Spilling the tea: My highest earning income stream as an independent designer.

My sweet fellow surface pattern designers, this post is you. My purpose is to shed light by sharing my own experience with different income streams so that you might glean strategies to make those streams work for you.

My favorite streams right now are the following:

• Licensing - the stream I most desperately want to continue to build! Like so many surface pattern designers, I have been enchanted by the idea of creating what I want when I want to, all while earning money in my sleep.

• Recurring - dependable and consistent, like a good friend. I created the Happy Sticker Club, delivering a new sticker, designed by me, each month. The club is currently small, but has potential - please join! More importantly, it is a passion project, as I absolutely love sending something sweet in the mail to my friends.

• Contract - get hired for what you are good at! This is it … currently my most lucrative income stream. There is a real need for independent contractors (that’s you!) with a design eye and real skill in Adobe Illustrator.

Why are these my current favs? This will actually need to be a series of blogposts, because I have lots to say! But we will start with my current top earning income stream as a surface pattern designer. And that, my friend, is contract work.

LET’S TALK ABOUT BEING AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR

What is it? Contract work is an employment agreement where you, the independent designer, are hired by a company for specific projects for a specific time. Employment is typically remote, flexible, (hello location and time freedom!) and compensation is agreed upon ahead of time, either by project or an hourly rate. Often in contracting with a company, at least in my experience, the company you are contracting with will keep you on for a longer term, and continue to offer you regular work or additional responsibilities if you have a good working relationship. Which is amazing! Because if you are enjoying the work and doing it well, you may be offered more. Win, win.

Who can you contract with? Many many companies either have or are willing to hire independent contractors (you!) for projects or specific ongoing tasks or positions. My largest time commitment with a client that I contract with is for a small fabric company. I work for the cutest, sweetest, kindest owners ever. It’s a pleasure, and it feels so good to have your work adored and to be appreciated. This company works with a small group of designers creating quilting fabric collections that they sell wholesale nationally and internationally. I do graphic design work for them including creating online catalogs, printed sales flyers, fabric collection logos/selvedges/hang tags etc, composing weekly emails heavy on imagery, and all kinds of other projects. Would I love to design collections for them myself as a licensing surface pattern designer? Yes. Am I enjoying doing other work for them anyways? Also yes. I am growing in experience, knowledge, and confidence in this opportunity and for that I am grateful.

To help you get your own ideas rolling, other contract work I do regularly would include working for the Bonnie Christine as an expert support in her courses and membership (I love doing this and I am grateful to be a small part of her incredible team over the last couple years!) I have also contracted with a local school district, creating logos and branding. And for a time, I was on contract designing for a gift wrap company. If we extend the list to other freelance graphics work that I have done - it’s been anything from dentists, to ice cream trucks, to local farms and beyond. So you see, there is a wide spread of opportunities out there.

PROS OF CONTRACT WORK:

❥ Predictable income! You can accurately anticipate hours and earnings. As a bonus, you often set your own wage in the application process. Your contract gives you a real picture of what you need to accomplish and in what time frame for exactly how much money. As a bonus side note, from my observations and experience, contract work typically pays higher on an hourly average that the same work would pay if you were working in house. Currently, contract work is the highest earning income stream for my creative business. It pays my expenses while I build up my portfolio and licensing.

❥ Teamwork! As an independent designer, you may be used to working solely on your own. Contracting with a company gives you an opportunity to be a part of a team environment where you are working towards a common goal with other professionals. It will give you a taste of collaboration and camaraderie, and perhaps offer business insights and industry friendships that you wouldn’t otherwise have found on your own. This has been the case for me. I have met incredible women, and learned new systems, programs, and considerations that I implement pieces of in my own way in my own work.

❥ You have the power! You get to determine which projects to take on, and what compensation you require for the job. You work how and when you like.

❥ Ebb and flow! Contract work can be particularly a blessing if you need to increase your earnings over a period as this can be done by taking on additional work or new clients. Likewise, if the holiday season is upon you or a health issue comes up, you can kindly let companies know your hours are limited for the time being and only take on what you are comfortable with. Furthermore, it can be used as a supplemental income stream when other streams slow for any reason.

CONS OF CONTRACT WORK:

❥ No artist’s credit. Often you work quietly behind the scenes, making the work of others look better! I find this gratifying, but it does not give you very much to share and show to an audience or a new art director for potential additional income streams such as licensing your own designs.

❥ Time thief. Hear me out. It may be earning me money, but if I am being real, my contract work also limits the precious time I have to spend on my own surface pattern designs, and other aspects of my own biz that I would really like to grow.

❥ Unexpected goodbyes. Because you are not technically an employee of another business (you are a contracted specialist,) neither of you are obligated to continue working together forever. A particularly sad instance of this for me was a year or two back when my contract work with a gift wrap company screeched to a hault suddenly after they decided to reduce costs and introduce “new technology,” (see: artificial intelligence,) and I was ultimately just not extended any new projects. I have a lot of thoughts here, but I’ll save them for another day!

Now I know you may be asking this question:
How do you get contract work? I discovered at some point in my pitching that companies do not always need or want repeat patterns to license. However, they often could use help when it comes to the type of work we already are doing or know how to do as surface pattern designers. They may not be in the position to hire on someone full time, and may just need a few hours here and there … which is absolutely perfect for me! I began to add phrases to my pitching like, “I have experience in freelance illustration and graphic design,” and “I am also available for custom work or other design projects, should you have a need.” This opens the conversation to additional opportunities.

MY TAKE ON CONTRACT WORK FOR SURFACE PATTERN DESIGNERS

I deeply believe is that learning is growth. Contract work is a fabulous way to determine if both you and the company you are working for enjoy the relationship. You will quickly learn if your style and work ethic is compatible. They may quickly be charmed by your efforts, which will lead to other opportunities! It is a fabulous way to grow your experience and credentials, grow your abilities and knowledge, and grow the earning potential in your business. Contract work has been a joy and a blessing to me in my creative business.

I would love to hear your ideas, and if you have had great experiences with contract work in your own business!