Diary of a Self Taught Designer — “The Freelancer” Episode 2
By: Martha Omasoro
Tags: Personal Growth, Personal Development, Client Onboarding, Freelance, Graphic Design

The Freelancer — BYTMXG.COM

After a 5 months hiatus I am back with a new story in this series. Today I will explore and tell you the story of how I started freelancing and why I started freelancing. Brace yourself for a lot of indecisiveness.

The Comfort Zone

Let’s go back in time!

So it has been approximately 18 months since I started graphic designing in October 2015, which would land us in April 2017, if I am correct.

At this point in time I had not only started my Adobe free trial, but I have also become the in-house graphic designer for the company I was working for. So on a weekly basis they’d be a brief for me to create some print collateral or a new online campaign to create some digital banners for and so forth.

In fact, I barely did the admin I was supposed to be doing at the start of my apprenticeship.

My weekly routine was not only fantastic but also became my comfort zone as I knew when I logged in 3 days a week to Adobe I would be creating the same sort of things for the same “client”, well company. And I was satisfied with that!

My skills were increasing rapidly as my passion for design grew.

You see, throwing me into design was the best thing to happen to me. Yes I was also doing thorough research on different design components, the different software, the theory and really creating my own curriculum as I continued to develop my skills.

But there is a time when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

*Disclaimer* Sorry, I was planning to use a caterpillar turning into a butterfly gif, but felt uncomfortable looking at the process lol. So we will settle with Cinderella.

The Alarm Clock

As part of my job role, I was also working across different social media streams for the company. One of these social media accounts was for an estate agent.

My role was in essence to make the listings appear more appealing. No I wasn’t retouching the property images and manipulating the images. Come on now — that wouldn’t be fair on the viewers and it’s crookery at the highest level.

In essence what I was doing was creating accompanying graphics alongside the property images to be promoted and used for the Facebook and Instagram account we had setup at the time. A fairly easy job.

Most of my work consisted of just me and outsourced talent. But on this specific role I was working alongside someone, let’s call them “R”.

R and I worked on producing content for the website and social media for the company, as well as marketing/advertising as well. R was the brains behind the copy, the marketing plans and the insights that I would expand upon and create visuals to accompany.

It was great! We was a great team.

I liked working with R a lot, as it was much easier having someone to generate ideas with and work alongside. Henceforth, the reason I had slipped into a routine and my comfort zone.

R was like a mentor/work friend in a sense, as she was far older than me. But we were still learning together. She was sharing tips and tricks that she knew and I was sharing my little knowledge of design and what could work.

In fact R was so impressed with what I was producing that she thought it would be a good idea that I freelance design and offer my creativity in exchange for some coins.

I was extremely hesitant at first.

I mean let’s be real, what did I know?

I was self-taught?

I was an amateur?

Well that’s what I thought at the time. I thought who would work with me? I’m not a design professional.

That’s what I would say to R every time she would bring up the topic. And trust me she brought it up a lot! Like an alarm clock — she would constantly remind me every month that my talent is going to waste, I could be making extra income and etc etc.

Literally, every time R had the opportunity to tell me that I have the talent and that I should freelance, she would.

And she did constantly, up until October 1 2017.

The Risk Taker

Generally speaking. I am not a stubborn person.

Let’s just clarify that!

I was just anxious about the idea. Just like anyone else would be.

Freelancing is a big step and a big commitment. The hustle to look for clients, the consistency in promoting yourself and your services online, constantly generating ideas and managing clients is no easy task. Not for anyone, let alone a 19 year old.

Yes I was 19 at the time and had so much to learn.

But R knew who I was. The type of person I was naturally and the type of person I could become. And I knew too.

I was a risk taker. I am a risk taker.

And I know it. I know that in order to achieve certain goals or milestone — you have to take a risk. That’s what my parents taught me!

Like my mum for instance, she didn’t go to secondary education, but she started her own tailoring business at 14 in Nigeria and she became the breadwinner of her family through her talent, hard work and risk taking. And even had the opportunity to recruit her own apprentices and train others in the art of sewing. Crazy right! A history of risk takers.

But enough about my family, this is about me 🙃

I did it!

I did what R had been telling me. I ventured into the world of freelance.

On this occasion I won’t go into detail about how I got my first client. But what I will tell you is that I got my first client on the 1st October 2017, the same day I made it my resolve to freelance. I did it because I wanted to learn more than what I was producing. I did it because I want to build upon the skills I already had and connect with likeminded individuals. I did it because it was the push I needed for my own personal development.

Three years and three months strong, I can confidently say that I did it for love.

As cringe as that sounds, it’s true — my love for design and creating surpasses everything. Creating for companies. Creating for individuals. Creating solutions to help people. I love it!

It’s been character building and I am still in the process now as I type this. But definitely worth if it you want to develop your skills on real-time projects, learn and explore different industries and make lovely connections. And these are just a few benefits!

So thank you for reading about this journey with me today! If you like what you see follow me on Twitter, Instagram & let’s connect on LinkedIn Babyyyyy!

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