School and Career Surprises: Tips From People on the Job
Each comment from a artist includes their career and school ratings.
Career: "I was surprised at how useful my writing skills were when communicating with clients. Being friendly, literate, and helpful goes a long way when it comes to pleasing the customer."
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School: "I was surprised how low cost community college really is. With fafsa money I didn't have to pay anything at all or take out any"
Career: "I was surprised how much skills in dealing with people you need to sell art. Networking and getting your art out there is the most important."
+/-Best & Worst Things About This Career
As reported by people currently doing the job
"The best thing about this position is that I can stay home with my two kids and two animals and earn some income at the same time. It was very challenging trying to find a job that would work around my husband's unpredictable schedule (and frustrating as well). So it was nice to be able to stay home and do something I love and earn some much needed income. One of the worst things is the clients that don't respond to messages or stiff you on payment. It's very rough sometimes. You need to be careful about how you conduct business. Ask for half down before starting a project so you know they're serious."
+/-Tips for Succeeding in This Career
Helpful info from insiders
"Well first of all, study marketing and how to self promote. Do lots of research on different freelancing sites and places to display your work. Odds are clients will come from all places, so the more work you have out, the wider your reach and possibilities of landing a job/commission. Make sure you protect yourself by having an invoicing program or billing program. It is mandatory to conduct your business like a large business, even though it's just yourself. Never undersell yourself. There are so many positives to being a Freelancer, but it is tough and a constant struggle to land jobs. But it's worth the effort."
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