A Look Back at 2009: How I Became Self-Employed and My Favourite Articles

Posted in Articles Freelancing by Callum Chapman on 30th December 2009

As I’m sure many of you know, 2009 has been a very busy year for me. From leaving college to starting a business, from being unemployed with no money to becoming a full time self-employed individual living comfortably off my earnings purely from blogging. This post walks you through the previous year of my life along with notes on how I made the achievement possible, as well as my top ten favorite posts that I wrote this year.

My Eventful Year 2009

You might think listing my achievements from the previous year is a little stuck up, but I’m doing it for the good of everybody else who is in the same position I was in just 6 months ago. From this article, you should learn that:

You’ll always come across complications, yet nothing is impossible.
You need to set yourself goals and stick to them.
You should never give up on your dreams, however unlikely they may seem.

Early-2009: College

Up to early/mid 2009 I was at college. Nothing much happened, and you can read more about my experience in the next section.

June 2009: Leaving College

Calling leaving college an achievement is something I find hard doing. I didn’t enjoy it there, and I must admit I didn’t learn anything. I studied Photography (AS Level), Art (A Level) and Product/Graphic Design (A Level). I left having felt I wasted two years of my life, and to top it all off leaving was right in the middle of the worst the recession has been yet. I left with good grades, however, but not once have I had to show them to one person.

If you’re at the stage where you are considering going to college to study something related to creativity such as design, art or photography, I really recommend going to a well-known and respected art college where they know what they’re talking about. If you have a good understanding of the design industry already, going to any old college will probably result in wasting your time – the college I attended didn’t even have Adobe Creative Suite – we had very outdated version of Macromedia Fireworks which rarely worked due to the PC’s (not Macs) being so slow. So, as you’ve probably guessed, I didn’t have a good experience with college, and decided to head straight out into work instead of going to university.

I would like to mention that I met my girlfriend at college, though, so I am glad I went for this one reason. We’re now engaged and happier then ever!

June 2009: Job Hunting

Job hunting in England during a recession is not easy, especially when living right in the middle of one of the most used train-lines in the country – I live in Royston, which is almost right in the middle of London Kings Cross Station and Cambridge. I was applying for everything, and out of all the jobs I applied for I had two interviews. One for a job behind a counter at the cinema, and the other as a Junior Designer in the head office of Hotel Chocolat (mm!). I wasn’t very enthusiastic when having an interview at the cinema, the only good thing about that would have been the free movie tickets. The Hotel Chocolat interview went well, but was tough being up against several other people, most of which had degrees in design from some of the top universities in Cambridge. I didn’t get the job, but now, looking back, I’m quite pleased I didn’t – remember everything happens for a reason.

June 2009: Starting a Business

This is when I opened my own business. I wasn’t hearing back from employers, and had plenty of time on my hands. I opened Circlebox Blog at the same time as the business, and soon started to get some followers, who I hope are still here reading the blog today. Nothing happened to soon, but I wasn’t determined to keep trying. I posted an advertisement on a free listing site called Gumtree, and landed a client (Vantage Tennis) who lives only a ten minute drive from me. He helped me out a lot, giving me as much work as he could. I picked up a lot about dealing with clients, and I personally don’t think there is any better way to learn than dealing with them first hand. I got another couple of clients, all of which boosted my confidence.

July 2009: Guest Writing

I sent in an application to David Leggett at Tutorial9.net and asked if he would consider letting me write a tutorial for the site. I’d never done anything like this before, but really enjoyed it, got paid a good wage and helped other people learn new things about Illustrator and Photoshop, as well as getting a link back to my blog. It was a win win situation. Before long I sent out an email to Smashing Magazine, and within a couple of weeks was writing for them.

Guest Writing

September 2009: Getting a Part-Time Job

Money was still quite tight and there was a part-time job going as a casual worker at Burlington Press, a large Lithography Printing firm where my Dad works. I got the job, and spend 16 hours a week doing bits and bobs such as cleaning, packing boxes, folding folders and various other bits that you would expect to be done in a factory.

It didn’t take long for people there to realise what it was I wanted to do, and that was design. I was offered a job in pre-press as a Mac Operator but refused, knowing that I wanted to work for myself from home.

