FREELANCE - the importance of a clients word

Continuing thoughts from my addressing a graduating class of Seniors about to enter the exciting world of Freelance Art— Freelancing is about juggling work and clients— and sometimes it’s not the easiest thing to do. Most clients recognize you have to line up your workload starting in about July of the year for the following year. This is why San Diego Comic Con is so popular. Sure to the general public it’s fun and vacation among Hollywood Stars and Studios, cosplayers, comic books and what’s coming up next year from their favorite companies, for the rest of us it’s meetings over drinks in Hotel Bars with editors, it’s trying to find a quiet corner to pitch a concept or literally riding up in the Elevator with an editorial person and talking about working together.

I was asked do you need to get those agreements in writing?

Technically, yes you should. But realistically if a deal falls through as deals will do is your plan to sue the potential client? The end result will likely be that you will never work with this person again. Sometimes that’s not a bad thing, but you’ll spend so much time in court it’s easier just to move on and find work with someone else.

This is why staying reliable is so important, this is why relationships matter, because you can reach out to editors who you have a good relationship with and tell them frankly that something fell through and they’ll find you work to keep you afloat until a solid assignment comes along.

It’s also a good idea to plan for dry times— when things are good sock away a bit of money into a fund that you can access when things go a little dry— this is the difference between sink or swim for many of us.