 Hey, it's Herman here again on Artlist, and for the first seven years of my career, I was too scared to jump into freelance. I think the biggest thing holding me back was my lack of self-confidence in selling myself. But going freelance turned out to be the best decision for my career. Now, you've probably heard most people tell you to cold email like there's no tomorrow or to attend networking events. But I wanna share a different view based off my personal journey. So let's dive into three key tips that could change the way that you think about finding work as a freelancer. Tip one is to focus on improving your craft. Now, picture yourself as a blacksmith, aiming to forge the perfect sword. The more that you practice, the sharper your swords become. Before graduating high school, I was pushed towards careers that I had zero interest in. You know, the usual expectations of being a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, but I took a leap of faith and I disappointed my parents by choosing video creation as my path. And boy, did I practice. I made videos for free, for peanuts, and even just for myself, because I really loved it. Learning and performing magic tricks was also a big hobby of mine, so combining that with video creation, I'd make these experimental montage videos that I am now glad are just hidden in the deepest corners of YouTube, but each video that I made was an opportunity to try new camera techniques, new editing styles, and it was just really rewarding watching my skills grow over the years. Yes, building relationships is important, but my journey was more like a solo adventure, a quest for self-improvement. All I had on my mind was creating the best videos I possibly could, and trust me, there's no better feeling than knowing that you've made a video that you can be proud of and leaves a lasting impression on your audience. It's like what the legendary actor Steve Martin said, be so good they can't ignore you. That is the attitude I had, because for me, making videos is always a passion before it's a job. As a side effect, I made so many videos and my portfolio grew like crazy before I knew it. The pattern I found was that clients were most impressed with videos that were both visually stunning and had great sound design. Using Artlist helped me create my best work by having a vast music library and high quality assets. Using their songs, sound effects, footage and templates made a world of difference in adding that extra polish to my work. Check them out if you're also embracing your inner blacksmith and you wanna make the best videos you possibly can. Tip two is to make yourself discoverable. You know that guy at the corner of a party trying to blend in with the wallpaper? That was like my relationship with social media for most of my career. I was too focused on my craft to care about being in the spotlight, but around the time that I transitioned to freelance, something clicked. I realized that most creators that I admire would share their work and their process online. Thanks to their inspiring Instagram posts and valuable YouTube tutorials, my work became what it is today. So you know what I did? I still didn't post my videos because my crippling imposter syndrome made me feel like that they would never be good enough to share. It was like stage fright without the stage. That is when Austin Cleon's book, Show Your Work, came at the perfect time in my life to get over that nasty feeling of self-promotion. One of the chapters was think process, not product. Reading it inspired me to treat my posts as works in progress as opposed to like, look at my finished masterpiece. So I started posting behind the scenes of my work in tutorials based on my own experience. It's something that I did consistently and still continue to do. This shift in mentality not only made me more discoverable but it also allowed me to give back to the creative community that helped me grow. In the process, clients could now see what I was capable of and they started reaching out to me instead of the other way around, including Artlist. I wouldn't be here making this video if they hadn't found me on my Instagram and YouTube. And it's not like you have to be some sort of mega influencer. But having some degree of online presence makes it so much easier for your talents to be discovered. So tip number two is to take advantage of how easy it is to now promote yourself by just showing your work. Finally, tip three is to build strong relationships with your existing clients. I used to think freelance saying was like a bee buzzing from flower to flower, hopping between jobs and clients. But in reality, I found myself building solid foundations with a select few of my existing clients. Why? Because they were a dream to work with and we both benefited from consistent work. Now picture yourself as a gardener, tending to a plot of various plants. Instead of stretching yourself thin, trying to care for every single seedling, you choose to focus on nurturing a feel that grow into strong thriving plants. And that's what I aim for with my clients. I make sure to meet or exceed their expectations, deliver on time and maintain open communication. While it's tempting to treat each client as a potential cash cow, it's essential to resist that mindset. What helped me instead was to focus on helping one another achieve our goals. When you approach your clients with empathy, like a caring friend, you'll find that not only do they appreciate your work more, but you'll also enjoy working with them. So be that gardener, tend to your relationships carefully and watch your opportunities grow. And those are the three secret ingredients that turned my freelance career from a terrifying leap of faith to a rewarding adventure. Instead of worrying about hunting for my next job, I'm happy to say that I'm at a place in my career that works so well for me. And I'm confident these tips can help you attract the right clients, enjoy a steady stream of work, and most importantly, be proud of the creator that you've become. Otherwise, make sure to check out Artlist for all your video creating needs and subscribe to the channel so that you don't miss the next video. Until next time, keep practicing, sharing your work and building those relationships.