Carolina Náffate is a costume designer and stylist with 3 years of experience in the audiovisual industry, she likes to create different worlds through clothing and in the wardrobe she manages to express herself with each of the characters. We decided to ask freelancers from the Crema community why they are freelancers and a bit of their experience along the way and this is what happened with Carolina:
When did you first hear about freelancing?
When I was in high school, but I didn't really understand what it meant or how it worked. I knew that there were people who worked that way but I didn't really know what it was about until I entered my career, I think about halfway or at the end of my career, I understood very well what freelancing was. And it seemed like an interesting way of working; I never considered it until I entered the working world.
At what point did you decide that freelancing would be better than working for a company?
I think that when I began to see the reality of the working world in Monterrey and that being a creative person, or having studied something creative, it is much easier and more beneficial, so to speak, to work independently because you can take on different projects. You are not limited to working in a company and with certain clients and under certain conditions. Also, in terms of getting paid, if you work independently you can do better than in a company. When I started to see how the working world was when I decided to stay in the freelance life.
How would you describe a day in your life as a freelancer?
I get up sometimes early, sometimes not so early, it depends if I have had a lot of work in the previous days. When I have a project I start researching it, what are the requirements, I talk to the director, I have some meetings with production, etc. to see what are the guidelines of the project and the needs and I start downloading the ideas. I start developing characters, start looking for inspiration for each one and make a proposal. This sometimes takes me a day per project or sometimes even more days. Then it is presented to management or client and the necessary adjustments are made. Then it's on to the procurement process or the execution of the project. That's usually it, doing research, proposals and, when I have calls, being there.
You have been in both, the freelancer and the godin life, what do you think are the strongest differences?
The strongest difference is that in the freelancer life you have freedom in terms of everything, times, who to work with, how to make your contributions, etc. You have freedom in all of that and so you can see how much workload you want to accept, when you want to take a vacation, all those things you can do when you are a freelancer. And when you are a godin, you have to follow certain rules and regulations, vacation days, salary, etc.
Would you recommend the freelance life? Why?
Yes, I would recommend the freelance life, I like it a lot. I think it's great to be the owner of your projects and your time. It is not easy because there are times when there are not so many projects and you have that dead time, but it is also an opportunity to look for what else to do, in what areas you can improve and get closer to new clients. I would recommend it, it's a great life in which you can enjoy and meet many people in many areas and you don't get stuck in a certain type of work.
What tips could you give to someone who is entering the freelance world?
They should be patient, organized and proactive. They should also know that it is not easy, obviously there are going to be ups and downs, but if you are really passionate about it and you like it, you can remain successful in this type of work.
