Unit 11 Freelance work in Art and Design

The above is a map of my own skills against the required skills of possible professions that I may look into going in to after this course. I didn't write about the freelance area too intently but I have done research into it as required. 

Necessities for starting up as a freelancer:

1. The necessary software
First and foremost you need the software you plan on working with, be it Photoshop, Flash or whatever. Without these programs you'll struggle to create much or at least struggle to create things in any sort of manageable timeframe.

2. A place to work
You needn't have your own personal palace to work in, just a comfortable space with the technology you may need available to you. Such technology should really include a decent specced computer, a comfy chair and a butler to cater to your needs.

3. A way to market yourself
Without a decent way of marketing yourself, your skills will go entirely unnoticed. You could be the best designer out there but if people don't see your work then you won't make any money. A good way to advertise yourself to a wide variety of people would be to have an extensive online portfolio and take out advertisements wherever relevant and possible. Beyond knowing how to make yourself seen amongst the seas of other people, a good way of doing this would be knowing how to price yourself effectively and competitively depending on what other such people with similar experience are valuing their time at.

4. Time management skeels
The best of workers can be undone by an inability to manage their time properly. A basic yet effective way to avoid any issues would be to make yourself a calendar and map out your day to day schedules on a weekly and monthly basis. This can be done cheaply by purchasing a notebook/planner or creating a calendar on the computer.

5. Having basic forms
These forms could include invoice sheets, a full run-down on terms and conditions and a contract for jobs. Forms like this are not only a necessity for being properly prepared for each job, but also a form of protection for both the freelancer and the client in case of any legal discrepancies.

Obviously these 5 points will only give you a leg up and allow you to put a foot in the door. In order to succeed and prevail you'll require to put in a lot of hard work and network your brains out lol.