How to Freelance – What Are You Worth?

https://www.nicoleschmidgall.com/blog/

 

The other day, I friend of mine who recently moved out of the area asked for my opinion on a potential freelance client. I’m always happy to share my insight on anything design related – so I happily obliged.

Here’s the thing – I’ve been doing this freelance/side hustle thing for years. Years and Years. And although I’m not quite ready to make the leap into full time freelance, I do know that I have had enough experience in the side-hustle of things to share a few tidbits of what I learned.

So I decided to put together a little blog series called, ” How To Freelance”. Each post will focus on a specific topic and will try to encourage those who are just getting started, offer some friendly advice, and I’ll leave comments open so you can ask me any question you want (I’ll answer it right away or if it’s a really good one I’ll do a whole post on it!)

I hope that through this series you’ll find something that is helpful in your endeavors to creative freedom.

 

What Are You Worth?

What I mean by this is – how much is your TIME worth = what are you worth to the client? All of us have time, live by time, value time – we need time. It seems like we always need more time. The common misconception when a person begins to freelance is ” Oh I can whip this up in no time, so I’ll only charge x per hour.” The amount that you charge your client shows how much you value your time. If you are charging the right amount for your services, the client will see that you value your time and will not take advantage of it.

 

What It Looks Like For A Client To Value Your Time

  • They will not email you at all hours of the night and expect an immediate response.
  • They will not ignore your rules of two rounds of edits only
  • They will provide all content when you request it – upfront.
  • They will do the homework you assign to them

If this is not happening for you – perhaps you need to rethink what you are charging? If that is not the problem, then you may need to set clear standards for your clients ahead of time, or maybe the solution is to kindly decline to work with your troublesome current clients and be a bit more thorough when taking on new clients.

It’s been many more times than I would like to admit where I’ve regretted taking on certain clients and that was due to the fact that I didn’t present my stipulations up front nor did I stick to them later on.

All this to say, first and foremost, you need to look at what you are charging people for your time.

 

Another Common Misconception

Another common mistake I’ve seen designers and aspiring entrepreneurs make is, when they are working the side-hustle, it doesn’t mean that since they have a full time job they should undercharge for their freelance work. That devalues your time and the work you do. If anything, your rates should be much more comparable to someone who is a full time entrepreneur. You are taking so much more of your time to create beautiful work for your freelance clients; time that could be spent on a hike with your family, or enjoying drinks with friends, or maybe a concert with your significant other. That time you are sacrificing is VALUABLE, so please make it count monetarily! You do that, and you will get more dream clients, clients that value the work you do and the time you spend to help them out. The more dream clients you have, the closer you are to your dream of complete entrepreneurship – which equals a lot of work along with an incredible sense of pride and accomplishment.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments on how you show other that you value your time!

On Goal Setting & Keeping

posted in: Life | 0

On Goal Setting and Keeping

I had a bit of a meltdown yesterday.

It’s not something I’m proud of, but it happens.

I blame it on this lifestyle I live. As you can see a few weeks ago I posted my daily schedule. It’s a bit of a crazy one – full of things to do and people to see.

I love it. I really do. I’m so grateful for this crazy busy life I share with my husband. That being said – I’m only human. I think that the price for living this lifestyle that I lead is that I will have days like yesterday.

Days where I am exhausted, emotional, spent, feeling overused and under appreciated, the list can go on and on. Yesterday was one of those days and it sucked.

We have financial goals set up – and part of why I work as much as I do is to help us meet those goals as soon as possible. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the fact that those goals seem SO.FAR.AWAY.

So I did what any normal girl would do and called my older sister. I cried, she did most of the talking ( she gets that from my dad) and she ended up spilling this little golden nugget.

I am only human. The price for living the go go go life that I have is that every once in a while I will experience moments of utter exhaustion and feelings of hopelessness. Just remember, they’re just moments!

The good news is, it doesn’t last! I state of mind such as I had yesterday doesn’t have to last for more than a moment!

I had a good cry, then a good laugh or two with my sister. My husband was incredibly supportive (he’s a gem). I got home and did my workout. After that I was on the upswing.

I sat down and tackled the 20 unread emails in my inbox that were haunting me – and by the time I stopped to make/eat dinner and get back at it after kitchen clean up- I had 3 emails left in my inbox. Total win! Felt GREAT!

So let my experience yesterday be a bit of hope to you. First of all, you are NOT alone! So many creatives go through moments of doubt, fear, stress and anxiety. The beauty of this life thing is that you aren’t alone! Reach out to someone you love or know will want to listen and just talk it out. It’s amazing how sharing your fears and and anxieties weakens them a bit. Gain perspective from those around you, listen to reason, and just get back to work! You’ll feel so much better knowing that you have people around you praying for your success just as much as you are!

