Becoming a Freelance Animator
Make the right business connections in the world’s
fastest-growing freelance marketplace.
Your greatest dream may be a career in freelance animation – you're your own boss, working your own hours in your own work environment and, of course, you can go to work in your pajamas since nobody's worried about corporate dress standards. But many people who choose to try freelance work aren't aware of the challenges that come with freelancing, only finding out what the problems are when they find them crashing down around them.
Whatever your set of skills and area of interest – 3D animation, Flash, animated graphics, web animation – working as a freelance animator can be extremely rewarding. But there's an awful lot of added responsibility that comes with being your own boss. Time management, for one – it's surprisingly easy to run out of time when you're working from home. It's just too easy to get distracted when you're doing laundry at the same time, keeping an eye on the kids and doing a load of dishes. There's also a lot of temptations at home that you don't have in a traditional office – a bed, for one. And a Nintendo game system.
So the important thing to consider when working at home as a freelance animator is that, yes, you're working. If you can't be responsible enough to get that Flash animation to the client on time, or to finish that bit of hentai animation with the tentacle monsters and schoolgirls by deadline – and that takes responsibility and discipline. You have to be responsible enough to set yourself a work schedule, and disciplined enough to adhere to it. If you don't, you're not a freelance animator – you're just unemployed.
When you first start freelancing, you might have a client or two, but you'll probably find it hard to make ends meet. You'll need to build a client base, which involves marketing yourself as a freelance animator and making inquiries about potential jobs. You'll also need to keep in touch with your existing clients, sending polite, professional e-mails just to keep yourself in their radar.
As you build your freelance business, your client base will grow on its own – happy clients will not only return to you with more animation work, they'll also refer others to you, who'll expect great work. So start looking for freelance animation jobs today, and check other parts of Go Freelance for employment opportunities and tips on a great freelance career!
Testimonials
"I took a chance one day when I was flush and sent a few bucks to gain access to the Go Freelance Professional Edition. Since then, I've edited a sales letter, a follow-up letter, an 11-page Web site, and a brochure. I'm 'on call' to do pinch-hit proofreading for a medical newsletter editor in Florida ..and I've landed a gig editing a new Canadian magazine coming out this fall. All this from taking a chance on Go Freelance."
Karyn Martin
"Once again, you guys have come through with incredible results. Our job post definitely produced the type and quality of person we needed, and we found who we were looking for quickly. From now on, you're my first choice when I need to hire someone."
Steve Brownrigg, The Newsletter Company