Are you a freelance designer? Do you get paid enough to live off comfortably or do you scrape by week to week wondering when the next project is coming through the door and often not earning as much as you would like?

Whilst there are plenty of successful well paid freelancers, I come across just as many who just aren’t getting enough regular work through the door and the reason for this is often the same in many cases.

I like to call this starving artist syndrome, with an emphasis on the word ‘artist’. A lot of graphic designers, typographers, and illustrators consider themselves artists - to some extent I also would describe myself as an artist.

But are you an artist or an ‘arteest’??

We all value our creativity as ‘arteests’ but have you considered that your (often born with) artistic brain is hampering your ability to make money from your talent?

I see several key areas that many of our ’starving artist’ freelancers fall down on when it comes to gaining a regular flow of projects and turning a good and consistent monthly profit and I’ll go through those now in a bit of detail;

Become a More Successful Freelancer - TIPS

1. It’s well know that creative people tend to use one side of their brain more than the other (the right side).

As well as spending time nurturing your creativity you need to also nurture the side of your brain that is responsible for being more organised and finding time for important tasks such as administration that has a substantial impact on customer service standards, and marketing your business.

I will presume you’ve invested considerable time and possibly even money in developing your design skills, invest the same in other vital skills requisite to being a successful freelancer such as;

- Time management, develop these skills. I recommend a new book on the Market; Time Management For Dummies.

- Learn ways in which you can market yourself. Contrary to what we’d all like, you can build it, but they won’t come unless you go out there and find them and drag them back.

- Developing organised and efficient administration methods.

2. Stop being a bit of an ‘arteest’; Avoid treating client projects as though they are your own creative projects rather than the clients.

It’s their project, and their needs that must be met. Thus it’s your responsibility to provide them with your expertise and meet the needs of their business. In business, from the business owners point of view design is all about making money, it’s not about the precious art of it all – it’s how your precious art (or should I say ‘their’ precious art) can make them more profits.

What you create is a commercial product, the quicker you realise this the less precious you will be about any requests for amendments to your design work. Not that I’m saying do everything they tell you to even if you think it’s a bad idea – they have come to you for your expertise so if you know they are about to make a colossal mistake, tactfully tell them and explain in detail why you think their suggestion is a mistake.

But make sure your own feedback on their suggestions, or resistance to their suggestions is commercially motivated rather than emotionally motivated because you don’t like someone tampering with ‘your creation’.

3. Customer service; Customer service is one of your most vital tools in running a successful freelance career.

If you treat your customers well you can expect them to come back to you for repeat business, it’s far easier to get more custom out of an existing customer than it is to win a new customer and therefore you should value your existing customer base.

In addition the more effort you put into your clients projects, the more successful their business will be and the more successful their business is, the more they will need your services, so it’s in your interest that they succeed.

Not only will your existing customers return to you for ongoing work over the years, they will refer you to their friends and contacts also and I’m sure you are aware of how powerful word of mouth advertising is.

4. Finally, don’t forget your own branding

Even as a freelancer you are a ‘brand’ just as much as any of your customers. Take care of your own brand and your own reputation just as you would a clients and ensure that you are consistent in the experience you offer your customers.