-
Freelancing…. how much to charge??? One answer…
Seems that question comes up from someone about every five threads or so.
My better half Kim (who is a graphic artist) was browsing through some design websites and blogs tonight and ran across this rather Zelinesque gem from a designer named Andy Rutledge. Rather than plagiarize or copy his quote, I’ll just link it…
https://www.andyrutledge.com/advice-for-new-freelancers.php
Pretty blunt… but I bet a lot of pros have wished they had the cujones to say that when faced with the newbie “What should I charge?” question (not that there’s anything wrong with being new… we all were once).
This guy has actually got a lot of pretty darn interesting things to say in a lot of areas.
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
-
5 Replies
-
Nice. Very succinct. I completely agree.
Save early. Save often.
Jonathan Ziegler
http://www.electrictiger.com
520-360-8293 -
Wow! He out Zelin’d Zelin!
I’d pay to see a cage match “tell off” between those two formidable pros!
Mark
-
He left out the part about, if, after being told what a bad idea this is, if you’re ridiculous enough to want to freelance, you’re going to inflict permanent damage to your mental health, and the mental health of the people who love you.
Kidding aside, I think that one of the dominant themes of the forum is becoming that freelancing is a siren’s song. I’m okay with that. It’s not for everyone, and as our boy Andy says, if the question is “How much should I charge?” the answer is probably “Don’t freelance.”
-
Now I will play Devil’s Advocate:
Basically, you have to be: a designer, a boss, a manager, a coach, an accountant, an attorney, a salesperson, a marketer, and more all in one go. It takes time and practice – it can take 2-3 years to start making a living (hence starting while you are still gainfully employed).
You don’t get paid for bad work, sometimes you don’t get paid at all, if there’s no work, you get nothing, you have to do jobs you would rather not do, you will learn about the people who have a great idea and want you to do all the work for no pay, but you will find your niche and make some money, eventually.
Save early. Save often.
Jonathan Ziegler
http://www.electrictiger.com
520-360-8293 -
Ugh, that guy is one bit of bad advice after another. Probably would have told Woz not to quit his job at HP.
Rock on!
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up