Here it is: the doldrums of summer. The air is ripe with the hum of cicadas and the smell of charcoal. It also signifieds the first six months of my freelancing career, so this seems as good a time as any to take stock of where things are and what the future may bring.

Are you taking notes?

I'm sure that different people approach it in different ways, but I sort of jumped into the freelancing thing. I knew that I was going to do it, I did as much planning as I could, and just rolled with it once the beginning of the year came around. To help me keep track of how this whole thing is going, and what I need to do to keep on track, I started writing a business journal. It's not much of a structured thing, but I try to write in it every weekday while I'm drinking my coffee. I sum up any project developments, and usually jot down thoughts or feelings about how things are going.

I've never been much of a journal guy. I think that I had one for a while--maybe for a month in middle school--so it's a new thing for me. I'm going to try to do it for a full year and see how it goes. Many people have suggested it, so I'm interested to see what particular relevance it has to me.

Getting down to business

Finding things to do since the beginning of the year hasn't been too difficult. I've even done some work that I'm really proud of. As I tell people  what it is that I do, I'm getting more comfortable in talking about the things that I'm good at and the things that I like to do. It may sound weird, but that sort of thing is really difficult for me. Where I grew up, having a big ego is rarely the way to make friends, and talking about my work still feels like showboating to me.

As I start to find my groove with running my own business, I'm becoming more confident in the work that I've done. It certainly helps that I'm now more able to take on projects that appeal to me and that I am more invested it. It really does help to have a say in the type of work that you take on.

Like a Glove

There's a lot to like about the freelance life. I wouldn't say that it's an easy life, necessarily, from the standpoint of putting on the cruise control and taking it easy. It's a way of working--and living--that instills a need to be frequently re-assessing what you're doing. It also means that the walls between work and not-work start to blur noticeably. This is good for some people, no so much for others. I'm adjusting to it, but the main upshot is really feeling like this is a good fit. The way of working and the feeling of pride in seeing something that I've done makes up for the times of agonizing proposals or longer than normal hours.

One thing that has made this easier is the fact that I have forged some relationships with clients that have been really supportive of what I'm doing. They appreciate the work that I'm doing, and in turn I hope that I'm contributing to their projects in a substantive way. I also like that I don't always have to work in isolation, and there are times when I can bounce ideas off of folks pretty quickly.

It has also been really great to meet cool people who have started their own design businesses and have been really helpful with advice and guidance. Whether it's a networking event, or just meeting up in person, people in this field have been really generous and open.

Boldly Onward

As I continue along this little journey, I definitely have some direction in mind. The first thing I want to do is take it to the next level. I really enjoy branding work, but I want to keep pushing it. Where else can the logos that I've designed live? 3D? Motion? Retail? Installations? I'm not sure, but I want to find out.

I would also like to do more UI/UX work. I used to do a fair amount of it, but started working in some shops that focused on print work. Print is great, but I love the challenge of the web. It's a big problem, and it's a really exciting time to be working on those projects. It's great to tickle that part of the brain and I hope to do more of it.

Other than those two things, I'll take the challenges where I find them. It's certainly an exhilarating time.

Post script

Just a quick thank you to some of the people who have taken their time to talk with me directly. They're great individuals and extremely generous.

Tags: business, freelance, recap