8 min read

Getting to Know - Ashley Boyd

Get to know Ashley, a freelance graphic designer. Find out about her career journey and what she thinks the best part of being a freelancer is.

Written by

Aiman Kabetenova

Published on

January 14, 2022

Tell us a bit about yourself, what's your background?

After studying graphic design in Auckland and completing my first internship I decided I needed a bit of an escape while I figured out my career. I spontaneously booked a one way ticket to Sydney where I planned to work for free for 6 months and explore Australia so I could come home refreshed, and with some experience under my belt. Little did I know that decision would lead to over four years of growing my career in Australia.

Tell us about your journey as a freelancer.

Didn’t we all have grand life plans that got turned on their head before Covid hit? Mine was to see through 2020 growing my full time career, working towards becoming a freelancer and travelling the world with laptop in hand. Before I knew it I was back home in New Zealand, sitting in quarantine having been made redundant and wanting to get back to my family. Though I didn’t feel ready at the time, I dove head first into full time freelancing as I didn’t have any other choice.

But would you believe I am more grateful for that experience than anything. It taught me that in fact, I had nothing to be scared of! I was ready for this and slowly built a business I’m incredibly proud of today. Turns out this was somewhat of a calling. I’ve always been a driven and motivated person (definitely key for taking on the rollercoaster of working for yourself), but this adventure seems to have come more naturally to me than working for an employer. Don’t get me wrong, there are tough days and it takes a lot of commitment but personally, I can’t see myself going back.

What is the personal or freelance project you are most proud of? Why?

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I offered to help Australian charity MMAD (Musicians Making a Difference) pro bono with some campaign assets to promote MMAD Day 2021. Something I’m very proud of in my journey is that I’ve narrowed my sights to work with clients who are making a positive difference in society, and have a vision that I wholeheartedly support.

MMAD’s purpose is to transform young lives through music - “Many young people at MMAD suffer mentally, physically, socially & financially from traumatic experiences. For them, expressing their pain in lyrics, finding their voice by singing & escaping the world through music has helped them survive.”

Emma and the team at MMAD had a creative idea to use lyrics as a way to form a young person in need. I executed this idea across posters, banner ads and social media assets to help spread the word of their amazing work. There is nothing quite like the feeling of really getting to know and understand a purpose like that, seeing the tears they shed over these kids that need their help, experiencing their joy at seeing how you’ve brought their idea to life, and seeing the real change it could help make.

What would you say is the most rewarding part of being a freelancer?

A lot of people talk about the ‘freedom’ of being a freelancer, however I know many people who have struggled to find typical ‘freedom’ in freelancing due to the commitment it can take day-to-day. For me it’s not necessarily about being free but having the freedom to determine my own future. I find having the freedom to make my own decisions in business incredibly rewarding. Some things I’ve allowed myself the freedom to decide include:

Taking a break when I know need it
Having a change of scenery and working from different locations
Continuously working on my own purpose and adjusting who I do and don’t work with
Arranging my schedule to work during times I know I’m more productive
Prioritizing joy in my life

What is the most challenging part of running a freelancing business?

Imposter syndrome is real. It is far too easy (and mentally quite dangerous) to feel the pressure to constantly grow your business, get more clients, earn more money, get better at what you do, and compare yourself to people who are 10 steps ahead of you to the point that you don’t feel ‘good enough’. Over the last couple of years I’ve reached out to a handful of freelancers who I thought were incredibly talented and must be breezing through the challenges - only to discover they didn’t think that of themselves at all!

To help overcome this challenge I’ve found it’s important to have those conversations, understand that you’re not alone with that feeling and really hear the compliments, thankfulness and praise for yourself from clients and other freelancers. It can be hard to hear and acknowledge! But it’s taken me years to teach myself that they’re probably right. It’s also good to remember that those who are 10 steps ahead of you are a great resource for learning, not for comparison. They would probably be honored to have someone look up to them, and hearing that could make a huge difference in helping them see how far they’ve come.

What has worked best for you when it comes to finding new clients?

When I first started freelancing leveraging networks and contacts from my previous full time jobs, alongside Unicorn Factory were my best resources for finding new clients. Within about 6 months most of my work was coming from repeat clients, and referrals! I haven’t had to market myself anywhere other than Unicorn Factory since and I find it keeps consistently streaming through those three channels - repeat, referral and Unicorn Factory.

What advice would you give anyone wanting to start freelancing?

While I have my own very positive experience, I know a lot of freelancers whose journey’s have all been completely different and unique. The truth is, freelancing is what you make it. What you put in, you get out. For every big challenge you overcome, a big win is on the other side, but just as equally for every win, there could be a failure. If you fall it’s your choice whether to get back up and take it as a lesson to move forward with more confident steps. You need to be the kind of person that is willing to take on the unknown, constantly learn from mistakes, and be excited for what it might bring. But to be perfectly honest - tackling the unknown is just like life. If I’ve learnt anything, particularly after Covid, it’s that we as humans naturally adapt to the unexpected and can make things work in the face of change. There’s no reason not to try something that could potentially change your life for the better. And if it doesn’t work out? That’s fine! You can be proud that you’ll never be left wondering ‘what if?’