THE $$$ SITUATION (OR LACK THEREOF)
A huge part of freelance life is the financial precariousness that makes nine-to-fivers shudder. So, here's a couple of tips:
- Figure out your expenses. Your bathroom mirror or the moths living in your wallet can probably speak at greater length that I can about what you specifically need to survive and keep the loansharks at bay, which will better inform you as to the type of work you may need to seek out.
- Stay on top of your taxes. For freelancers, taxes surpass death in importance in that taxes occur with annual frequency. Most freelance work entails being paid without having the taxes taken out; the danger in this is that, come April 15, you owe the government a hell of a lot of money (four digits) and feel a bizarre kinship with Leona Helmsley. Something I recommend is to go to a tax service and have someone do them. Don't be intimidated by fees; the accountant I saw charged me $200, but saved me over $1000 in legitimate write-offs. Another good idea is to pay your taxes quarterly, which softens the blow of parting with that many dead presidents. A tax service can explain how this works and set you up.
- Don't expect to be paid on a timely basis. For freelancers, these things take a while. "The Loan Officer shall harangueth the Freelancer . . . and the Freelancer shall harangueth the Employer." Easy on the Where's my money bit; there's a discrepancy between inquiring and nagging.
- Your hourly rate should be . . . . It varies from project to project. Depends on what type of work you're doing, who you're working for, etc. I've heard of internships as low as $0 to $10/hour, and freelance ranging $12.50 to $30/hour. (ed. note: depending on what you are doing this could be much higher) If you're doing computer-specific work on your own computer you can generally bill on the higher end. Talk to people in your area who've been involved in similar projects to get a sense, and use discretion. Many people get very twitchy when you start talking personal numbers.
A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER AT WORK
Clarify Expectations.
You will be working either directly for a client, or for a consultant firm that works for the client. If the latter is the case, that means you will be receiving the assignment second-hand. If you've ever played "telephone" as a child, you know that the further something is passed around, the more opportunity for misinterpretation there is. Make sure you clarify exactly what types of things you will be providing your employer with. If you're working at home and you don't have the luxury of collaborating directly with your employer, it is crucial that you understand what it is that they want, or you risk the danger of spending hours going in a direction that they didn't really ask you to.
If you're struck with the lightning bolt of inspiration, don't be afraid to do work above and beyond what the employer asks for, but only after you have completed the initial assignment in full.
Keep Your Mouth Shut About Your Other Jobs.
Most places will make you sign a non-disclosure agreement, but even if they don't--never, ever talk about the specifics of a project with anyone. It is unethical and can get you fired. A friend of mine was working full-time at a product firm, and over lunch he made a casual reference to some details of a project he had worked on previously at another firm. His current employers reprimanded him severely and threatened him with job termination, fearing that he would open his mouth about them at a future job. If a firm is ready to let go of a full-time, salaried employee for that reason, just imagine how quickly they'll drop-kick that freelance hiney of yours for the same transgression.
Listen to Those With Social Security Numbers Smaller Than Yours (or, Heed Your Elders).
Many of the people I've worked for (some of whom have been on the planet long enough to remember a non-wrinkly George Burns) often tell me about their own experiences in life and design. This is an excellent time to start paying attention.
In one of Mario Van Peebles' films, his father Melvin tells him, "I been your age. You ain't never been mine." Older folk, and even some of your contemporaries, have already made mistakes that you too are destined to make. Give Fate a wedgie in her toga and learn from the experiences of others. What did they succeed or fail at? Why? Will you encounter similar situations?
One of my employers cautioned me at length about taking a full-time corporate job, expressing how difficult it becomes to leave after you collect a few dozen quarterly bonuses and real responsibility sets in, like the kind that breathe and have the same last name as you. His trapped look, wistful tone and faraway gaze ludicrously reminded me of a dying Ralph Macchio urging his friend 'Ponyboy' to "stay golden" in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. (There was nothing else at Blockbuster that night.)
EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED.
