Episode Overview
Could you land a $75/hour freelance gig without even showing a portfolio? Sara Bleske did—and her story might just change the way you think about pitching.
After being laid off from her full-time design job, surface and textile designer Sara Bleske didn’t wait until everything was “ready.” Instead, she led with sincerity, curiosity, and a desire to be helpful—and ended up landing her dream client from a cold email (yes, really). In this episode, Sara opens up about the moment she hit “send,” the nerves that followed when she thought she got ghosted, and the surprising way it all came together.
You’ll hear how she navigated the leap into freelancing while juggling motherhood and self-doubt, and how she figured out her niche when her skills felt all over the place. From crafting thoughtful outreach messages to experimenting with social media and tools like ChatGPT, Sara shares the real, raw, and refreshingly simple strategies that helped her get started—and get paid.
If you’re new to freelancing or have been at it a while, click play now to hear how genuine connection and a little courage can open big doors—even without a perfect portfolio.
Resources
008: Freelance Textile Designer: How to Have A Successful Career with Michelle Fifis
Episode Highlights
Landing the First Freelance Client
- Sara shares the story of landing her first freelance project at $75/hour through a cold email to a brand she admired, despite not showing a portfolio. She and Heidi discuss the confidence and curiosity she brought to the process.
Building Rapport and Providing Value
- Sara explains how connecting over shared experiences and offering immediate value (such as Illustrator tips) on the call built trust, leading the client to move forward without needing to see her portfolio.
Negotiating Rates and Client Expectations
- Discussion on how Sara communicated her hourly rate, her nerves when the client didn’t respond for a week, and ultimately, the client’s acceptance with the potential for future retainer work.
Freelance Project Execution
- Sara outlines how she structured and managed her first project, including keeping the client updated, providing proposals, managing time estimates, and using Dropbox for revisions.
Career Background and Transition
- Sara describes her educational background, early career roles in apparel and textile design, taking time off to raise her kids, and how former colleagues helped her re-enter the industry with part-time roles.
Pursuing Freelancing After a Layoff
- Sara discusses the tipping point of being laid off, supportive conversations with her husband, and finally deciding to pursue her long-term goal of freelancing in textile/surface design.
Learning and Updating Technical Skills
- Heidi asks about Sara’s technical skill development with Illustrator and Photoshop, to which Sara replies she learned primarily on the job and through self-directed learning.
Defining a Niche in Home and Lifestyle
- Sara talks about narrowing her freelance niche to home textiles and lifestyle products, with aspirations to branch into kids’ home decor, and how coaching sessions helped clarify her direction.
Business and Marketing Learning Curve
- Sara candidly shares her biggest challenges in freelancing: social media marketing, brand research, prompt engineering with AI tools like ChatGPT, and building business skills beyond design.
Outreach Strategy and Brand Alignment
- Discussion about the challenges of finding brands that fit her aesthetic and the idea of using AI more effectively, including the suggestion to approach brands that might not currently use prints.
Dealing with Overwhelm and Finding Clients
- Sara describes the ongoing struggle to balance creative work with networking, outreach, and the practicalities of running a freelance business, as well as exploring new strategies for client acquisition.
Final Reflections and Motivation
- Sara expresses her motivation for freelancing—being her own boss, flexibility, enjoying diverse projects—and the importance of curiosity and adaptability in building a freelance career.
Key Questions and Responses
1. How Did You Land Your First Freelance Client?
- Sara explains she found a brand she genuinely liked on Faire, reached out with a heartfelt email, started a conversation, and provided value immediately. The client responded quickly, and after a week-long pause, accepted her proposed $75/hour rate without even seeing a portfolio.
2. How Did You Approach Setting and Communicating Your Rate?
- Sara shares that she sent her rate transparently after the initial call, felt nervous during a week of no response, but ultimately the client agreed, acknowledging Sara’s skill and speed justified the higher rate. They also discussed potentially shifting to a retainer in the future.
3. What Is Your Background and How Did You Transition to Freelancing?
- Sara details her education in apparel design, early jobs in technical and apparel design, a break to raise her kids, part-time work through old colleagues, and her eventual layoff. The layoff served as the push she needed to pursue her long-standing interest in freelancing.
4. How Did You Develop Your Technical Skills for Textile and Surface Design?
- Sara recounts learning Illustrator and Photoshop largely on the job and through self-teaching. She adapted to changing technology by taking on projects requiring pattern creation, gradually mastering tools through practice and online resources.
5. How Did You Choose Your Freelance Niche?
- After considering her professional strengths and coaching advice, Sara narrowed her focus to home textiles and lifestyle products. She noted a special interest in eventually working in kids’ home décor due to her love of bright and playful designs.
6. What Challenges Are You Facing as a New Freelancer?
- Sara struggles with the business side, especially social media marketing, finding the right clients, and balancing creative work with outreach. She’s learning to leverage AI tools for research and finding ways to better prompt ChatGPT for targeted leads.
7. Why Did You Decide to Pursue Freelancing?
- Sara emphasizes her desire for flexibility, being her own boss, and working on varied projects to stay inspired. She enjoys the ability to choose her own rates, work with diverse clients, and focus on her creative passions.
About Sara:
Sara Bleske is a textile and surface pattern designer with over 15 years of in-house corporate experience in home textiles, decor, apparel, and craft ribbons/trims. She is passionate about creating patterns and surface designs that make people happy.
Connect with Sara:
Email her at sarablesketextiles@gmail.com
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