If you’re looking for advice and information on how to work as an artist and freelancer or you do already and just want a bit of support and reassurance, there are some great resources to be found on t’internet.  Here’s a list of blogs and sites that I think have some really useful stuff on them and make interesting reading…

Freelance Advisor – up to date and UK specific news, information and resources for freelancers.  A really informative site and I like the mix of serious stuff and irreverent comment.  It’s not aimed at creatives, artists or designers but does bring together a huge amount of content from the freelancing world.

Being A Starving Artist Sucks – this is written by a designer in America called Jeremy Tuber.  There’s lots of information about how to deal with clients, how to negotiate and how to price your work; especially based around graphics and design.   What I like most are the rants about working as a freelancer – they’ll make you laugh when you’ve had a bad day.  There’s also a downloadable resource called ‘Verbal Kung-Fu for Freelancers’ which I love.  I’ve got it on my iPhone for meetings with ‘challenging’ clients…!

Freelance Factfile – this is my most recent discovery and is a great resource for both new and existing freelancers.  The blog covers everything from getting started and finding new clients to financial matters, how to stay motivated and keeping said clients.  Much of what’s written may seem obvious but it’s nice to know someone else out there is experiencing similar situations.

Freelance Switch – pretty similar to Freelance Factfile but aimed more towards the Creative Industries.  It also has a Jobs Board and some useful online tools, like an hourly rate calculator etc. but probably more relevant for designers and webby people.

ArtQuest – ok, this isn’t specifically about freelancing but it IS about working as an artist and they help artists to ‘make work, sell work, find work and network’.  Though this site is aimed at artists living and working in London it does have some good information on (there’s a brilliant ‘how to’ section) and is worth a look even if you do live outside the capital.

Compiling this list has raised the question of being an artist versus being a freelance artist – the same thing or two completely different animals? Hmmm…. maybe a question for when I’ve got more time and brain power to dedicate to it.