The Freelancer Life: Meet Mike Harrison
Mike is a multi-disciplinary freelance brand and digital designer, he also has a background in illustration - many strings to his bow! Mike is relatively new to freelancing and we talk to him about his perks, his struggles and the importance of creating a killer new portfolio.
“I have learnt even more going freelance but more so from a business and project management perspective. I always say though - we never stop learning evolving our craft.”
Tell us a little bit about yourself - what you do and how long you have been doing it for?
Sure, I’m a multi-disciplinary freelance designer. I work within the realms of brand and digital but have a background in illustration as it’s where I started out. I’ve been freelancing now since May 2019 so I’m still relatively new to it but it’s going very well so far. Ask me again in 6 months and I may be more moany.
Why did you first become a freelancer?
I’ve always wanted to do it ever since moving to London 8 years ago. Saying that I was freelancing for two and a half years when I first moved here but I was doing 90% illustration and also didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I wanted to give it a proper go after broadening my skills and experience, and I’d been working full time for 6 years and wanted a new challenge.
Where’s your favourite place to work from aside from your home and why?
I quite like working in a good cafe. There’s a calmness there and you know that you’re not going to be disturbed so can be quite productive. I also enjoy the flexibility of working from home too and being surrounded by home comforts. Would just like to say that I’ve never tried ‘working in my pants’ and never will.
“there’s always something around the corner and you never know where, when or from whom your next opportunity is going to come from”
Share your struggles - what do you find hardest about working for yourself and why? How have you found ways to combat these parts of working for yourself?
I’ve heard other freelancers talk about the loneliness thing. It hasn’t happened to me yet but that’s probably because I’ve not been doing it long. Plus I like to mix up working contracts within agencies and working with my own clients. I’m trying to strike a nice balance in that respect. There is of course also the constant struggle of not knowing where your next contract or project is going to come from. In the short time I’ve been freelancing though I’ve learned not to worry or think about it too much, as there’s always something around the corner and you never know where, when or from whom your next opportunity is going to come from. It’s always alright in the end. I’d also recommend staying active on social media by posting new work or discussions to engage with other freelancers. Get yourself out there, the more people that know of you, the more opportunities will come your way.
Share your perks - what do you enjoy most about working for yourself and why?
I’d say I enjoy the feeling of freedom the most. It’s that feeling of not being tied down to a full time role. That’s also a bit of a double-edged sword because although you don’t feel as much responsibility and loyalty to who you’re working for, you also need to take responsibility for your work and make sure you’re putting in as much effort as everyone else. Another bonus is making your own hours and taking as much holiday or time off as you want. The money is also an excellent perk!
What are your top tips for anyone thinking about working for themselves?
Before you jump in, use it as an opportunity to create a killer new portfolio. Let’s be honest, designers often spend years without updating or even creating a decent folio. The prospect of going freelance should be the kick up the arse that you need to do it. It helps hugely to have built up some connections in the industry as these people will send work your way.
What are your top 3 recommendations - podcasts, books, people to follow, sources of inspiration etc. and why?
1. Join BLKBK on slack. It’s a non-profit community of freelance motion, product, brand, graphic, experience designers, developers, illustrators, strategists and makers, based in the UK, Europe & USA. It’s a place to connect with people just like you, get advice and pick up new freelance contracts.
2. Pick up a book called The Freelance Manifesto: A Field Guide for the Modern Motion Designer. I got recommended this by someone and it’s a great read for anyone thinking of starting out in the world of freelance, and it isn’t just for motion designers, the principles apply to anyone.
3. For a daily laugh go and follow these guys on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/designershumor/
“the power of collaboration, the unlocking of new ideas and avenues to take your work to - ultimately creating something stronger both conceptually and visually.”
What role does collaboration play for you?
A big one. I’ve been an advocate for collaboration since I first started out, and I think it stems from many many moons ago (circa 2002) in the days of online art groups and communities, when we were all messing around in Photoshop every single day, creating what you could call ‘digital art’. Back then I used to collaborate on illustrations with all kinds of different artists, we’d go back and forth a few times, sending the photoshop file to each other until we had something we were happy with. That taught me about the power of collaboration, the unlocking of new ideas and avenues to take your work to - ultimately creating something stronger both conceptually and visually.
What do you love to do? What makes you tick and what do you simply love doing?
The first thing I love to do in a work capacity is the research and inspiration phase in the early stages of a new, exciting branding project. That may sound strange but it opens up the mind to all the possibilities and potential visual routes that you could go down and you want to get it done as quickly as possible so you can move into the design phase! I also love nitpicking over the smallest of details to give a project the highest level of finesse and attention to detail. It’s something I have always done and always will do because if I didn’t do it, I’d have this lingering feeling that the project isn’t finished or I’ve left something out.
From a personal perspective, I am massively into fitness and nutrition to the point where I’m tracking my calories on a daily basis. I’ve done it for so long now I don’t even think about it, I just do it throughout the day, as part of my daily routine. You could say I’m obsessed but when I’m into something I do tend to go full-on. I do it for a number of reasons - health, longevity, mobility, keeping fit and staying in shape. I also am fascinated by how and why the human body changes, what it takes and what my genetic potential could be. I also love FOOD. My current mission is finding the best chicken burger in London and there are just a few to get through!
What are you really good at? What’s your marketing superpower?
I’d say what makes me different is my ability to be multi-disciplinary and be as good as I possibly can in all of those areas. This puts me in a position to be able to jump from one project to another seamlessly, bringing knowledge, experience and skills from one to another. This enables me to dive into a project at any stage and get the job done to the highest standards. I guess you could think of me like 3 or 4 designers in the body of one person. Maybe I should charge more.
What is the best project you’ve worked on since going freelance?
My favourite project thus far has been one of the first projects I worked on for a brand new personal client I picked up. It was a rebrand for a fintech startup in New York. At the time I won the project I didn’t yet have any templates to use for myself which I needed e.g. proposals/presentations/statement of work etc. This project forced me into writing a lot of these things having never done it before and was a great learning experience. I was super happy with how the brand came out and they then hired me to design their website. The case study for this project will eventually make it online for the world to see!
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 working full time as Design Lead as a digital agency called SOON_. I loved it there, really nice people and I worked on some really fun and interesting projects. I elevated my knowledge and skills of digital a lot whilst I was there and for that, I am very grateful. Since then I have learnt even more going freelance but more so from a business and project management perspective. I always say though - we never stop learning evolving our craft.