TFD: PERFECT YOUR SKILLS
After a bit of a break, welcome back to The Freelance Diaries!
This week I'm going to chat a bit about something that's perhaps the most important bit of advice I have to offer - perfecting your skills. Whether you practice modern calligraphy, lettering, illustration, graphic design, film, etc., etc., you need to be the best you can be.
In the past, I've talked about developing a voice and the importance of having a distinctive portfolio as a creative freelancer. This makes the client experience much more streamline. They know what they're getting; you know what you're giving. That said, before you get to this point, you've really just gotta perfect your skills.
Funny enough, you can actually get very far with sub-par skills if you're pleasant to work with and have some killer marketing tactics. I'm a firm believer that you should continue to put work out there for the world to see, even if you're not 100% to your skill level goal. This gets the ball rolling and encourages people to actually start paying attention to your work.
Again, that being said, perfecting your skills is what is going to make your work stand out amongst the slew of sub-par artists out there. Perfecting your skills gets you to the place where you can actually make real decisions on how you want your artwork to look.
Now, there are a few ways to perfect your skills. First, and the most obvious way: practice. Practice makes perfect, you guys.
Second, you need to learn.
Learning from well versed artists is the absolute best way to begin the lifelong journey of perfecting your skills. There are lots of ways to learn... Private lessons, workshops, online classes, or even continued education. Depending on your budget, you'll choose one of these options. All of these have one thing in common, though: you're learning the skills from someone who has been doing it a really long time and KNOWS what they are doing.
I know a lot of you ladies and gents out there are self taught - which is awesome! My advice to you would to be go out and (AT LEAST) take a workshop from an artist you admire. If you can't afford a college education (which is the #1 way to learn your skills...) then investing in a hands on workshop is going to get you where you need to be.
Still not willing to splurge on a workshop? Take a quick online course that focuses on the skill you want to learn. There are so many online classes out there, it will really surprise you. In my experience, online classes can be a great way to learn at your own pace on a shoestring budget. Like before, learning in a hands on environment will ALWAYS beat online classes, but sometimes you just gotta make it happen without that luxury.
PLACES TO LEARN:
• Lynda
• College for Creative Studies (psst... I teach here!)
Now let's start practicing! Where are your favorite places to learn? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Did you find this helpful? Leave a comment below, pin it, tweet it, share with your friends! I want to know about your journey as a freelance artist.
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