Working from home. 50% good, 50% fail.

Working as your own boss
can be awesome. You can manage your own schedule, your own time, your own clients, your own everything!

It took me long time working here and there, jumping from a small studio to a giant corporation, going through a channel station and even a news radio

BUT... Everything has pros and cons.

So what am I writing this? Because I know many people would like to freelance 24/7 and get money from their chairs at home, working on what they love and being paid for stuff they really like to do!

As an advice, I'll tell you about my own drama in the last months lol.

The goods: Your own time and good $$$

Since I've worked online for a big advertising company in Kuwait, another in US and another in Spain, most of my day I was sitting working and designing and designing and... designing.

I loved it! It was like a dream lol I had to quit my job as university teacher and part-time consultor on a local agency.

I was at home, with my family and my girl, and she handled all my accounts and balance pretty good.

BUT. BUT. BUTT. The bads.

Most of the projects were small enough to give me the chance to handle everything with responsability, accurate timing and great quality. The bad thing about it (and I didn't consider that part) was the fact my brain wasn't doing a good job after some months with that workflow.

My ideas got stuck, my designs started to feel recursive and out of shape, and I started to spend more and more time on the same things I used to rush in only a few minutes. How can it be possible? Because you need to take a break sometimes.

Talking about art can be subjetive, since many conceptual ideas can't be expressed accurately if you don't have a clear idea of how to handle the technique and the communication concepts through your designs. Imagine your brain is working at less speed and spreadage... RIGHT! you suck. LOL

So... On a normal day my schedule was: I get up in the morning to work. I take breakfast. I get back to work. I have lunch. I get back to work. I go to university. I get back home and do homeworks and assignments. I get back to work. I go to bed and sleep.

Next day the same. 5 days a week. 4 weeks a month. Around 11 months per year.

Yes! Money can be really good (more than you can even expect, sometimes). But then I felt like I was working too much and I felt really tired. Not physically, but more in a spiritual and mind-state context.

Since I didn't handle my own schedule in a proper way (because everything came to me too quick and I was a complete newbie) I got really sick and depressive, etc.

A few months ago I decided to stop freelancing like a whore and now I'm focusing on other things while I keep designing to earn a decent budget to mantain my family and pay my unviersity. My savings will do ther rest

My honest advice for the new freelancers!

Freelancing is good! It can be great! But always step on the ground with 2 feet and give enough time to your family, your girl, your man, your dogs, your car, your parties, your orgies, etc. Everything needs attention, and once you can handle it all, you won't ever feel the pressure and stress because of your daily rythm.

What's coming up next?

I have a partnership already with PixelFuze and IconBlock, and I'll release soon many exclusive goodies through them.

Also, I'll open my own online studio in a couple of weeks and I'll recruit some good people that will converge in a strong and sexy design team that you will love . Stay tuned for more information in the next weeks!

So... that's it. Sorry for the long read and thanks for the time you take for this guy called manicho.

Cheers,
Moi.

p.S. Guess which company called CoolIris wants me. Yep! that one!