in the industry have in you.

As a freelancer, you are marketing not only your work but yourself as well. You must be able to show that you are the right person for the job and that you can act professionally and complete the job to a high standard and on time.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of freelancing within the creative industries?

There are pros and cons to freelancing within the games industry. As I previously mentioned, some of the benefits include being your own boss, working your own hours and setting your own rate so it offers a lot in terms of flexibility. 

Some drawbacks of freelancing include needing to do everything yourself including marketing and accounts etc meaning more time spent on the business side of things than on your creative work. Another drawback is that you are not guaranteed a steady flow of income and therefore cannot rely on receiving a fixed wage every week as you would if you worked for a company. There may be periods when the work dries up and you would need to make sure you had financial cover in place to see you through these times.

GCFLearnFree.org have a great video summarising the pros and cons of freelancing here

How would you promote yourself as a freelancer?

Networking is an important aspect of growing your business as a freelancer. Knowing the correct people can generate more work for you and build your professional reputation.

There are many platforms which enable you to promote your skills, these include:

LinkedIn is a fantastic professional networking platform. It is a great way to keep up to date with what is going on in your industry, make lasting connections and find potential freelancing opportunities. You can include your previous education history and job experience on your profile as well as your skills. There is even a feature in which others can give you a recommendation.

Fiverr is a popular marketplace for freelancers, from all disciplines, where you are able to define your own packages and set your own rates.

Freelancer is another website designed for freelancers to market their skills online. They have a great filtered search bar enabling users to find the right freelancer for them. Contractors can be searched for using a variety of filters such as location, hourly rate, rating and skills.

Does freelancing and indie development appeal to you? If so, why?

In his post "Is Indie Game Development A Good Career Choice?", Dustin Tyler outlines the pros and cons of freelancing vs. studio work. He concludes that "Neither is necessarily better than the other; it all depends on the individual. Independent game development is for those who want total creative freedom, even if it means no guaranteed paycheck and extra-long hours working during their free time." I tend to agree with this opinion as it really depends on your personal circumstances and preferences which will dictate the better option for you.

The flexibility that freelancing offers definitely appeals to me because I have many things going on in my life. As a busy mother of two, having a professional life is a balancing act. Freelancing allows me to work around my other commitments. 

Indie development is definitely a route I would love to pursue, I like the “jack of all trades” feeling that comes from an indie studio where everyone pitches in where they can. Working for a AAA company seems to be a lot more specialised and as you are hired for a specific role you are more likely to do a single task day in and day out. Working for an indie studio feels more like a family with everyone doing what they can do to make the project a success and hopefully that passion shows through in the end project.

How would you go about establishing your own business?

Image Via Proeze

Establishing your own business requires a large amount of planning. Once you have decided that your specific skillset is marketable the next stage is making a business plan. As Winston Churchill famously said, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." This quote is very fitting here as, without a detailed plan for your business, it's unlikely to be successful. Forbes gives a good insight into creating a business plan here.

After you have devised your plan you should start considering your needs and building your infrastructure. Here are some examples of the questions you should be asking yourself:

• Will you need office space? 
• Do you have the equipment you need?
• Where can you find your first clients?

Make sure you don't take on too much too fast, growing your business steadily will give you the best chance at success. Good luck!!