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The Freelance Lifestyle – How to Keep a Client

In this installment of The Freelance LifeStyle, let’s talk about how to keep a client.

If you want to know how to GET clients, here’s last week’s post revealing my mind-bogglingly simple techniques.

So, now that you’ve used those techniques, you’re ready to keep clients!

Here’s how you go from portfolio to satisfied co-creator:

Be honest – let the potential client know if you have other commitments.

This is so you can let the client know that you and them will BOTH need to strike a balance between availability and actually working on the project. To this end, let the potential client know when they can reasonably expect you to deliver something. This is not the time for aspirational declarations.

I know – this flies WILDLY in the face of most freelancer aspirations of “set a deadline and then deliver the project early” or “deliver the project with extra bells and whistles a few days before the deadline!”

You are a human. And this is life. Things get in the way. Let your client know when that happens. Which leads to:

Keep that honesty in your communications.

I don’t care if you’re talking to your clients through email, phone, or Facebook messenger. Be honest with your potential client in the medium of your choosing (that means no sarcastic or meme-y remarks).

Do you have to share EVERYTHING that’s happening? No. Your client probably doesn’t need (or want) to know about your cat choking on a ballpoint pen cap before being eaten by a mutant boa constrictor. But if you are in a state of grief, just say, “Hey, things are really rough right now because my pet died.” You don’t have to go into details. Keep it simple.

Good clients will understand if you’re having an off day. Or an off week. (If they don’t get it, maybe don’t work with them any further. Just a heads up.)

Check in regularly.

“Regularly” can mean once a day, or once every couple of days, or once a week. As long as it’s consistent and NOT spam, that’s what matters. Don’t just drop off the face of the earth while working. (And clients, this goes for you, too. I’ve known a few clients who have just dropped off the face of the earth.)

Check-ins can look like whatever you need it to. Just keep up the communication.

Actually deliver what you promised.

You know that thing the client asked you to make? DO THAT THING.

Use whatever work flow method works for you. Pomodoro technique? Kanban board? A checklist? Use what works FOR YOU. (If you need ideas for how to structure your workflow, try one of Thomas Frank’s videos on YouTube. He does good beginner videos on productivity).

And as much as humanly possible – do NOT put the work off until the last minute.

“But I work better if I -”

No you don’t. You THINK you do, but you don’t. I have two sisters who are known stubborn procrastinators and I am the token sibling that turns work in early. I KNOW THE EXCUSES. They are just that: excuses.

You will make better work if you actually DO the work, one step at a time, one day at a time.

I tried procrastinating ONCE, in college – I pulled an all-nighter to make a painting that was due the next day. And I STILL didn’t finish it. It would have been better if I worked on that painting for even five or ten minutes a day for the week leading up to the due date.

Learn from that mistake.

Alright, I’ll end it here before this post gets any longer. If you have questions, leave them in the comments for me.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Adventures in Moving – Cleaning Out the Junk

I’m used to my life and belongings fitting inside one car. From 2012 to 2014, I moved 4 times, and each time, no U-haul was necessary. But now, in this latest Adventure in Moving, I need to clean out the junk.

Right now, I live in a house. It’s a small house built to be a father-in-law suite for my neighbor, but still a house. This next move will be into a new apartment. I’ll be losing at least 300 square feet, if not more. So I can’t keep everything.

So how am I picking what stays and what goes?

Well, I’m sorting my things by category.

I’ve already cleaned out my closet of everything I no longer wear. I also got rid of the things that don’t fit me. And then I took those to the local YWCA.

Next came the books. That category was harder for me. Working as a comic artist, I get a surprising amount of books from comic conventions and meeting with other creators. I determined that the best I can do is keep my book collection to 4 and a half shelves. (I’m brainstorming how to shrink it down even more than that, though). I got rid of the books I knew I could get at the library easily. I also got rid of books that I considered “aspirational,” as in “one day I’ll read these and become a better person!”

Nope. Got rid of those books. I’m only keeping the books that bring me joy.

Then I cleared out paperwork. Thankfully, with credit cards, student loans, and some other documents having online statements and backups, that made it easier to clear out papers.

CDs and DVDs? I thought I would have trouble with that. But I think all the sorting I’ve done before made sorting these discs WAY easier. I condensed a lot of them into a CD holder and got rid of the cases…responsibly. Always recycle.

That’s the secret about cleaning out your space: start with the easy-to-clear stuff.

With every category you clear, you level up just a little bit more, and it becomes easier to get rid of the things that no longer make you happy or have any use.

The next category to tackle is the bathroom stuff, which should be easy. The plan is that by the time I get to the work- and/or hobby-related stuff I have, I’ll have leveled up my sorting to the point that this will be easy.

Will I be able to fit all of my things into my SUV when I’m done? Probably not. I’ll be taking some bulky furniture with me, like my bed and drafting table, as well as my convention gear.

