How do freelance artists find work?

freelance art jobs online

These days ain’t easy for artists. With a crazy load of opportunities comes the lack of self-esteem and it’s normal to feel lost, right? 

So let’s say you’re an artist and you actually believe in your talent. You don’t want to work for anyone else but yourself and it keeps you awake in the middle of the night thinking:

How the heck can I work as a freelance artist? 

You want to be your own boss, which means you need to impose some obligations to yourself, and it may seem a little scary. That’s one of the main reasons why artists hesitate to build their own businesses - the fear of not making it and letting themselves down.

Becoming a freelance artist always requires a lot of hard work, consistency, and perfect organization. Actions speak louder than words, so let’s check out the list of basic things you need to do when you dream to make money all by yourself.

You should do the following. 

1. Have A Full-Time Job First

You don’t have to do this, but you should. Working in a company will give you the experience you’ll never get by yourself. You’ll learn how to communicate with other people and clients, work on a deadline and plan your time in the most efficient way.

Do you think you can go from zero to hero?

Well, there’s a chance you might. But working as a freelance artist will need from you a professional background you’ll achieve only by working for someone else. 

Once you have a full-time job you need to be 100% sure you’re ready to quit. Building your personal appearance in business will take you some time, so don’t jump to conclusions too soon. Give yourself a while to find clients and don’t discourage yourself when there’s no real income at the beginning. 

It’s a process that may last a few months or even a year, so don’t be so hard on yourself, save some money from the job you still have and wait until it’s the right time to shine.

2. Build Your Online Presence

No matter how much you don’t want to admit it (because you may think you can do better than that) - the Internet is the main tool you have to use to build your presence in the art business world. 

You don’t exist as an artist on Instagram? You don’t exist at all.

The first thing you need to do is to set up a professional, online portfolio. Doesn’t matter if it’s a top-looking website or just a simple blog - just do it, because you need to have a place to fill with your work that you show to potential clients. You should print the address on your business cards too! 

The next step is to connect your website with your business social media channels. Focus on creating a beautiful-looking Instagram profile, as it’s the most powerful tool for artists and influencers right now. In this way you’ll be able to engage fans around you, check what they react to and - what’s most important - acquire new clients!