The Perils of Freelance

Posted by: Studio Arctic Wolf on 6th October 2009, 17:10:11 pm

Freelance? You must be mad! Madness isn't a necessity but it certainly helps. When Studio Arctic Wolf first spoke about going into business it was debated with one part madness to one part inspiration and unbinding faith that we could succeed. Many of our peers from our time at the University of Gloucestershire expressed a long term goal of being their own boss but short term they couldn't see themselves taking the leap of faith.

Freelancing is very much an adventure into the unknown. It's about the challenge, the fight to get on top and doing something one day and doing something completely different the next. Being our own boss has given us freedom but it is not all fun and games. It is also a struggle and very competitive. It's about the failures as much as the successes and always learning. Sometimes you can learn more from a mistake than a job well done.

The world of freelance is also about evolving, refinement and development. In the case of Studio Arctic Wolf we are always evolving the way that we work, the methods and the choices we make. Experience has allowed us to refine our work and our business practices. The nature of the web means that the technologies behind it are constantly changing and as such we have to put time into the development of our skills.

Our first big success was working with Astute Media where we were contracted to create an animation that can be seen on the home page of Maxxis UK (a screen can be seen in our 3D portfolio). The project was very enjoyable, although the timescale for completion was many times over what was first expected. We had to wait on approval from first Astute Media, and then they had to wait on approval from Maxxis themselves which on occasion took weeks. From our experience, if you're going to get anywhere do not underestimate the important of patience.

When starting a new project it is important to have a written agreement that states the clients details, what the work entails, estimated timescale (if appropriate) and estimated cost. You could also specify payment terms and conditions for when the project is complete. We usually have a document like this signed and dated by our clients when we start a new project. On occasion we haven't, it's usually in a case of a repeat client. But if you are doing work for an individual who you don't know anything about, do get an agreement in place. To our cost we have found out the importance of not having a document like this signed and once we get a resolution, for better or for worse then we may blog about it here.

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