Today I’m thrilled to be a part of the Creative, Inc. blog tour! Creative, Inc. is Meg Mateo Ilasco and Joy Cho’s new book, and it’s a must-read for anyone who is a creative freelancer or wants to become one. Last weekend I picked up the book and literally didn’t put it down until I was finished! I made a few notes, marked a few pages, and am looking forward to reading my favorite sections in depth. The book covers everything from preparing for your freelance career and calculating your rate, to dealing with tough clients and maintaining your personal life. As a newbie freelancer myself (about to hit the one year mark, y’all!) I have a lot of questions for Meg and Joy. They were kind enough to answer some of them right here!
Your books Creative, Inc. and Crafting a Meaningful Home were just published this summer, and in October you’ll release the first issue of your new magazine Anthology. On top of that, you’re a mom… my head is spinning! What’s a typical day like for you?
MMI: Sometimes I wish I had a typical day! But everyday is a little different for me. Though it normally starts off with dropping off my kids at school and picking them up in the evening—what happens in between varies. For example, today, I finished pass #5 of the magazine layout, I had a phone conference with Anh-Minh Le (magazine’s editor in chief) to go over the stories for the next issue, and I delivered a print out to our photo editor. Yesterday, I had a lunch meeting with my book editor and a new co-author, wrapped up an illustration job, and reviewed the proofs of a book design. The beauty of a freelance career is that you never have a dull day!
How did your very first book, You Can Wear it Again, come about?
MMI: My first business was a wedding invitation company that I started in 1999—so it was natural for me to think of book ideas related to weddings. My first book proposal was actually turned down. In hindsight, I probably should not have included putting a gold toof on for your wedding (That’s right “toof”!). However, the editors invited me for a meeting to discuss other ideas I may have—and You Can Wear It Again, a book about bridesmaids’ dresses, was greenlighted during that meeting.
Did you intentionally set out to become a freelancer after leaving the marketing research firm you worked for, or did it happen more organically?
MMI: Oh, it’s all organic! I should really make a flow chart and timeline to describe of my career path. I actually started the wedding invitation company on the side while I was at the marketing research firm. Then I brought the business with me when I went to graduate school for architecture. (Word to the wise: architecture + a side business do not mix.) The wedding invitations took off and I chose the business over finishing graduate school. I eventually sold that business to currently have the freelance career you now see. With my career, I feel like I’m just following a string and I’m never quite sure where it’s going to take me!
Many freelancers describe their work as “feast or famine,” and that makes it hard to know if you need to hire an employee (What if the work dries up in 6 months?) or or if you should just try to push through on your own. What’s your advice for figuring out if someone is ready to make that step?
MMI: Hiring an employee is a big commitment—you need to have space in your office and provide them with tools to work, you need to have enough money to cover payroll, and you’ll need to make sure they have enough work lined up everyday. If you tend to be in a feast or famine situation regularly, I wouldn’t recommend hiring someone permanently. Instead, if you’ve got more projects than you can handle, farm the work out to another freelancer (subcontractor). Once you have a steady flow of regular clientele, then you can start to think about hiring an employee. You should hire an employee to do the things you don’t have the time to do (like scheduling and paperwork), to make up for the skills you lack (like accounting) or to elevate the talent in your company. Also, if you’re wary about hiring, start off with an intern first to get your feet wet.
Tell us about a fun design/illustration project you’re working on or recently completed.
MMI: I recently finished designing a book called “The Repurposed Library” by Lisa Occhipinti. It was great to be on the other side of the book process.
I loved the goal setting section on page 138! You’ve had so much success as a designer and writer; what are a few of your goals as a freelancer (short and long term)?
JDC: I’m a big foodie and love merging food and design, so I’d love to work with more restaurants and food companies on their logo and branding efforts. I just came out with a wallpaper line and would love to expand into more large-scale interiors products like fabric. Oh, and I’m brain-storming some new book ideas, too! Stay tuned…
How did your collaboration with Meg on Creative, Inc. come about?