Cardboard Box

November 2009: Quitting my Part-Time Job

Things were going well! On my three remaining during-the-week days I had off from work I was working very hard, determined to make Circlebox work. I started writing for Tuts+ and WDD, and I started getting emails asking me to write for other blogs such as Six Revisions and Design Bump. I was finding myself with far too much work to get done in only 3 days a week, so I handed in my weeks notice, registered as self-employed and started working full-time from my bedroom.

November 2009: Receiving an Email from a Magazine

One of my proudest achievements of the year has to be the fact that my hippy van vector tutorial is being republished in a magazine: Advanced Creative. It sounds like a rip-off of Advanced Photoshop, but it is in fact owned by the same company, it’s just French and includes Illustrator tutorials instead of just Photoshop tutorials. The magazine is due to be published tomorrow (31st December 2009), and I can’t wait to get my version sent over from France!

December 2009: Success!

All in all, I’m now writing for a growing list of design blogs, as well as Circlebox. I broke my record this month and hit over 20,000 unique hits in one day on Circlebox Blog, with a total of almost 70,000 unique hits. I’ve sold two advertisement spots, and seem to be receiving more and more emails and comments everyday.

Chase your dreams, don’t just think about them!

If you’re in a similar position to what I was in 6 months ago, I really hope this story inspires you. Life can be very hard, but you can turn that around if you chase your dreams as fast as you can instead of just thinking about them. Below are a few of my recent articles that might help you out:

My Favorite Circlebox Blog Posts of 2009

I thought this would be a good opportunity to list my top five favorite posts that I have written this year for Circlebox Blog, they are in no particular order!

Design a Modern and Sleek Web Design Mockup in Photoshop plus a Free Template

The Evolution of Movie Posters: 67 Years of Old and New

Promoting Your Creative Blog: 8 Great Tips to Success

How to Design a Vintage Horror Movie Poster in Photoshop

20 Superb Digital Paintings plus your Software & Tablet Purchasing Options

About the author: Callum Chapman

Callum Chapman is a freelance designer from Cambridge, UK. He is the creative mind behind Circlebox Creative and Circlebox Blog, and can often be found writing for SM and other well known design related blogs.

