Build a Bridge From Hobby To Business By Freelancing

We’ve all been there.  It’s 11 PM. The kids are finally asleep, the dishwasher is humming, and you’ve cracked open your iPad to squeeze in some much-needed creative time. You tell yourself, “This is the year I finally make money with my art.” 

So, naturally, you do what anyone with a dream and WiFi does: you Google “how to make money in surface pattern design.” 

Annnnd 45 minutes later… you’ve fallen down a rabbit hole of contradictory advice, passive income schemes, and one-too-many “manifest your millions” YouTube gurus.

Suddenly, you’re not inspired, you’re not even tired. You’re wide awake and stressed out. Good-bye dreams. Hello insomnia.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

So what do you do? How do you find your way forward?

One way that worked for me is freelancing. Stop cringing. Hear me out.

Trust me, I know. When you picture “successful artist life,” you’re probably imagining licensing deals, fabric lines at Anthropologie, or your patterns gracing a dreamy stationery collection. What you’re not picturing? Designing a beer label for a local brewery, or illustrating an indie band’s t-shirt, or putting together a flyer for your neighborhood yoga studio.

But here’s the truth bomb: freelancing is often the bridge between “I make pretty art” and “I run a profitable art business.” 

I’m living proof. Freelancing not only paid my bills when I was starting out—it gave me the confidence, connections, and skills to grow into the creative business I have today. And if you’re looking for a way to turn your surface pattern design dreams into steady income, freelancing might just be your golden ticket too.

Why Freelancing Works for Artists

Let’s start with the obvious: freelancing gets you paid. And the first time someone hands you real money for your creative work? It changes everything. Suddenly, art isn’t just a hobby. It’s a service, a business, a livelihood. That’s a really big deal.

But beyond the cash, freelancing has four sneaky superpowers:

1. It Builds Confidence (Fast)
There’s something about hearing, “I’ll pay you to design this,” that flips a switch. You stop second-guessing whether your art is “good enough” and start showing up like a pro.

2. It Expands Your Skillset
I’ve designed everything from wine labels to music festival merch to—yes, I’m serious—a pattern for a prosthetic leg. Did I ever imagine those projects? Nope. Not in a million years. But every weird and wonderful assignment sharpened my adaptability.

When you freelance, you learn to design for different markets, audiences, and purposes—and that makes you a stronger, more versatile designer.

3. It Creates Connections
Freelance clients can be stepping stones to other projects and even bigger clients. That indie band merch project? It might lead to more gigs in the music scene. That local bakery logo? Their cousin might own a boutique that needs surface patterns for packaging. It’s six degrees of creative separation. Every connection matters.

4. It Teaches You the Business Side
Pricing. Contracts. Deadlines. Feedback. Freelancing forces you to flex those muscles. I just can’t emphasize enough how valuable this piece of freelancing is. You get paid to learn MBA level-business skills. Take a minute to think about that. I mean, seriously, you get paid to learn how to run a business. In today’s day and age when college degrees cost an arm and a leg and your first born, that’s an incredible deal.

Freelancing Isn’t “Settling”—It’s Training Ground

A lot of artists think freelancing is “selling out” or a detour from their true passion. I see it differently: freelancing is like cross-training for your creative career. 

Think about athletes. Runners don’t just run—they lift weights, stretch, and sometimes they even swim or take dance classes so they’re the best athlete they can be. Freelancing works the same way. Every project, even if it’s not 100% your style, strengthens your creative muscles.

The key is to see freelancing as part of your long game. You’re not abandoning your dream of licensing patterns—you’re building the portfolio, skills, testimonials, and confidence to actually land those deals.

That’s why in my Procreate Pattern Collection Masterclass and Photoshop Patterns Unleashed courses, I emphasize professional workflows. When a client hires you for repeat patterns, you need to deliver polished, seamless files. Those skills make you freelancing-ready and licensing-ready.

Where to Find Freelance Clients

Here’s the million-dollar question: Okay, Mandy, you’ve convinced me. Freelancing sounds great—but where do I find clients without begging my cousin to let me design her cat’s birthday invite? 

Good news: opportunities are everywhere, online and offline.

Online Freelance Hubs

•  Upwork & Fiverr: Yes, the competition is fierce, but they’re solid starting points. Build a few projects, collect reviews, and move up to higher-paying gigs.
•  Dribble & Behance: Not just for inspiration—both have job boards where companies scout designers.
• Social Media Groups: Large, active Facebook groups often have posts from people looking for design help. Just think of all those indy musicians and writers who need designs for merch, book covers, and a host of other things.

Local Opportunities

•  Chamber of Commerce: Your local Chamber of Commerce is a good place to start. They have connections to potential clients who may be in need of design work. And your local Chamber may be looking for local artists to promote (or some design work themselves.) Win-win.
•  Community Groups & Nonprofits: Tight budgets, yes—but tight-knit communities, too. One nonprofit gig can snowball into word-of-mouth referrals.
•  Small Businesses: Restaurants, breweries, salons, boutiques—do they need fresh design work? Often small business owners are thrilled to support local creatives.
• One-off Opportunities: Don’t be afraid to approach people who run local festivals, fairs, farmer’s markets, or even races. Use your talent for design to pitch a fresh new look for them that could help boost attendance at their event.

💡 Pro tip: Don’t just wait for posted gigs. Reach out directly to local businesses with a short, thoughtful pitch showing how your art could enhance their brand. Personal proposals stand out in a sea of generic portfolios.

Common Freelance Mistakes (And How to Dodge Them)

After coaching dozens of designers, I’ve noticed a few repeat offenders that trip up freelancers:

Mistake #1: Overpromising
Don’t commit to what you can’t deliver. If you’re juggling kids, part-time work, and health issues, be honest about your timeline. Clients appreciate clarity over speed.

Mistake #2: Wing-It Workflow
If you don’t have a consistent system, freelancing will eat you alive. Hint: Check out a tool I created to help with this. It’s called Artful Notion and will help you organize your projects and streamline your creative process.

Mistake #3: Playing Small
Your freelance work deserves to shine. Package your deliverables like a pro: labeled files, clear instructions, and a polished portfolio. Treat even “small” clients like VIPs. This builds great habits on your end and you’ll earn referrals to grow your business.

Mistake #4: Doing It All Alone
Freelancing doesn’t mean you have to figure everything out yourself. Take advantage of free resources like my Designing with Insight Email Course. It covers the five essentials of creating market-ready patterns, so you can confidently deliver designs clients actually want.

The Long-Term Payoff of Freelancing

Here’s what I want you to remember: freelancing isn’t forever (unless you want it to be). It’s a launchpad. It funds your creative life, builds your reputation, and sharpens your skills until you’re ready for the big leagues—licensing, selling your own collections, or launching that dream shop.

Some of my earliest freelance projects still influence my work today. That wine label gig? It taught me about branding. That festival poster? It pushed me to think big with bold compositions. Even the weird ones (looking at you, prosthetic leg pattern) gave me stories, skills, and the confidence to keep going.

Freelancing was never “Plan B.” It was part of my Plan A.

Final Pep Talk

If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or secretly convinced that freelancing is beneath you—hear this: freelancing is not a detour. It’s your training ground. 

It’s where you build the courage to charge for your work. It’s where you practice handling feedback. It’s where you prove to yourself (and the world) that your art has value.

So instead of waiting for the perfect licensing deal to magically land in your inbox, take the imperfect freelance gig in front of you. Every project is a stepping stone. And before you know it, those stepping stones form the path to your dream creative business.

You’ve got this. Now go get to work.