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Another Friday, another update!
Yes, that's right, Update #31 and #32 in one email.
Last Friday was a rough one for me and I just didn't feel like writing another Update. So that's why this is an extended Update covering the last two weeks with an honest insight into my freelance life.
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Rollercoaster
Now I'm on this infamous rollercoaster of self-employment, too. A constant up and down, wildly changing between "This is the best thing I've ever experienced" and "it nearly turns my stomach". In between there are some loopings, where you don't really know what's up and down and whether you should be happy about it or not.
Over the last few months it looked like my business was going very well. I was busy with a bigger project, but still had time to do some smaller jobs. In addition, I already had another project lined up with a possible start date in November and good prospects for a five-month freelancer engagement starting in December.
But over the last two weeks things have changed drastically.
The current project was cancelled, so that I could only charge about half of the offered costs. Regarding the freelancer engagement, I received a rejection, although I was quite optimistic at first. The next project, scheduled for November, is expected to be postponed until January/February 2018. So. last Friday I stood there without a current project and without any prospect of further projects for this year.
I felt like I was playing the Monopoly game - go back to start and do not receive 2000.- in cash.
I was very disappointed, but also angry with myself. Angry that I had neglected the search for new customers and projects. Angry at the fact that I had focused too much on vague promises rather than clear commitments. Angry at the fact that I obviously didn't sell well enough for the freelancer project.
This was how I felt last Friday. Luckily the weekend came, allowing me to concentrate on other things.
But I also kept thinking about my situation, of course. By Monday I had regained control and had an idea of how I wanted to proceed.
Like playing the Monopoly game, you'll keep throwing the dice after you've had to return to the start - and you still have a chance to win the game.
My goal is to gain a solid position in the field of UX/UI design. So far it wasn't possible to land that big project, mainly because I haven't completed any official design training and don't have many projects to show yet.
But I am convinced that I have already taught myself a lot and have gained a lot of practical experience as lead designer for the djooze.school project over the last 3 years.
My goal is to gain a solid position in the field of UX/UI design. So far it hasn't been enough for bigger orders, mainly because I haven't completed any official design training and don't have many projects yet. But I am convinced that I have already taught myself a lot and have gained a lot of practical experience as lead designer for the djooze. school project over the last 3 years.
On Monday I started to rearrange my CV/profile as a UX/UI-designer to make sure that this will be more visible.
Furthermore, I would like to focus more on UX/UI design for new projects in order to further sharpen my practical skills. This means that I won't concentrate as much on the "development" part of my services for the time being. I also realized that my professional passion is more in the design field, but my development experience is a useful tool - whether it's to assess the technical feasibility of a design or to create prototypes.
As a further action I would like to find a mentor, a person with more experience in the UX/UI area, someone I can learn from.
And last but not least, I will not stop learning by myself; reading other books, carrying out my own projects such as Wellfunded, attending lectures or even holding lectures, exchanging ideas with other designers.
My conclusion after these two intense and emotional weeks:
It will continue - and I'm looking forward to it!
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Thanks for reading.
And now off to the weekend!
Beni
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