JDC: We met in 2007 after we did the Stationery Show together and quickly became long-distance friends. We often looked to each other for constructive feedback on our work and discussed working together on a project in the future. After the success of Meg’s book, Craft, Inc., Chronicle wanted to expand the series. We began brainstorming for ideas and with our joint backgrounds as freelancers, it was natural to write about that topic. We also felt there wasn’t a go-to bible in the market for any creative type looking to go freelance.
You do so many different things (graphic design, blogging, writing, and product design, for starters!). What are the pros and cons of diversifying your work and skill set, versus focusing on one direction?
JDC: The beauty of being a freelancer is that you can pick and choose the work you want to do. You can do lots of one type of work or take on a variety of projects that interests you. With most 9-5 jobs, you typically have the same clients or the same type of aesthetic you work in because the company you work for attracts a certain type of client. Being your own boss allows you to mix-and-match projects as you like. It can be as specific or broad as your portfolio. I typically recommend focusing on one type of work when you’re newer or starting out. You don’t want to look unfocused if you’re new to the freelancing world and you have lots of different work but not enough of one type of work. It gets to be easier to branch out once you’ve established your style.
For me, most of the things I currently do combine the “best of” from my past jobs and the parts of my past 9-5′s that I enjoyed most. I’ve worked at a boutique design studio with lots of fashion clients, so I love working with more fashion and design-savvy clients as well as smaller, newer businesses. And then I’ve also created products and patterns for past jobs, so I love being able to design products that people can buy at a store. The blogging and writing were happy accidents but have evolved to be integral parts of my business and they give my brain a nice “break” from design. For me, doing lots of different things keeps me stimulated and excited about my work.
I’ve had a hard time turning down smaller, relatively straight-forward design jobs, because I’m afraid to wait around in hopes of a larger project. That means I’ve ended up with a huge number of clients, and I wonder if having fewer, bigger projects would be a smarter route to take. How do you avoid situations where you become overwhelmed with many small projects?
JDC: I think that you can (and should) evolve your clientele and the type of work you take on as your business grows. Some freelancers prefer lots of little projects and some prefer fewer larger ones. There is definitely no right or wrong. The overarching fact is you should take on projects for companies you believe in, work that fits your aesthetic or the aesthetic you’re looking to go in, and jobs that are paying you what you feel you deserve. Having a mix is great too so that you vary the type of work you do and the amount of time spent on a project. Also, in terms of getting bigger clients: don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and simply approach clients you’d love to work for. Send them a short and sweet letter with samples of your work and let them know if your interest in working for them should they be looking for a freelancer in the near future. You can’t wait for big projects and clients to come to you, so reach out to them while being polite and not overly aggressive.
Tell us about a fun design/illustration project you’re working on or recently completed.
JDC: One of my favorite regular clients is Urban Outfitters. I recently designed a series of 7 packages for a new product hitting their shelves this holiday season. I can’t say much about it yet. It was a smaller project but super fun because I was able to come up with the names of the products as well as the concept for the graphics. I love it when clients trust you enough to give you full creative freedom! It doesn’t happen too often, so when it does, I savor them like the best cupcake I’ve ever had.
Thanks so much, Meg & Joy!
The Creative, Inc. blog tour lasts two weeks, and here is the schedule so you can follow along:
8/23 Poppy Talk {behind the scenes of the Creative, Inc. stop motion video, seen on Design*Sponge}
8/24 Oh Happy Day {interview with Meg & Joy}
8/25 SF Girl By Bay {tips for building a strong portfolio}
8/26 Mint
8/27 Wit + Delight {preparing for a career in freelance}
8/28 Cathy of California {giveaway}
8/29 Book By Its Cover {interview}
8/30 Not Martha {giveaway}
8/31 Frolic {giveaway}
9/1 Upper Case {review}
9/2 Craft {review and giveaway}
9/3 Decor8 {tips for promoting your work and networking}
9/4 Kris Atomic {review}
9/5 Grain Edit {interview}
Chronicle Books has generously offered to give 2 copies of Creative, Inc. to two lucky Mint readers! To enter the giveaway, (1) please leave a comment on this post and (2) tell us your #1 question about freelancing. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON, PLEASE. Good luck! Winners will be chosen at random on Wednesday, September 8.
*GIVEAWAY CLOSED! THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING!*
