Want to expand your skillset? Maybe you’d like to explore creating assets for a new medium, or you’re looking to connect with peers and find more creative inspiration.
Whatever area you’re looking to upskill in, there are plenty of tools to help you on your journey. To get you started, here are 4 key ways you can broaden your horizons as a freelancer, with expert advice from Freelance Extraordinaire, Kristi Carignan.
1. Further your education
Technology and trends change quickly in the world of design and according to Kristi, a successful freelancer knows how to stay on top of them. This rings particularly true for Envato Authors looking for ways to increase their earning potential.
By continually honing your skills and learning new ones, your earning potential rises, as does the quantity and variety of projects you can work on.
Kristi Carignan
So, if you’re ready to refine your abilities and learn more productive ways of working, then you should consider the following:
- Enroll in online courses and seminars
- Follow trailblazers in your industry and engage with the content they produce on their platforms. Our Author LinkedIn community and our Author forums are a great place to start
- Utilize free online learning hubs, such as Envato Tuts+
- Watch tutorials, such as these ten free design courses and tutorials
2. Focus on Personal Growth
[Personal growth] will help you to strengthen your character and enhance important skills that will benefit your career – such as leadership, management, and communication.
Kristi Carignan
Kristi Carignan knows that when you focus on personal growth, you’re better equipped to set (and achieve) long and short-term goals, which will ultimately enhance your success.
If you plan to expand your business and hire staff down the line, these skills will help you better manage your team and communicate.
Kristi Carignan
Kristi’s advice is to keep an eye out for personal growth courses, books, and tutorials online, a simple Google search can yield some life-changing results!
3. Say Yes to Passion Projects
Kristi knows from experience that projects which motivate and inspire you will encourage you to get creative and learn techniques that you might otherwise never have tried.
One of the greatest joys of freelancing is that you can work on your own terms, and working on projects that spark joy is a brilliant way to do so.
Kristi Carignan
If you’re creative, it’s also essential that you take time out to explore your skillset and interests with passion projects. Who knows, you may stumble on a whole new way of approaching your creative process!
4. Collaborate with Other Freelancers
One of the best ways to grow your skillset and expand your horizons is to network with other professionals in your field.
Kristi Carignan
Are you looking to explore different ways of working with others in-the-know? Or maybe you’re thinking of collaborating with like-minded individuals? Kristi suggests doing the following:
- Join a co-working or shared office space
- Attending exhibitions and events in your field
- Use social media channels to communicate with potential collaborators and mentors, including our Author LinkedIn community and our Author forums.
As a creative, learning new tricks and skills can be a life-long labor of love, but when you have the right tools at your fingertips, the possibilities are endless.
