HOW TO BUILD A CAREER AS A FREELANCE ARTIST IN NIGERIA

Career building like branding and expansion is one of the many important things that every Entrepreneur thinks about and focuses on. For every career person, building a foundation that creates an avenue to rise to the peak of their career is a goal they set out to achieve and same goes for a Freelancer.

So, how do you build a career as a Freelance Artist in Nigeria?

Of a truth, this could seem like the scariest thing to do but it’s really not. A lot of people believe that being a Freelancer in Nigeria is exhausting, tiring and most importantly, not lucrative but that’s not always true. I like to say that, the beginning of anything at all, especially in career development, is not always smooth. Most times, the middle can become trying and the reason to give up tend to become higher than usual but what keeps any man going through the phase is the motivation behind the decision to plunge into that career path. So, yes, building a Freelance career as an Artist in Nigeria is not a walk in the park but it’s not unrealistic.

The following are some tips that can help in building your career as a Freelance Artist in Nigeria.

1. Be convinced: Yes, this is really basic. It is important to be convinced as a person that this is what you want to do because conviction helps strengthen doggedness and mould motivation into rightness.

2. Make findings – it is important to make findings about your choice of path and these can include having basic knowledge about what freelancing is, what freelancers do, what it entails and how it’s done. Making findings will also help in letting you know the underlying opportunities and benefits you are opened to and also help you avoid certain mistakes and pitfalls that are possible.

3. Find your niche – There are lots of Freelance tents in the Freelance world, especially as an Artist. There are the Writers, Photographers, Performance Artists, etc. In order words, to be successful as a Freelancer, you have to find a niche, stick to it and be good at it, not jumping from one arm of freelance into another and not really being a master at one.

4. Build Your Portfolio – Your portfolio is very important to getting clients. It is basically the first thing that client looks at and ask for when trying to do business with you. It is what shows how good you are beyond your words. Basically, it is what convinces a potential client that you can do what you said you can do. Also, in building a portfolio, it is also important to remember that experience matters; your work experience online and offline with reputable websites and business organizations also go a long way.

5. Engage social media – Dear Freelancer, it is important to have a social media presence. It does exactly just as a portfolio does in helping you get clients. It is one way to sell yourself and what you do to the world. Social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are great places to start showcasing yourself and getting the exposure that you need.

6. Patronise freelance platforms – yes, freelance platforms are very good in building your freelance career. They exist in forms like websites and handles on social media platforms. You can sign up on some of the websites and follow some on Instagram and Twitter e. g. @africanfreelancers, iwriter.com and more. These platforms help you in getting clients and work opportunities.

7. Identify your ideal clients – This is important. As an Artist, you need to streamline your prospective clients and where they are liable to come from. If you are into Writing, content writing, etc., it’s okay to check websites out. Be focused and know where to seek for opportunities and whom to seek. Don’t just feel like taking it all out of desperation because it could ruin your chances with your ideal clients if you underperformed or fail woefully.

8. Create a bond with your clients – Having a great relationship with your clients is not overrated nor underrated. Existing clients have a greater influence in helping you sell yourself. It will help you with references and recommendations, thereby leading to new clients that you couldn’t have gotten if not for them.

9. Improve yourself – learning is never over and like they say, you stop getting knowledge or seeking knowledge out only when you stop existing. Daily immerse yourself in knowledge and self-improvement. Increase your skills and sharpen them where it’s needed. Don’t say to yourself that you are your best with a certain knowledge that you have. Don’t be contented with a little knowledge.

10. Never be too big to learn – This is quite synonymous to 9. One of the best ways to get better and be better in the Freelance world is the willingness to learn from other Freelancers; how they do what they do, how they improve themselves and ways by which we can also improve ourselves too.