Good work, but clients don't come back, push your price down or can't tell what you do? Every letter shares what I've learned on both sides of the table about getting chosen, paid without haggling and hired again.
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Plus Behind the Lines interviews with other creatives, Artist's Notes – a quarterly update from my own business – and the occasional good find worth passing on.
Who you work for, what you do and how your portfolio shows it.
Briefs, communication, presenting work and delivery, from both sides of the table.
Pricing, boundaries and red flags, with real numbers from my own business.
"I adapted the message template you helped me craft to engage with the creative director. He felt that my message was to the point and real. So thank you for that!"
Motion Graphics Designer
"I have been following you for the past few months, and I have seriously felt seen and also found a wealth of information from you. On really hard days, it's been so nice to know someone else has been there too. Been a long-time lurker and learner from you, and thank you for your insight!"
Art Director
"I discussed my ongoing cold outreach campaign with Irene during a short call. I was happy to get confirmation that my approach and actions were generally on the right track. I also received a couple of useful tools and recommendations that have already proven effective. Thank you!"
Illustrator & 2D-Animator
"Thank you very much for speaking your mind and sharing all your gorgeous content. I've been following you for a while now, and knowing about you makes me feel less on my own as a freelancer and illustrator."
Illustrator for Brands
"Your insights are precious and I'm glad you're sharing them with us."
Illustrator & Motion Designer
About the writer
I hear the same things from freelancers all the time: the work is good, but the portfolio gets no replies, the price gets negotiated down, and projects that started well end in silence.
I know those moments from my own path. I'm self-taught and started from zero, and I learned the business side the expensive way – ignoring red flags that cost me later, and riding out quiet months that turned out to be anything but empty.
What changed things was learning to see my work the way a client does. Running my own studio and hiring other creatives made it impossible to miss. Today I work with brands like Adobe, Google and Shake Shack, and clients come back.
Now I run my business three days a week, alongside being a mom and a wife – and that only works because the business side finally runs the way it should. The things that hold talented freelancers back are rarely talked about, and every one of them can be learned. So I started sharing the honest side of things and helping freelancers build creative practice that doesn't burn them out.
7+ years in the industry, self-taught
Clients include Adobe, Google, Shake Shack, Dell and WestJet
16 awards and features, including Fast Company Innovation by Design, World Illustration Awards and Applied Arts
Zero missed deadlines
Founder & Creative Director of Deeply Design Studio
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