I wrote: “Success is about catching the big wave.”
(Listening to the Beach Boys has made me philosophical.)
And you’ve got to be ready to catch that wave when it rolls in. You’ve got to be out there on your board.
You also need to have the skills and the right equipment.
(If you taught yourself surfing by watching old Frankie and Annette movies, and you’re using an old outhouse door for a board, well, you’re in trouble.)
Being ready is doing a lot of things on a daily, or at least a regular, ongoing basis.
As a freelance illustrator, here are some of the ways I try to be out there on my (drawing) board:
1. Do real work every day– not just social media. For me, that means drawing something every day
2. Have a portfolio and keep it updated
3. Have a blog, write for your target audience, demonstrate your expertise, post regularly
4. Promote your work by sharing it on select social platforms (don’t try to be everywhere)
5. Write guest posts to get your work in front of more people
6. Have a niche, be an expert (I specialize in visual humor that helps brands get attention and connect with people)
7. Network (for me this means connecting with people on LinkedIn and emailing influencers to let them know I’ve quoted them in a blog post)
8. Leave comments (best approach: write something that adds value to someone else’s post and demonstrates your own expertise)
9. Be generous (e.g., share other people’s work, send links to articles if you think they would benefit a certain person)
10. Research prospects and send them personalized emails
(a lot of work, so be selective)
11. Ask for testimonials and get them out there where prospects can see them
12. Ask clients for referrals (do they know anyone who
might need your product or service?)
13. Include your “process” on your website, i.e., how you work– that’s essential information for a prospect
14. Stay in the news (I try to do it by responding to HARO requests: Helping A Reporter Out by contributing to a post they’re writing)
15. Periodically review your website and social profiles: are they up to date and easy to navigate?
16. Work on personal side projects: we all need a break from the grind: it’ll keep you fresh and (hopefully) sane