18 Comment(s)

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Shane Jeffers : Visit Shane Jeffers's website & twitter
Posted at 14:20 on 30/12/09
Very Nice Callum,
It is amazing what can happen if you just try. Smashing Magazine is my next target!!
Tomas : Visit Tomas's website & twitter
Posted at 14:24 on 30/12/09
Amazing story Callum. You done a lot of amazing things this year. Wish you all the best next year. Thanks for sharing your achievements and troubles. Inspiring story.
underpk : Visit underpk's website & twitter
Posted at 14:27 on 30/12/09
Surprised that you earned purely from blogging! Waiting to see more great article in the next year man, your cover art trend roundup is one of my favorite post.
Inside the Webb : Visit Inside the Webb's website & twitter
Posted at 14:57 on 30/12/09
Really nice post dude. I just found your blog today through Digg and I’m looking forward to reading more of your stuff in 2010
Timothy Blake : Visit Timothy Blake's website & twitter
Posted at 15:52 on 30/12/09
This is a great story very inspirational, i can relate because your slightly older than me but where around the same age. I hope circle box continues to grow and you carry on pumping out some more good content in the future.
Antoine Guédès : Visit Antoine Guédès's website & twitter
Posted at 18:00 on 30/12/09
Congrats Callum!
That’s a great story.
My favourite post is “The First Step To Freelance Design: 16 Superb Articles You Must Read”
Robert L. Goodwin : Visit Robert L. Goodwin's website & twitter
Posted at 3:34 on 1/1/10
Are u or do u plan to sell wordpress themes, t-shirts or maybe your own e-book in 2010?
Callum Chapman : Visit Callum Chapman's website & twitter
Posted at 10:18 on 1/1/10
Thank you for the great comments everyone!
Robert; Designing Wordpress themes is something I am hoping to look into in the new year. A book would be a great idea, but I think I would want to release as a real book rather than an eBook, I just need a topic that I’m passionate enough about
Alex Mcvitie : Visit Alex Mcvitie's website & twitter
Posted at 2:16 on 2/1/10
Hey Callum, I would just like to say WELL DONE! for everything you have achieved, reading your post has made me feel a sense of hope (I’m currently in a similar situation now).
I’ve been thinking about starting my own business so similar articles of things you’ve learned would be a great help to me and i bet loads others!
Keep up the great posts and I’ll keep reading!
Alex.
rejis : Visit rejis's website & twitter
Posted at 17:19 on 4/1/10
Callum, great achievement.
just adding Robert Frost words “And miles to go before I sleep”. keep going. All the best!
Ken Reynolds : Visit Ken Reynolds's website & twitter
Posted at 12:27 on 6/1/10
Well done for your persistence and (I hate this phrase, but it applies in this case) pro-activity.
Inactivity when you are in a tough spot is the worst thing you can do, it’s great that you gave something a go and that it’s worked out for you.
I look forward to reading more from you.
Callum Chapman : Visit Callum Chapman's website & twitter
Posted at 12:43 on 6/1/10
Thank you everyone!
Becky Bryant : Visit Becky Bryant's website & twitter
Posted at 16:19 on 6/1/10
What a great and inspiring article. Just goes to show what hard work and motivation can achieve, it’s definitely given me some food for thought.
May your success continue in 2010
Jeremy Newton : Visit Jeremy Newton's website & twitter
Posted at 11:18 on 9/1/10
Hey thanks for this awesome post. I’m in the same position you were in. I just landed a part time job at the local ymca just helping out kids and stuff but I love designing and bettering my skills. I thought about going to a design college last year and decided not to cause of the price and the general consensus I was hearing from a lot of people that didn’t use it, definitely glad I didn’t now with the economic fallout.
Thanks for the awesome article and I look forward to reading more and hopefully soon I’ll be were your are now =)
Laura : Visit Laura's website
Posted at 14:06 on 12/1/10
Hi Callum
I love reading your posts because you’ve got a really down-to-earth way of writing, and this one is no different. Thank you for this little piece of inspiration.
Personally I was lucky enough to leave college 2 years before you so was able to land a full-time job. But I actually want to move into freelancing for a greater variety of work, as well as having more time to blog on subjects I am passionate about. I just hope that I’ll be able to do half as good a job as you do.
I’m glad that all your hard work has paid off and that your able to make a good living from your passion. I hope 2010 is even more successful for you.
Callum Chapman : Visit Callum Chapman's website & twitter
Posted at 9:00 on 13/1/10
@Jeremy: In my opinion not going to college was a good choice – in the design world I think the majority of employers would much rather choose someone with a portfolio full of great work than they would someone with a piece of paper saying that passed a course. Keep at it, pump out some good work and you’ll get there in the end!
@Laura: Thank you for the kind comments! It’s great that you managed to get a job, I wasn’t really motivated at that time and it wasn’t really until I stumbled upon design blogs that I really knew I wanted to work from home! I look back now and see college as a complete waste of time (I knew more than the teachers when it came to graphic design), but I’m trying to look at it as if I wouldn’t be in the position I am now if I didn’t go to college – everything happens for a reason!
If becoming self-employed is something you want to do then keep at it, you’ll get there in the end and it is superb working for yourself!
David Silva : Visit David Silva's website & twitter
Posted at 22:25 on 4/3/10
Hey Callum,
I went digging through your site a little deeper and came across this post. I must say I am very impressed and congratulations on your achievements. This did not come across as stuck up at all. In fact, everyone should learn from this. I currently have a good job, I shouldn’t complain, but my heart is elsewhere so I’m trying to make my own path doing something similar to what you did. I’ve read a few of your posts on other sites and we’ve connected on twitter and facebook, but having read this post really gives me a new found respect for what you do. Keep it up man, you have obviously proven to yourself that you can do it and you’re already seeing the rewards.
Again, congratulations and I’ll see you around.
Callum Chapman : Visit Callum Chapman's website & twitter
Posted at 8:19 on 5/3/10
David, I was worried this might come across a little stuck up, but I’m so glad people didn’t think so! I was quite stressed out at the time not having a job and just though “I’m gonna go for it!”. When I started, I hadn’t really blogged at all, but had been reading a few blogs and magazines for a while so felt I knew enough to start writing!
There were three things that helped me a lot; being confident and wanting to succeed, the support of my fiancée and family (they always believed in me) and you guys that read my blog – seeing my subscribers go up by even a few a day in the early stages just helped more even if they were tiny numbers!
I’m glad you like the content here so much, thanks for the kind words!
Keep at it and you’ll be able to follow a path similar to what I followed, it just takes dedication, and as you said, your heart needs to be there!
Take care, and I will indeed see you around!