“Freelancing Isn’t That Mad” - we asked three creatives for advice on how to build a career as a freelancer

Director Jedidah M., Brand Strategist Nate Agbetu and Hiring Partner Naomi Dacosta talk us through their journeys as freelance creatives, what it takes to build a career that works for them, and how to actually make money doing it.

Last week, we hosted ‘Freelancing isn’t that Mad’, a panel that delved deep into what it takes to launch and sustain a successful freelance career, and we held nothing back. To cover all bases, we spoke to creatives working across strategy, film direction and recruitment: Nate Agbetu, Jedidah M. and Naomi Dacosta. They each shared their journeys, the challenges they've faced throughout the industry, and what has helped them overcome them.

This was the first (unofficial) session of MAD Academy - a programme sharing the stuff no one tells you about freelancing. Supported by Uncommon Creative Studio and Tangerine, the programme will dive into every stage of the freelance journey, from setting yourself up as a freelancer and navigating money conversations to building a standout portfolio. Mad Academy is now open for applications until the 1st of September.

Photography by Chantelle Kusi

Yellowzine: How do you go about finding clients to begin with?

Naomi: Having a game plan is important for your sanity. Whether you're freelance or permanent, there will always be jobs coming up. If you don't know what you want to do or where you want to go, you'll end up simply responding to the market.

Instead, ask yourself: What are the top 200 brands, agencies or studios I'd like to work with? I always say, go big. Build an Excel spreadsheet of marketing directors and creative directors, and start building relationships with them.

This isn't a silver bullet - you still have to put the work in - but it's a way of claiming back some autonomy. Be intentional about the value you're bringing and where it serves a purpose. Ask yourself: Would that value serve the marketing director in this organisation?

Nate: Once you start sharing, you stop searching. I like to share knowledge because I think we're all so hungry for it. Sometimes it can feel like crabs in a bucket, everyone's a bit scared or trying to hold onto things, but actually, once you start sharing, more things will come to you.

Jedidah: I agree. We should be sharing information. I realised that when I post just my work, it might get a few likes and a few comments. But when I post how I did it, how I got the job, what my experience was like, or what it was like working with that client or talent, people are much more intrigued because they're learning something from it. Watch the full session here:

https://youtu.be/omT2ltQFszM

Yellowzine: How important is social media as a freelance creative?

Naomi: A lot of people get hung up on the product or service they're selling or creating. For me, when I work with clients, the most successful freelancers are the ones who've created value or made their thinking visible. The people who stand out are the ones who can talk me through their journey. What was the insight? How did you get from this initial idea to that beautiful piece of work over there? I don't just want to know about the pretty picture, I want to be taken on the whole journey. People buy into your thinking.

Nate: That's a shift that's happened over the past two or three years. Following counts now matter almost as much for everyone on set as they do for the talent, which has been quite intense. That's why relationships are so important. Having relationships with people who are doing the work, care about it and share the same values is just as important.

Jedidah: I invested in my personal projects so I could create the work I wanted to be hired for, and I'd share that.

When you're starting out, you don't necessarily have the luxury of saying no. You have to be hungry and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. I did a lot of free work, and I also did a lot of work where I thought, I'm not going to post this, but it's going to help me pay my rent.

What I did do was invest in my own personal projects so I could create the work I actually wanted to be hired for. Maybe a job isn't going to pay me much, but I know what it's going to do for me because of the network it'll introduce me to. Sometimes you have to be strategic.

Yellowzine: What about setting your rate?

Naomi: Look at what other people are doing. What are the differences between you and them, and how do you imagine they're pricing themselves? That's a really good starting point. It'll give you an idea of what your value is worth, but it also helps you think about the value you're actually bringing to the table. When it comes to discussing budget, remember, it's just a conversation. Clients are people. They're not these ethereal characters you can't talk to. They can say yes, or they can say no. It's a negotiation.

Your portfolio should be like a shop door. Welcome people in, let them have a little look around, then start the conversation. I've never had a client say, "That's absolute bollocks. How dare you ask for that?"

Jedidah: I'm not scared to ask people how much they make because then I know whether I'm charging enough or not. Here's how much I made. You can charge more, charge less, or do whatever you want with that information. I've honestly been pleasantly surprised (and unfortunately surprised) by what my counterparts are making. I remember finding out that a white female director I knew had earned around £40,000 on a project. She'd made roughly three times what I'd made.

Nate: I want a slow yes. I want people to think about the price I've given them. I don't want them to immediately jump at the first number because it probably means I've come in too low.

You can work on a huge global campaign and then realise afterwards, I've been swindled. You're always at risk of that. It's great to have someone who'll advocate for you. Usually I'll go in a little higher than my instinct tells me to, and then we'll work our way from there.

Photography by Chantelle Kusi

Yellowzine: What if you're a multidisciplinary creative? How do you put your best foot forward?

Naomi: If you're a multi-hyphenate and you have one thing that's your thing, that's what you lead with. You're allowed to do all the other things, but the trick is understanding what you're bringing to the table. Lead with your North Star, that shining thing you can confidently talk about.

Talk about the value you've brought to a project rather than listing your services. You're not a menu or a library of skills. Yes, you're selling your services, but what value did you create for that company? That's a much more difficult question to answer. People can benchmark rates and compare portfolios, but what you're offering is unique, so you have to do that research yourself.

Jedidah: I think being multidisciplinary is a good thing, but everything should feel aligned.

If you're doing photography here, directing there and then something completely different over here, people need to understand how those things connect. It should feel seamless.

Nate: My philosophy lives in the work itself and in why I'm doing it. Being really value-driven is important. Over the past few years, people have become much more interested in visual culture and how work is presented back to them, so making sure your projects are documented properly is really important. If you work in a creative industry, people want to see work from the past year or two. Otherwise, they'll naturally wonder what you've been doing.

Photography by Chantelle Kusi

Yellowzine: What's one piece of advice you'd give your younger self as an early-stage freelancer?

Naomi: Have a game plan. Don't spend your career simply reacting to whatever opportunities come your way. Think about where you want to go, who you want to work with and start building relationships with those people. It's not a silver bullet, but it gives you back a sense of control. Be intentional about the value you're bringing and where it serves a purpose.

Jedidah: You need to have unshakeable belief in yourself. I think a lot of the times I fell off, stopped posting, considered going back to full-time work or found myself crying because I was struggling, it all came back to not having that belief in myself. Now, when I have that belief, anything feels possible - even if it isn't. That's when I can sit down, strategise and create.

I've also figured out what success looks like for me, and I've allowed it to evolve as I've evolved. That has given me the space to be kinder to myself. If I haven't achieved something, I'll reflect on what I have achieved and think about what I can learn from the things I didn't.

I've also made it a practice to celebrate the small wins. I used to focus only on the big wins and the big losses. Now, even a small win is something worth celebrating with the people around me.

Nate: I'd probably give this advice to the version of myself just after burnout. I was trying to be in everyone's decks. I wanted to be everywhere. Now I'd tell myself to allow things to be imperfect. Just show up. Make the work, put it out there and let it grow.

Apply for Mad Academy here: yellowzine.com/mad-academy