We recently connected with Anna Aichinger and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Anna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Becoming a full time freelancer felt like the most risky thing I could do. Since starting my design career in 2012, I always had stable employment. I also knew advertising has slower months, where not much work comes in. As an employee I was always protected with steady income. Freelance seemed foolish for my bank account. But honestly, it all evens out by the end of the year.

During Michigan’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order (Pandemic 2020), I finally had time to slow down and reimagine my life. What did I want to do? Where would I eventually want to travel? Most of all, who did I want to be?

I was coming up on turning thirty soon, and after purchasing a home, going through a break up and wondering what life could look like – I decided to become a full time freelancer. This decision was scary, and it took a few months for it become clear that it was correct for my newly desired lifestyle.

At the time, my current job was fading. The studio was struggling, as the majority of work revolved around graphics and animation for live events. The studio was trying its best to curate virtual experiences, but not enough projects were coming in. As a single person with no other household income, I knew I had to take steps toward becoming a business owner.

About two months into the Pandemic I started to reach out to friends who had successfully become freelance designers. I was listening to podcasts, gathering materials to build a computer, and researching how much money I would need to make. Finally, I started to take on some side gigs. Animation flourished during 2020, as production had shut down. I ended up becoming a freelancer at the right time. By September I was pretty busy and ready to cut ties with my long-term employer.

Since then things have been relatively stable as a freelancer. I joined a collective called Boxfort, which helped a lot. We are a small group of creatives, ranging in a variety of skill sets. Overall we help one another and rent a great office space together in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I broke into advertising in 2012, starting as a Motion Design intern at a local post house. I ended up doing a mock interview at the studio after winning “best showreel” in my Adobe After Effects course at school. The interview was supposed to be for practice, however after explaining that I created all of the illustrations in my showreel the interview quickly turned into what would become my first job.

I lucked out really, I was the youngest employee at the office and in my last semester of my Associates Degree. I was very grateful that my professor helped to get me into his studio and that I would soon be working alongside himself and other amazing designers and animators. I learned a lot, most of all what it was like to meet deadlines, work late and eat at my desk. Anyone who works in ad knows that crunch time is the highest priority.

As for my clients, I hope I solve the vision they cannot see. I work with them to gather what information has to look like as a contextual design or illustration. I provide them with videos that explain an idea, or show off the latest products. I try to be kind and communicative, as I find it’s the best way to build clientele.

Overall, I’m proud of the transitions that life has taken me through recently. Allowing me more time for travel, creating personal work, and life balance (when I’m not working the busy season).

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think the biggest lesson I had to unlearn was chasing the money (I find myself still trying to unlearn this). I didn’t grow up with much privilege. I came from a family of immigrant grandparents and a work ethic above all mentality. I knew if I was going to go to school at all, it was community college. I lived at home until I could afford to move out.

I have had a real struggle with creative portfolio work versus money making clients. As I’ve gotten older I have found that money evens out. To quote Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) character in Almost Famous, “You’ll meet them all again on the long journey to the middle.” For the majority of us if you keep at the grind – we all end up in the same place.

Also I wish I would have gone freelance sooner. It really opens up possibilities. When at a studio, you are only allowed as much variety and creativity as the assignments given to you. In the past few years I have been able to branch out a bit from the limiting clients of my region and dive into other industries. I’ve been fortunate to work with Kimball International, Amway’s Artistry Beauty products, a few science publications, and create identity designs for local businesses. I hope to continue to grow and branch out with new clients, allowing myself the choice of which projects I’d like to work on.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think the most unfortunate thing between creatives and non-creatives is the understanding of the dedication it takes to curate a project. I find myself spinning my wheels and burning myself out over ideas that looked good at the beginning of the project and are eventually cut by the end of the process. The client’s director floor is the worst.

I find most clients think that you can just come up with something at the snap of their finger. It can take hours to find a solid idea and look. The limited time frame of the industry really sets back what the work has potential to be. As a creative I work late nights, weekends and cancel plans. All of this adds up and my motivation diminishes as the project continues. Eventually I find myself just wanting to get through the project, instead of working with the client. Which is why when I find clients that understand your time, I try to keep them around. They are hard to find, but they do exist.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.aichingercreative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aich.creative/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aichingeranna/
• Other: https://www.behance.net/annaaichinger