The war between creativity and business has raged for generations and rarely is it more evident than in the passion-sectors. Fashion, art, film, music… can feel almost vocational, as if an invisible force is driving us forward to do the one thing we are meant to be doing whilst at the same time, we're often forced to make commercial decisions. Continuing our Inspirational Freelancer series, we sent our Founder, Matt Dowling, to meet with freelance singer/songwriter LEIO for a coffee and a chat. They discussed the essence of creativity, striking a balance between art and commerce and the importance of naivety.  

Kimmy Lee decided that freelancing was the life for her straight out of University. Since then, she has battled the hurdles that she faced when starting out to become a one-woman design powerhouse. Today, Kimmy has the pleasure (and the balancing act of managing her workload) of designing the branding and visual identity for a variety of diverse clients that cross industries.

Stef Ivanov, UX/UI Designer, had worked for a number of companies as an in-house designer before diving into life as a freelancer. Today, his favourite part of the lifestyle is the freedom it brings, despite knowing next to nothing about being a freelancer to before becoming one! We talk about his previous jobs, his working day and his biggest career break yet. 

In this article, freelancer photographer Jake Hicks speaks on the technicalities of working on an image ‘in-camera,’ the artistry of photography, coloured gels photography, lighting setups, neon styles, and where he sees it going in the future. Having worked in the industry for over a decade, Jake Hicks has carefully developed a dynamic and unique style for his work. 

Marianna Rudus, a fresh new Makeup Artist making her way in freelancing, has a unique approach when it comes to showcasing her work. Not only does she use herself as a model but she regularly changes her entire look to show off her impressive range. We caught up with the creative chameleon to learn more.

Jane Bellis, a freelancing mum, could also go by the name SuperWoman. Not only does Jane run a successful freelance business in hair and makeup, organise a festival for alternative creatives and lead a makeup team at New York Fashion Week but she has brought up 4 gorgeous kids. Jane talks about striking a work-life balance, the anxiety that comes with running a freelance business and her journey from model to mum to master at work.

Jeremy Cowart is a man of many talents. Artist, photographer, humanitarian, and hotelier. Incredible to think he first picked up a camera in his late twenties. Jeremy talks about his journey from an agency to freelancing, the challenge in balancing artistic merit with commercial work and his next project, The Purpose Hotel. 

Mikko Largerstedt, a fine art photographer, captures hauntingly beautiful night-time landscapes in low light conditions. Patient, technically astute and deeply rooted in Nordic nature, Mikko has an eye for the spectacular. He first pointed his lens at the stars almost 10 years ago having taught himself the craft. We caught up with the Finnish night crawler to hear his freelance story.