Keep your eye on that goal you’re working toward and don’t look back! You’ll be so glad in the end that you continued on.

Best of luck on the goals you are working toward today – I’m rooting for you all the way!

A Day in the Life of a Graphic Designer

posted in: Life, Work | 2

nicole schmidgall design

 

By nature, I am quite a workhorse. I love very much to be busy, working and doing a multitude of other things. The up side to that is that I am never ever bored. The down side and is that there are moments when I can feel overwhelmed and a smidgen burned out.

I’ve been wanting to work on becoming much more productive in this life of mine, really focusing on things that matter and not wasting the good hours of my day on non-productive things.

I am a full time graphic designer, I work the freelance side-hustle of graphic design, I am a wife, step-mother to two teenage boys, and a momma to two wonderful dogs.

This is what my ideal, normal weekday looks like:


5:30am | Wake up – scroll my phone for any social media notifications or emails that would be enjoyable to read in bed, like family and friend emails. I skip the work ones and save those for later.


5:45am | Go downstairs and start my car (it feels like it’s been cold for so long that that’s all I remember ever doing when I first go downstairs in the morning.) I come back inside, make myself a to – go cup of coffee, grab my lunch which are dinner leftovers from the night before, and hit the road.


6:00am | I hit the road to my office. I work about 35 miles from the full-time day job, so the commute takes me about 1 hour to 1:15 hours (hello, DC commute), it just depends on the day or if I get out of the house earlier than 6:30. I find it to be a wonderful time of peace and quiet, filled with WTOP talk radio and podcasts highlighting creative entrepreneurs. A long commute bothers so many people in this area, but it doesn’t bother me.


7:00am – 2:30pm | I design a monthly magazine publication for a non-profit as a full time gig, so that is what I do most of my day. I have a wonderful set up where I come in early, and leave early, but am always available remotely in the evenings if something needs to get done.


2:30pm | I hope in my car for another hour long trip back home – which is also filled with talk radio and my favorite podcasts. ( I’ll share those in an upcoming post)


3:30pm | I come home to my husband who is normally home by this time and the boys who are home from school. I pull some meat out of the freezer for dinner, either chicken, beef, or pork and start to think of creative ways I can feed my family while I get ready for my workout.


3:45pm | I’m a big Beachbody T25 fan, 25 minute workouts everyday with really great results. I do my T25 workout and then I do another 15-30 minutes of yoga. I LOVE yoga – I’m turning into a yogi without even realizing it! It’s just so wonderful, it calms my achey muscles and allows me to refocus and release tension (which I carry a lot of).


4:30pm | I start to make dinner. I usually have an idea in my head from thinking about what I have in my fridge throughout my day. One of my favorite things to do is make dinner for my family. It’s so fun to think up a meal throughout my day. At this time I peruse Pinterest in search of my idea to see how other people have done it. I then get to work.


5:00pm | This is the time our oldest usually leaves for work so I try to have a little something ready for him so he can scarf it down before he goes and delivers pizzas. (Side note: Every night my poor boy is stiffed by a person who doesn’t tip him. Pizza Delivery Guys live off of tips just like waiters so PLEASE tip your delivery guys (and gals)!!)


5:15-5:30pm | This is when the four of us (minus our oldest most nights) sit to eat dinner. I’m not sure why we eat so early. I think it’s because we start our day so early, but also since I’m just a go go go person- I get it done as soon as I finish my workout. We eat, talk, and just have a nice time together as a family. Family dinner together is a huge priority for our family.


6:30pm | My husband and I clean up dinner. I also clean up as I cook – so dinner clean up isn’t ever really that bad.


6:45pm | I head upstairs to my office/studio and get to work on my freelance hustle. I answer client emails, work on mockups for a client, check the status of client payments, and do some invoicing of past projects that are closed and complete.


8:30pm | This is my ideal time to STOP freelance work. If I don’t stop now – the rest of my night time groove is thrown off. So I generally try to stop at 8:30. I hop in the shower and get ready for bed. I have very curly hair and the best time for me to wash it and not use any heat treatment is at night. I also only wash my hair with conditioner and use solely leave in conditioner and hairspray to style my hair, but that routine is also for another post entirely.


9:00pm | I go downstairs to hang out with my boys for a bit, or just say good night and come upstairs.


9:15pm | I usually check social media again, play a little bit of a guilty pleasure iPad game, and maybe do some light reading.


9:15pm – 10:00 pm | Hang out a little with my husband and am usually asleep no later than 10:00pm.


And that is my day! Seeing that we don’t have small children that need our constant care or attention, my life is pretty much set up so that I can be productive, get plenty of sleep, and have some flexibility in my schedule for going out and other evening activites. A lot of times my freelance requires more from me, so I’ll work some after my workout/before dinner or later into the night. In reality, I’m very blessed to have the schedule that I have, and I thank the Lord often for it.

