Combining his knowledge of technology with his love of writing, Paul Spicer created a new travel writing application, iGo iWRITE. The 34-year-old Richmond, Virginia resident shares how he got into freelancing and what this new application means for travelers who have a story to share.

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Like many creative professionals, Edwin Tofslie never intended on being an artist. But when his education in the engineering field went awry, Edwin explored his artistic side and never turned back.

Now, this 28-year-old Oregon resident is landing national clients from his full-time job and freelancing clients. He’s landed major design jobs with Nike, Old Spice, and Pepsi to name a few. With such an impressive portfolio, I just had to learn the secret to this guy’s success.

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Armed with a college degree in physics, Nik Ainley has become a well-recognized and talented designer with an impressive roster of clients. I talked to this UK-based designer about the challenges of freelancing full-time, using a technical application as a niche and how to leverage the press to boost your business.

Tell us how you got into design?

I’m a pretty late starter, only really getting into art and design at the age of about 20 or 21. I was at university at the time studying for a completely unrelated scientific degree when for some reason or another I obtained a copy of Photoshop (version 5.5 I think). I fell in love with it immediately and soon was devoting way too much of my spare time to playing around, learning new stuff and getting into design in a more general way.

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Photo by boldiest.

A freelancer’s life isn’t always as glamorous as it looks from the outside. Working in pajamas and bunny slippers may seem like a welcome break from a soul-crushing corporate job, but the pressures that freelancers face can cause stress levels as high (or higher) than your typical 9-to-5 employee.  The rush and responsibilities of managing a freelance business cause more than a few rising stars to burn themselves out before their time, and it’s never pretty.  If you’re not feeling the love you once had for your freelance freedom, use these tips to unwind before you implode.

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At just 27, Morgan Porter is a thriving freelance designer. Focusing mostly on websites, the Richmond, Virginia native worked in the corporate world for a while before branching out on his own.

But success hasn’t been a piece of cake. While Morgan has improved his innate design talents, he’s also had to learn by trial and error how to make his business work.

That’s why I was eager to feature Morgan on FreelanceSwitch.com. He’s out there making it happen, proving that age isn’t really a factor in the freelance world. Continue Reading

Most people think about creative careers when they consider freelancing. But not Melody A. Kramer. She’s the Co-Founder of the National Association of Freelance Legal Professionals, and has cracked the code on how legal eagles can break into freelancing, too.

Melody, A 42-year-old resident of San Diego, California, got the idea for the organization after working as a freelance attorney for other law firms for years to supplement her own solo practice.

“I started to realize that there were many attorneys, paralegals and other professionals who could use support in doing their jobs. Legal freelancing can be a means to creating a meaningful work-life balance, something seemingly unattainable for workaholic attorneys,” says Melody. “We are changing the entire landscape of how law firms work by raising the profile of freelancers’ role in a successful law firm business model.”

Workaholics? That pretty much includes us all, so even if you’re not in the legal arena, read on to learn about how she carved out her own career. Continue Reading

Want to turn your personal interests into a booming career? That’s what Ian MacKenzie had in mind when he started his career as a new media producer.

A jack-of-all-trades, Ian recently finished producing the web series OneWeekJob.com, where a friend worked one job a week for a year. He creates citizen journalism pieces for the new portal VancouverIAM.com, and completes freelance web development projects for companies as well.

The Vancouver resident also blended his love of travel into a profitable enterprise known as BraveNewTraveler.com. I found Ian’s zest for making his passion profitable to be refreshing. He also works from home with his wife, which I know is something that many freelancer’s grapple with.

Overall, I think you’ll enjoy his perspective on things! Continue Reading

For children’s book author and editor Lisa L. Owens, breaking into the publishing biz came naturally. Studying English and Journalism at university turned into a slew of book writing and editing credits for major publishers.

Always a freelancer and now fully solo, the 42-year-old writer from Issaquah, Washington, has more than 12 years of experience under her belt and has put herself out there in an array of national and local industry associations.

I caught up with Lisa to find out how to make the transition into freelancing, take a prominent role in industry groups and maintain a blog at the same time. Continue Reading

Creative careers work in magical ways. Take Ed Gandia, for example. The Georgia resident was working in sales and always wound up working for companies with small or no marketing budget. He never thought that he could be the one creating the marketing collateral.

Then he fell into copywriting, and the rest is history. Now Ed, 36, runs his own copywriting business along with www.TheProfitableFreelancer.com to inspire other copywriters to make good money doing what they love.

Ed leveraged his strong background in sales to enhance his career as a copywriter. Prior to launching his copywriting and consulting business, he was a senior account executive with Constructware, an on-demand construction software company. During his five-year tenure there, he created and implemented a marketing and sales program that helped revive a software product and boost its sales by more than 500 percent.
Now Ed’s a copywriter and consultant specializing in technology—and he’s earning big bucks doing it. All the same, Ed has got a passion to help other creatives earn great money, and I wanted to find out how he’s doing it. Continue Reading

As more and more people turn to environmentally friendly solutions for their lives, more self-employed people are making this a focus for their businesses.

At just 25 years old, Angela Ferraro-Fanning has done just that with her graphic design business, 13thirtyone Design. As the Principal of the enterprise, this Hudson, Wisconsin, resident not only makes environmentally savvy choices for herself such as cutting out a commute by working at home, but she helps her clients find earth-friendly ways to do business.

If you’re looking to put a little green in your business, read on to learn how this innovative creative has succeeded in doing just that. Continue Reading

Chuck Anderson is a household name. At least, he’s a house-hold name in any house inhabited by a designer — providing the house has four walls and is not a rock (which the designer was living under).

You get the idea.

He has worked for clients for whom the words ‘high-profile’ seem like an understatement: Adidas, Microsoft, Pepsi, Absolut, Rolling Stone, Nokia, Sony, Reebok… the impressive list goes on. The father of Freelance Switch, Collis Ta’eed, recently had the opportunity to ask Chuck how all this success came his way.

– Skellie

When you got started it was as a freelancer rather than at a design or ad agency working for someone else. What made you choose to go solo straight out of the gates?

I think it was just my only option! I had just graduated high school in 2003 and in early 2004 I started sending my work out to some magazines, smaller companies, agencies, etc. I didn’t go to college, had no resume, no prior working experience at an agency. Just me, my computer, the internet, and Photoshop trying to make something happen. Once I started getting some freelance work, it snowballed into enough that amounted to a career. Continue Reading

Sometimes starting a freelance business means building it from the ground up. Which has worked superbly for Calvin Lee, the Principal and Creative Director of Mayhem Studios. Cal couldn’t afford to attend a four-year college or design school, so he taught himself about design and formed his business through a lot of hard work.

Cal says he’s always loved drawing as a kid. “A lot of my imagination came from reading comic books. I wanted to do something creative as a career one day or even draw comic books,” he says. While that never came to be, the 39-year-old Los Angeles resident did whatever he could to pursue a creative career. He attended a local trade school and enrolled in a community college design program—but the rest was up to him. Continue Reading