In my first year of freelancing and owning my own design business, I’ve learned a few things (most of them the hard way). I’ve had some work related experiences in the last year that have run the gamut of awesome to shitty. I want to share those learnings with you in a short and sweet way.

I’m all for humility, really. I’m not one to brag and I think people’s actions and work can speak for themselves. The truly good work will get noticed eventually. But I’m also learning that there is a business aspect to this whole thing, and that aspect requires you to be insanely confident in what you do. Insanely confident. Not just internally confident, but you need to be able to exude that confidence externally. When you reach out to people you admire, meet people at events, or you talk to people or brands you want to work with—you need to be able to sell yourself. It’s a fine line, but there is a way to do that without sounding pompous—especially if you have the work or portfolio to back it up. Confidence can get mistaken for arrogance and I think that’s a shame. Don’t be scared to show people you are confident in what you do and who you are. Don’t be afraid to make an impression with people. I heard the above saying in a panel I attended and it resonated with me. Sometimes (the operative words here is ‘sometimes’) you have to toot your own horn. No one else is going to do it for you.
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