We were lucky to catch up with Mia Freda recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I’m so beyond grateful to say that I’ve been able to turn what was once a hobby into my full-time career. It’s been an almost-five-year journey that is still changing and winding every day, but I’m having an absolute ball.

Back in 2020, I was at the beginning of my freelance makeup artist career here in NYC. I had just dropped out of college and gone to beauty school the year prior. Makeup was a super fun job, but an exhausting one. I didn’t realize how much it actually stressed me out until I had to take a step away from it in March when the first cases of COVID hit the states. I moved back home with my parents in Jersey for a few months, and with some forced downtime and reflection, rediscovered an old hobby of mine: graphic design.

At first, my intention was just to learn some new skills and creatively pass the time. I put up some posts on social media asking if anyone wanted a free logo just so I could get the experience. A lot of people came through. Although I look back at those logos now and cringe, they gave me a foundation of knowledge that I was then able to evolve and later harness to turn into a business.

I started out charging $50 for a logo, then $150, then $300, etc., and I eventually thought, “oh sh*t, people actually see the value in this, and I kinda have a knack for it”. After all, I had always been interested in creative hobbies and used to make graphics for my Club Penguin blog at age 12. In the rest of 2020 and 2021, I invested in a few courses to learn more about the business side of graphic design (shoutout to Design & Prosper with Donna and Kris, my very first mentors, who changed the game for me and helped me discover my worth as a designer).

Once the public started to reopen again, I wasn’t quite convinced I wanted to be a full time graphic designer yet. I moved back to NYC and ended up getting a social media internship at Chillhouse. The team there saw my design skills and shortly thereafter promoted me to Junior Designer. Needless to say, I loved it. The universe was yelling at me that this was my calling.

While working full time there for the next two years, I put a lot of effort during nights and weekends into building my portfolio, networking, and marketing myself as a freelance designer. (To this day, I owe every single client I have to word of mouth referrals and social media.) Once I got to a point in 2023 where I was running low on free time and mental sanity, I knew it was time to make the move and go freelance.

The first year of self employment was FULL of challenges including but not limited to my first tax bill, health issues, and having to learn an overall new level of self-discipline. I use every f*ck-up as a lesson, though, so this year I got more serious about my systems and processes, hired an assistant, started working with super talented contracted designers, and set up a proper savings account. Plus, don’t even get me started on the hours of self-reflection and therapy sessions that continue to happen to make this all possible.

I have a ways to go, but I am so excited for the next few years if the last few have been this amazing and rewarding.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Mia, a New York City based graphic designer! I specialize in social media, email, and brand design for woman- and queer-led businesses in fashion, beauty, hospitality, and wellness. Basically, I’m one of the people behind the visuals that grab your attention in stores, on your TL, and in your inbox.

Pop culture is my everything and it shows. I love a movie poster, a deep-cut reference, and an iconic story. I love that I was born and raised in the northeast where the women are loud, bold and unforgiving. I bring all of those loves along with me in every design I make.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Word of mouth is EVERYTHING! A good experience with one client is a gateway to all the people they know who might be in need of your services. Putting myself out there and being confident have been the keys to achieving success with networking.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have 3 social media pages that have all gone viral for 3 different reasons:
1) Instagram went viral when I made repostable astrology story templates for people to fill out. People love relatability and customization!
2) YouTube went viral when I made videos about my experience at college in NYC. People love getting to see your day-to-day. Even if you think it’s boring, your life is completely unique to you and will always be interesting for that reason. Also, offer value!
3) TikTok went viral because of a funny video of my cat. I don’t have any novel advice for this one besides to get yourself a cute and funny cat.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/miafredadesign
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miafreda/

Image Credits

Tiana Michele Kargbo, Camille Shaw