The thing I could probably cut in order to have more time to be productive in my day is sleep – like wake up earlier – but I just can’t seem to make that work! If I could wake up earlier and do my workout in the AM before work – that would free up my afternoon a lot more. It’s a goal I can hope to reach one day – but I don’t think today is that day.

Thanks for reading!

Against Such Things

Verse 4.

Galations 5:22-23 (ESV) “But the Fruit of the Spirit is Love Joy Peace Patience Kindness Goodness Faithfulness Gentleness Self Control; against such things there is no law.”

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Now this verse isn’t actually a verse I don’t currently know. I learned this verse as a little girl and it has stuck with me ever since. I decided to share it because it’s a verse that my church is focusing on for 9 weeks – highlighting each fruit. It’s truly amazing. As I’m writing this, I’m reflecting back on the word Goodness that we focused on this past Sunday.

I tweeted one of Pastor Heather’s comments that really stood out to me. I serve a God that truly is GOOD and I am also GOOD and choose to live as such. I will not solely BE good, but I will DO good, as  Jesus did.

It’s not by accident the verse states “…against such things there is no law.” We have the freedom to experience the fruit of the Spirit, we’re not solely burdened with the task of acting these out.

I’m so excited for this upcoming week – I hope you feel encouraged to know that there is a Good God who loves you immensely.

 

Weight of the Heart

Verse 3.

Proverbs 21:2 “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.”

typography, nicole schmidgall design

In this challenge I’ve learned a lot about embracing imperfections.

I embrace the fact that the bottom right twig is more like a straight line instead of a rounded piece of ivy

I embrace the fact that the second little squiggle is all wonky. It’s because as I was working on this in the quiet of my living room, all of the sudden my little dog Chuy barks at some imaginary being outside and made me jump. And so, that is why there is a wonky little diddy on the page.

Even though my letters aren’t consistent, my pen quality could be vastly improved by simply purchasing new pens, and my squiggles aren’t flowing as naturally as I’d like, I still love this piece.

It speaks to the challenge I’ve taken on – I’m excited that it’s my third one.

The Lords weighs the heart.

It’s what is going on in my heart that matters – the weight of the heart is what peaks the Lord’s interest.

I feel that these Scriptures are living in my soul. I pray that that has an affect on the weight of my heart.

And that, my friends, was the very point of this challenge.

I’d say we’re off to a good start!

Strength and Dignity

posted in: Faith, Life, The Word, Work | 0

Verse 2.

Proverbs 31:25 “She is clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come.”

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This verse hit me in the gut when I read it. Especially the second part.

…She can laugh at the days to come.

It stares at me, encouraging me to do the same. To throw off all sense of worry and dread for the future, and just look at what’s to come with lightheartedness. To really on what I know to be true, that the Lord holds our lives in His hands. He know what is to come. He knows what will come of my life.

So for today, I will strive to live by this verse. My goal is, that when I die, my family will say that this is how I lived my life. That I carried myself, day to day, with strength and dignity, and I was able to, most importantly, laugh at what was to come.

Aspirations

posted in: Faith, Life, The Word, Work | 0

We’ve all got them. For some of us of our aspirations rule our lives, while for others of us, aspirations are just a little blip that enter into our thought processes when we least expect it. We entertain it for a bit and then just let it go.

I’m probably neither of those.

I always think of what I want to be doing – but instead of letting the realization that I’m not doing what I want to be doing get me down, I start to do one of those things.

This morning I had the realization that I don’t know much Scripture except that which I learned when I was a child. Good ‘ole King James Version Bible Verses. I also have this aspiration of drawing something daily and bettering my typography skills.

Then an idea hit. I love those.

I want to memorize more scripture, so why not draw the piece of Scripture I want to learn in one week and share it on this here blog? That way, I’m learning Scripture like a want to, but I’m also forcing myself to post what I draw. Which is incredibly terrifying at times, even if it only is my sisters reading this blog.

So, that’s what I’m going to do. For now, it will be once a week. Perhaps later it will be twice or three times.

I’m also posting the first thing that I draw – however horrible it may be. My goal is to be able to make anything work with my artwork, and I want to get speedy at writing beautifully.

So here’s to quickly drawn Bible verses on a weekly basis – with that hope that they will turn into a beautiful feature of this blog. That may take some time so hang in there!

Verse 1 : Psalm 9:1 (ESV)

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Things I love

Once a week – I would like to share a few things with you that I am absolutely in love with. Would you mind? I’d love to connect with you on any of these things – to find others who have similar interest is most exciting to me!
So – here is the first of many “Things I love”

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1. This gorgeous DIY buffet.