If you're working for a client in their own office, they should supply you with everything. If you're working out of your house, you'll need certain things; what they are depends on what you can do. I'll give you a rundown of some basics.
For Communication:
- Phone and answering machine/voice mail obviously a must. You should be able to check the messages remotely. Make sure your outgoing message is clear and professional; if you haven't yet outgrown horsing around on the machine, imagine what it sounds like for an employer to call and hear your voice with jungle noises and disco music in the background.
- Fax machine. Send resumes and cover letters. Also excellent for sending sketches back and forth while in the midst of a project.
- Pager/Cellular Phone. The nature of freelance is that the need for it often comes up sporadically. Make it possible for potential employers to be able to reach you at any time. Pager bills are becoming cheaper than Crack (for the non-urban, that means really, really cheap) and the price of cellular service is also dropping. Be aware that in general, pagers are more reliable at picking up a signal, but cellulars enable actual conversations, though they are often defeated indoors and in the subway.
- Portable Organizer/Phone Directory. It always helps to have a list of contacts and clients at your fingertips. The little electronic ones are excellent in terms of portability, ease of use, and efficiency (though you should back it up with a hard copy regularly, or you'll be left with a long list of nothing after the battery bails).
- Sketchbook/Notepad. When receiving assignments, always have some method of recording the assignment accurately and quickly. Learn to take good notes.
- Portfolio. You can survive without a spleen or a kidney, but you'll get nowhere without a record of your work. Update it constantly.
For Drafting, Paperwork, and Record-Keeping:
Computer. I'm going to assume that you have running water, electricity, and a computer with a modem. If you don't have the latter, you're probably not reading this article unless you've got binoculars and a nearby net-surfing neighbor. Unless you're Amish, you should look into getting a Magic Box, because after another three seasons of Murder, She Wrote, it'll be the year 2000.
Computer Software:
- C.A.D. Software: Enables you to work on the drafting aspects of a project.
- QuarkXpress/InDesign: Bang out resumes.
- Word Processor: Write cover letters.
- Fax Software: Send and receive faxes directly from the Box. Software exists that turns your computer into an answering machine that picks up when you're not home and either takes messages or receives faxes. Forget Myst; this is an excellent, practical use of technology.
Drawing: (Concept sketches, idea development, presentations).
Da Vinci was banging out beautiful drawings with a chalky rock and slate. In other words, if you can draw, you can draw with anything. However, for presenting your ideas to others, I find that a black rollerball in two line weights on white paper is the best, quickest, most effective, most economical way to draw. With rollerballs, you don't have to build up line weight like you do with a pencil or ballpoint. As far as paper, the client may have a preference. If you've got a choice, try to use a size that can be easily photocopied.
If you've been hired for renderings (which I think may soon go the way of the Draftsman, thanks to our friend Mr. Technology), you'll need, obviously, whatever media you're good at manipulating. The client may specify.
(Side note: Be aware that when you're being interviewed for any project requiring drawing or ideation, you will be expected to bring your sketchbook so they can flip through it. They want to see how you think on paper. They want to see if they can understand it. And the crappiest sketch you have in there is a pretty good measure of how well you can draw naturally.)
The freelance life takes perseverance and self-sufficiency. Seeking out, scheduling, and executing projects is trying and exhausting; but the feeling of exhiliration that comes from "making it", of successfully juggling and finishing meaningful projects, is worth it to some. The chaos and rapidly shifting conditions are part of the appeal; it's an alternative to chaining yourself to the same desk day after day and seeing the same faces. It is a constant test of how well you can adapt.
There is a great satisfaction that comes from looking back over the past few months and seeing that you've assembled a series of interesting projects on your plate and made significant contributions to each, and managed to pay your bills and build your portfolio in the progress. You feel a sense of accomplishment when you look back and realize what types of experiences you've assimilated from each of those projects. But after completing a project, you don't spend a lot of time gazing into the past; you're looking--and moving--in the opposite direction, which is where all your new clients live.
By Rain Noe
Originally published at Coroflot in 1997!
