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It’s lonely out there in the world of freelancing, so keep the passion burning. Of course, this may be easier said than done when you’re holed up in your study, day in and day out, without someone in the next chair to feed off.

It’s lonely out there in the world of freelancing, so keep the passion burning. Of course, this may be easier said than done when you’re holed up in your study, day in and day out, without someone in the next chair to feed off.

Upskilling means more than simply mastering the occasional Adobe update. In fact it’s just as much about keeping a finger on the pulse of the latest techniques, and finding new sources of creative inspiration.

So what to do? You can avoid falling into a rut by:

• Reading industry magazines. Subscription is probably a good idea because that way you won’t forget. These qualify as a genuine tax-deductible expense, remember.
• Buying books you can dip in and out of for visual references (if not read cover to cover).
• Keeping in touch with peers or agencies whose work you respect, be it via email, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr or – shock horror – a café where people meet in the real world!
• Writing a blog. This is a good one (despite being time consuming to create) because it often provides the discipline many freelancers need to actually keep learning.
• Researching competitors’ work online. They all like to brag so if you can’t find it on their websites chances are you will come across it at another URL like thedieline.com.

Don’t over do it though. With the proliferation of digital media and publishing today, the danger is spending all your time looking rather than doing – and looking doesn’t pay the bills.

• Courtesy of The Pond