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2. Biz Ladies – 99.9% of what you need to know to be fabulous, running your own business (successfully!) This is a great glimpse into some very successful bloggers/business owners

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3. This ruffled bib necklace by All About Ami – she is an incredibly talented crochet artist who shares some of her lovely patterns. Go have a peek!

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4. Insect art. As odd as it sounds – these are so beautiful. I stil freak out at bugs in my house as much as the next girl.

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5. This studio office space. I’m in the process of re-working my beloved studio office space. I’ll be sure to share some before and after photos on here! That’s my favorite part of a simple DIY reno!

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6. This saying. Just the right thing to get my butt in gear!

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7.This wood art is just gorgeous! I also love love love those that use their gifts and talents to benefit the lives of others.

Cheers to a new week! I’m planning on doing my yoga/pilates and T25 workouts err-day, having a bunch of yummy healthy shakes, and getting caught up on all my design projects that I hope to share with you when they’re nearer to completion!

Hope you had a life giving and refreshing weekend and try to remember the following this week – I bet it will change your outlook!

The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. | William Shakespeare.

 

Can I be real for a moment…

posted in: Faith, Life | 0
My mother at 20 years of age.
My mother at 20 years of age.

I’ve been feeling completely surrounded by cancer. It’s personally draining, spiritually testing, and emotionally tiring. I’m so surrounded that I was up at 3AM this morning, wide awake, just thinking. Thinking of the cancer that took over the brain of a young mother, took her life, and left behind a one-year-old little girl and a grieving husband. Maybe it’s the fact that I myself lost my mother to cancer when I was 8 years old – but I just can’t get that little girl out of my head.

A few weeks ago we learned of a friend who’d fought an amazingly heroic battle against lung cancer but just didn’t overcome it physically. He left behind 2 sons and a daughter. I know that I know that I know I serve a loving God, and I’m so in love with Him. I know His heart also aches for the loss these families have endured. Even still, I still ask why.

I’ve been asking why all day. While I’m working, I ask why. While I’m contemplating rearranging my office space, I ask why. While I’m trying out a new recipe of chicken soup for my boys, I ask why. Then, as if to answer me specifically and not leave me in limbo, God answers me through an email my husband shared with me. A man from our church has a sister with cancer. He sent an email letting us know that she got blood work done and is in full remission.

Can I get a Praise the Lord? How about an Amen! That email was what I needed.

I serve a God who cares about me. In answering my questions, He’s shown me how much He cares for me. And for the little one year old girl that lost her mom. And for the 2 boys and 1 girl who lost their dad. He didn’t answer my why specifically, and I’m totally ok with that. He did let me know that He hears my thoughts and prayers, and gave me a little glimpse of hope on a dark day and tough moment.

Thanks for allowing me to share the beautiful and tough areas of my life. I love that I can write these feelings down, and share them with you all.

Be blessed,

-Nicole

 

How to Gain Inspiration

posted in: Inspiration | 0

It’s hard. It can be a challenge. As a designer it’s a MUST to stay inspired, for without that inspiration my work suffers tremendously. I’ve come up with a few ways to stay inspired and I’d like to share them with you all. We all need a little inspiration, eh? So as a designer who is always seeking to be inspired, let me share a few ways that I stay inspired.

Pinterest

1. Unexpected places
I know what you’re thinking, “Ummmm I’m pretty sure that picture is Pinterest and I’m pretty sure Pinterest is not an unexpected place to find inspiration.” If you’ll take a moment and look past the fact that it’s Pinterst, I think you’ll see what I mean. I am a graphic designer, and yet I search for inspiration in unexpected places – like in furniture design, in room decor, in textiles and floor tiles. Anything that at once took some sort of creativity to create can be used as inspiration for any type of creative work. Just use your imagination!

 

BooksInspiration

2. Learn from the Pros

There are an endless amount of books specifically written to help you, as a designer, stay focused and inspired. I’ve listed a few above. Take a look!

Caffeine for the Creative Mind | Show Your Work | Steal Like an Artist

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3. Step Away

Seriously. This helps me every time. I’ve been at my computer for hours, I can’t think anymore, I have to do something else. So I go take a walk, I do some yoga/pilates, or whatever else that is active and the opposite of technology, and it helps tremendously. Removing myself from the place of frustration gives me a chance to refocus, re-evaluate, and reconnect with something that is bigger than me. That way, when I come back to my desk, I’m feeling rejuvenated, inspired, and ready to take on the world! Or at least figure out why my hex formulas are seemingly inaccurate. In the cold winter months, it’s so hard to go outside, so yoga/pilates is a fantastic indoor solution for me! Above is my little mut Chuy – love him to pieces – and I can’t wait for flip flops and pedi weather!

 

Thanks for stopping by – I hope one of these tips helps you feel inspired again!

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