The Freelancer Life: Meet Daniel Pomlett

Meet Dan, an awesome freelance Graphic Designer, Web Designer and Developer who describes his marketing superpower as keeping design simple and trimming away the unnecessary.

We first met Dan at one of our ‘We Don’t Do Lonely’ Days and loved how he came along to meet some new people and push himself outside of his comfort zone. We instantly hit it off chatting through the highs and lows of freelancing, adding a baby into the mix when you work from home and couldn’t wait to get him up on the blog!

We talk to Dan about learning on the job and how he jumped at the opportunity to go freelance working for his previous employee to remove the scary risk. How to enjoy the quiet times as well as the busy times, that you can’t be all things at all times, how sometimes keeping it simple is best and his borderline obsession with podcasts!

“I love the process of figuring out what a design should be. There’s always a million possible outcomes, but there is a puzzle to be solved with each job and you know when you’ve arrived at something that feels balanced.”

Tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do and how long you have been doing it for.

Hey I’m Dan! I am a graphic designer and a web designer and developer.

I studied illustration at university and then went into graphic design when I started my career. After a few years I got a job that required some basic web development and from that point I've done more and more development with the complexity growing as my skills improved. I went freelance about ten years ago now.

Why did you first become a freelancer?

I'd been working at quite a large social enterprise for a couple of years doing in house graphics but unfortunately they made me redundant. They had to cut their employment costs down but told me they would have freelance work they could give me if I chose to go that way. I'd always liked the idea of going freelance because I thought it would suit the kind of work I do and my personality type. This seemed like a good opportunity to take that leap with less risk than starting to build clients from scratch so I took it.

Where’s your favourite place to work from aside from your home?

I quite like working in the Southbank Centre or the National Theatre. They're both vibrant places, in the heart of London with lots going on, but also you're not under any pressure to be buying something if you're taking up space.

Share your struggles - what do you find hardest about working for yourself?

The main two problems I've found are isolation and having to be all things at all times.

I'm generally comfortable working on my own, but the whole 'no man is an island' thing is a cliche for a reason. At some point you have to get out and find somewhere you can have conversations with other people, something you take for granted as a non freelancer. I've tried renting desk space which helped a bit, but for me, doing exercise in a social way really helped. Basically killing two birds with one stone. Year on year, I get better at managing the isolation, but it's a very real problem.

The other main problem is the need to be doing lots of other things outside of what you're actually getting paid for. You're essentially a one man/woman company so you have to find time for marketing, networking, improving your skills, accounting etc etc which can be difficult if these things don't come naturally, especially when you're busy.

Share your perks - what do you enjoy most about working for yourself?

The main thing I enjoy about being a freelancer is being in control of my destiny and my time. I've had super busy times and super lean times but I like the fact that when it's too busy, there's no one above me forcing me to keep going, I could always stop taking on work. Conversely, it's not much fun when work is thin on the ground, but you know it's all down to you to get out there and find new clients. I prefer it that way.

Having flexibility about when and where I work is priceless to me as well. My wife is a freelance photographer and we had a little boy 6 months ago so that freedom is more important than ever when trying to juggle child care.

“Try and enjoy the slower work times.... I’ve been doing it long enough to see that it always ebbs and flows and it’s a shame not to enjoy the extra time you have when you’re quieter”

What are your top tips for anyone thinking about working for themselves?

Build up a bit of a financial safety net as soon as possible when things are busy. It doesn't have to be a huge sum of money, just enough to get you through a couple of lean months if need be. Knowing you'll still be able to pay your rent in the short term if jobs dry up eases the pressure a bit.

Be proactive in finding like minded people to interact with. You have to actively find ways of making the kinds of connections you'd naturally make in an office environment. I ignored this for too long and it didn't do me any favours, both from a work and a psychological perspective.

This is a hard one, but try and enjoy the slower work times. The feast and famine nature of freelancing means you can go from lamenting how hard you're working to freaking out about a lack of work within the space of a week. I've been doing it long enough to see that it always ebbs and flows and it's a shame not to enjoy the extra time you have when you're quieter. Really that was the whole point of being freelance in the first place.

“I love podcasts, but I’ve had to dial it back a bit of late because I think I became addicted to hearing people chatter in my ears at all times”

What are your top 3 recommendations - podcasts, books, people to follow, sources of inspiration?

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is a fantastic book about what it meant to attempt to be creative and how to navigate the inevitable insecurities that come with putting yourself out there.

I love podcasts, but I've had to dial it back a bit of late because I think I became addicted to hearing people chatter in my ears at all times. That being said I enjoy a good comedy or documentary podcast. The Adam Buxton Podcast for comedy and Radiolab for something more informative.

On a slightly heavier note, one of the best books I ever read was 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor E. Frankl. He was a psychiatrist and a holocaust survivor who observed that the people who lived the longest in those conditions tended to be people who existed for a reason larger than themselves. For example they had a child that they needed to stay alive for or, in his case, a book that could help people that needed to be written. He developed a form of therapy called Logotherapy, which was about helping a person to feel more connected by finding their meaning and purpose in life. The title of the book makes it sound a bit new age and wishy washy, but it was anything but.

“It’s not really possible to be all things at all times and I’m realising more and more the limitations of trying to do good work entirely on your own. It’s very important to find other perspectives and to have people around who can make you see a problem in a fresh way”

What role does collaboration play for you?

As I alluded to earlier, it's not really possible to be all things at all times and I'm realising more and more the limitations of trying to do good work entirely on your own. It's very important to find other perspectives and to have people around who can make you see a problem in a fresh way. As I go forward, I want my work to be more and more collaborative for that reason. It will just be better work.

What do you love to do?

Work wise I love the process of figuring out what a design should be. There's always a million possible outcomes, but there is a puzzle to be solved with each job and you know when you've arrived at something that feels balanced. In contrast to that I enjoy coding because it uses a different part of my brain. There are much more definitive right/wrong answers in code. It either works or it doesn't and having something like that to do on the days when you don't feel particularly creative is quite therapeutic.

Outside of work I like playing music. I've been in bands most of my life, and although my band days are mostly behind me (don't want to lug amps around the country anymore), I still play quite a lot with friends.

What’s your marketing superpower?

I think I'm good at keeping things simple. Most of the time things don't need to be complicated, the best designs are usually simple both in terms of aesthetics and content and trimming the unnecessary has become a speciality over the years. 

What is the best project you’ve worked on since going freelance?

I worked on a website for Nick Hornby on behalf of Penguin Random House quite a few years ago. The website hasn't been maintained too well so I don't shout about it too much now, but the brief was very open and creative and it was really exciting to be working on something with a bit of a profile early on in my freelance career.

What were you doing this time last year? What have you learnt or how have you changed since then?

This time last year I was not a parent, now I am. It's definitely focused the mind and stopped me from procrastinating so much. I am quite tired though!

Looking for a graphic designer, web designer or developer? Take a look at Dan’s website www.thespaceroom.com and give him a follow on twitter @thespaceroom and Instagram @thespaceroom

“I think I’m good at keeping things simple. Most of the time things don’t need to be complicated, the best designs are usually simple both in terms of aesthetics and content and trimming the unnecessary has become a speciality over the years.”