I’ve been freelancing for just over 5 years now, and whilst to me my stream of work feels far from consistent, the most common question I get asked is where and how do I find work, so in the art of not gatekeeping, here’s a comprehensive explanation of how I do it.
From the get go, I’ve applied to basically every opportunity I can find (if fitting obviously), whether thats competitions or job applications, because in my opinion, surely there’s no harm in getting your name as far and wide as possible. This also includes sharing my work as much as I can, whether it’s online on different platforms, via reach-out emails, or in person amongst creative communities.
A decent amount of my commissioners come directly to me, so I assume my marketing push throughout the years is doing something! My thinking is even if I don’t get this opportunity that I’m applying to right now, I get someones eyes on my work, and then later down the line it often pays off! - A couple years ago, I heard of the marketing principle ‘The Rule of 7’, which suggests that customers need to see a brand at least 7 times before making a purchase decision.
I see most of these opportunities on Instagram, which is annoying as I hate how much time I already give into this platform… however, I’ve found my algorithm has adjusted to giving me an endless supply of opportunities every-time I visit the explore page! I’ve also found a couple through Linked In, not necessarily direct job listings, but call-outs from companies and art directors for one-off projects. Once you give a little bit of time towards it, again you’ll find the algorithm working for you.
Also here are a bunch of links to creative job websites, none of which I’ve personally had crazy level of success from, however I would definitely recommend keeping an eye on them and applying to ones that seem like a decent fit! Run the Check, The Dots, If You Could Jobs, Creative Access, Creative Lives in Progress, Art Jobs, Starving Artists, and Behance.
The most successful way I find work is through reach-out emails. Whilst this method is very tedious, (for about every 100 emails you send, you get 10 replies, and 1 job…) it does work, and it’s how I got some of my biggest returning clients such as Elle Decoration! The easiest way to find reach-out email addresses from my experience is paying for a directory, I’d recommend the AOI, but you can also find them for free if you’re willing to do some rummaging like searching through Instagram, Linked-In, and the contact section on clients company websites!
Want some tips on how to write a good email? Creative Lives and It’s Nice That’s Associate Editor, Olivia Hingley made a great post all about it, read it here.