Will I be able to fit my stuff into a smaller U-haul? That’s the hope. And that’s why I’m going to keep sorting and paring down everything.

What am I doing with the stuff I’m getting rid of? Well, I’m donating it to the local YWCA.

The YWCA has seen an uptick in women and children moving into their location. As it turns out, an economic crisis worsens domestic abuse, making people more likely to seek shelter. At the YWCA, the women and children can recover in peace, but they always need things, like socks, clothes in general, and bathroom supplies. After all, these ladies often only arrive with the clothes on their back and nothing else.

If you’re on a tidying journey of your own, I encourage you to look up a shelter local to you and donate your things to them. Trust me – they will use it. And they will be happy and grateful that you helped.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Writing for Comics 101 – The Beginning

comic script for the legend of jamie roberts page 3

I’m beginning a new blog post series. Called Writing for Comics 101.

I had an epiphany recently, thanks to some new work I do. See, I’ve been hired as the Chief Creative Officer at NeverEnding. (Find out more about NeverEnding over on their website.) This new work has gotten me in contact with artists, because we’re looking to grow the team a little bit.

So I’ve been talking with other artists a lot more often. That’s nice, considering that the coronavirus pandemic has shut down convention season. So my options of chatting with other artists got a bit more limited.

That said, I realized something talking with some of these folks, pre-virus and presently. The thing is, many of them start as comic artists…but then they get frustrated at the lack of readers, so they leave the business. Many of these artists have moved on to just freelancing in general. There’s nothing wrong with that! But it made me realize something.

You can be the most killer comic artist on the planet – but that doesn’t mean shit unless you can write well.

And the thing is, many of these former comic artists…are not great storytellers.

This gave me the inspiration to start the Writing for Comics 101 blog post series. I’m going to keep this series to 4 posts. If there’s enough demand for it, I’ll expand it. But 4 posts (not counting this one).

We’re going to talk about:

  • why a comic is more than just cool-looking characters
  • why one-liners will not save your ass
  • design tricks to make the reader actually read your page
  • how to STOP packing so much dialogue into your pages

I hope with this short blog post series that I can help my fellow artists get more confident in their writing ability. I KNOW you can draw AND write killer stories. You just need more guidance than Google can provide.

So stick with me. And be sure to sign up for the email newsletter so you can keep up with this series as it posts.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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Charlie in Action: A Sketch

charlie the black punk girl in final fantasy cosplay striking an action pose

I promised more Charlie sketches a while ago. And I found one in the old sketchbook bin.

Honestly, I loved drawing Charlie in action poses. I haven’t drawn things like this for a long while. I should get back into it.

I drew her in this outfit because I wanted something that looked sleek yet unobtrusive for martial arts moves. She’s a Tae Kwon Do practitioner, after all.

And now she’s available as a digital download! Check it out on Patreon or Ko-Fi. The original sketch will be listed on Storenvy soon.

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How Do You Land Work as a Freelance Artist?

This is the question that has plagued Google and other search engines since the internet became popular. How DO you land work as a freelance artist?

Well, when you’re a freelance artist, I’ve really only found one or two methods that have worked above all else. You might want to sit down for this one, because it’s so mind-bogglingly simple and yet so difficult at the same time.

Here’s the two things you need to land work as a freelance artist:

  • a website
  • friends

That’s it.

No, I’m not joking.

A website will put all of your work in one place: your portfolio, your social media links, a sign-up page for your email newsletter, testimonials from people who hire you – ALL OF THAT. All of that goes on your website.

In my experience, people who hire artists don’t really give much of a shit what’s on your resume. They just care that you make good work, that you’re easy to contact and work with, and that you turn the work in on time.

Maintaining a website will help establish that you can do all 3.

“But how do I even get clients?” you might be asking.

You mean, other than having a website where people can find you online and look at your work?

Friends.

If you have good friends, they will be your first clients. Yes, you will likely need to discount your rates if you’re absolutely new to your field. But making work for friends (or your roleplaying group, or your book club, or whatever friend-group thing you do) will build your portfolio. Your portfolio is what will land you the work you want.

Do you want to be a character designer? Make character art for friends.

Do you want to be hired to make comics? Make zines illustrating an inside joke for your friends. (By the way, Chloe, if you’re reading this: “…apple pie.”)

Then, once you make the thing, post the thing on your website.

And then – get ready for this next part – ask your friends to spread the word that you’re available to work.

I have lost track of how many clients I’ve gotten over the years because a friend of mine said, “By the way this lady I work with is looking for an artist to (bleh).”

Is it really that simple? Yes.

Is this fast? NO.

Is the work worth it? YES.

If you’d like to see more posts about the Freelance Lifestyle, or if you’d like to keep up with my work, I have an email newsletter. It sends out once a week, and it’s the best way to stay in touch with updates on my blog and my webcomics.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.