I had the opportunity to be super awkward on camera with fellow introvert Regina, my new favorite infopreneur. Her new series Go Independent highlights creative entrepreneurs that have taken the leap.

The highlights:

  • The backstory: I’m a designer, writer, illustrator, strategist, and occasional photographer
  • How I make money: Majority of my income comes from selling graphic and web design services.
  • Favorite part of working for myself: I love being able to try new things. A lot of my joy comes from building successful personal projects.
  • Favorite portfolio items or blog posts: Building Columbia University Film Festival Website, this Zebra Art print, and the Interviews and Photography I did on Creative Professionals in New Orleans through goINVADE.
  • Hugest challenge in going FT: Facing the fear that you could fail publicly. I had to continually tell myself, if this doesn’t work I am not a failure.
  • Tools I can’t function without: Freshbooks, Paypal, Stripe, Adobe Creative Suite
  • Best platforms to promote my business: Referrals: PR agencies, friends, and past clients; cold emails; and Social Media
  • Why working for myself is important to me: At the beginning, working for yourself is almost primal. You hunt and eat what you kill. But once you find your niche, it becomes much more fun and fulfilling. I can go the grocery store at 3:00pm. I don’t have to ask anyone to take a vacation. And I make much more money than when I worked for someone else.