I recently registered my personal business with the state under the name Forml Design, inc. Ironically I’m taking a break from freelance work for at least four months, after I finish up a couple small projects I’m currently working on.
I’ve grown a lot over the past year in terms of working with my own clients and managing a part-time freelance business. The most valuable skill I’ve acquired is the ability to say no. It wasn’t long ago that I was so eager to take on any request that came in, but I quickly learned that my ambition was much bigger than the amount of time that is in the days (or nights). For the past few months I’ve been quite buried in work and I am SO ready for a break.
The hardest part about taking on so much side work is the fact that I don’t get to spend my (computer) time doing the work I enjoy. I’m all good with the staying up late working thing, and I do it almost every night. My family gets me from the time I get home until around 9:30, then I want to be doing things like:
- Experimenting with Flash
- Learning new technologies (lynda.com)
- Reading Feeds (blogs)
- Editing photos and posting to flickr
- Designing and developing personal projects
- Working on my day job related stuff (what can I say, I love what I do)
This is the stuff that keeps me inspired and fresh.
If you are a good interactive designer and you want some freelance work, let me know because I can forward your name to clients. Also, Kevin Airgrid wrote an invaluable book on freelance web design, which I read cover to cover. He’s now giving away this book for free as a PDF, grab it here.
Here are a few recent jobs that are now live:
- The Work and the Glory III
- Egg and Muffing Toaster (Paula Deen Edition)
- Ed Mayne for Senate 2006
lynda.com is the bomb.
hope you enjoy all your new free time and get all those nagging honey-do’s crossed off.
Those egg and muffin toasters are everywhere!