FF: Hi
Damien and welcome to Freelance Faces. What brings you back to Oz?
Damien: I have been in New York for 10 years. I missed my family. I missed the beaches. I missed all types of footy and missed the lifestyle. As great as New York was (and it was really awesome) I missed Sydney. You get a real appreciation for how great this city is when you go away for a while.
How did you start out as a freelancer?
By networking. When I got to New York, I had bugger-all contacts. I had to get out there, go to events, parties, openings and exhibitions. I must have handed out 1000 business cards in the first year. Mostly I made friends, and that's where the majority of work comes from. I reckon nepotism can be the key to freelancing success, especially in the creative fields. I had a fairly wide skill set, so I was able to adapt to things that arose, which made finding work easier to me in some ways. I've been freelancing 10 years now.
How does freelancing affect your lifestyle?
Sometimes you gotta work weekends and nights, but mostly I think my lifestyle is better because I can manage my hours around my social activities. I am a musician, and having flexibility of work schedule really makes things easier when you have gigs, tours, recordings etc.
