Adam Pyburn is a Durham-based 2D & 3D motion designer with a background in video production and graphic design. Read what advice he has given to new freelancers, some things he wished he would have known when he started, and more.
How long have you been freelancing?
14 years part-time / 4 years full-time
What do you do? Share your work history and skills.
I’m a senior motion designer who uses After Effects and Cinema 4D to creating meaningful, compelling animations that meet a wide range of video production goals.
Share how freelancing has been great and/or how it has been hard. (positives vs. pain points)
Positives:
– Working with a wide variety of clients and projects
– Flexible schedule
– Greater sense of reward for accomplishments
Pain points:
– Balancing work and business development
– Healthcare (hopefully we’ll have Medicare for all soon!)
– Keeping my rate competitive while cost of living increases
What are some things you wish you would have known when you started out?
I wish I had focused solely on motion design in my early freelance career. I also should have rented an office sooner – my productivity immediately increased when I stopped working from home and coffee shops.
What is some advice you would share with soon-to-be or wish-to-be freelancers?
Socialize as much as your personality will allow – it can and will be awkward at times but no one can hire you if they don’t know you exist. So email people doing what you want to be doing and find out how they got there. Take people in your industry out for coffee/lunch/drinks and keep in touch with folks.
Don’t worry too much about becoming an LLC – it’s not that big of a deal. Don’t work for free unless it’s for a good cause.
Social media is not a panacea for business development.
What is some advice you would share with clients on how to best work with freelancers?
Know what problem you expect the person you’re hiring to solve, or the goal you want them to help you achieve.
Be clear about timelines and budgets.
The more advance notice about a project the better – weeks and/or months instead of days.
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