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<p>Portrait of a freelancer - Meet inspiring people who chose to make a living out of independent work. Through a very human perspective, discover their story, and the uniqueness of their lifestyle &amp; challenges.</p> <p><img alt="Image blog Momenteo" class="aligncenter size-full" src="http://blogmanagement.momenteo.com/Content/blog-img/20181217141905443estelle-bachelard.png" /></p> <h3><strong>Who are you and what do you do?</strong></h3> <p>My name is Estelle Bachelard but I am better known as Bach, my author and illustrator nickname. I mostly do illustrations for children&rsquo;s books but I also have my own comics.</p> <h3><strong>How did you become self-employed?</strong></h3> <p>I always wanted to be a self-employed illustrator. My dad is himself a freelancer as an industrial designer, thus I have always been familiar with this concept. When I walked out of the Cegep de Sainte-Foy with my DEC in graphics in hand, I obtained my first job as an illustrator at Frima Studio, a video game company. I worked there as a 2D artist for almost 5 years. I was then working full-time; however, I was also developing my style and doing some projects on evenings and weekends. Towards the end, I was working approximately 60 hours per week. The field of video games is an unstable one; therefore I lost my job. It was, however, the springboard I needed to become a self-employed person. This layoff was finally a good thing for me!</p> <h3><strong>What is the most challenging part of self-employment?</strong></h3> <p>For my part, it is to quote. I am always scared to ask for the wrong amount. It makes me anxious!</p> <h3><strong>Which aspect do you prefer when you are self-employed?</strong></h3> <p>To have control over my schedule and choose the projects I want to do.</p> <h3><strong>Describe us your daily work routine.</strong></h3> <p>Everything starts with coffee. It is mandatory. I mostly do management in mornings. I read and I answer E-mails, I handle the invoicing, and then I can start to draw. It is mainly only sketches at this time of the day because I am a little bit rusty. I can start my afternoons with a nap or another cup of coffee, then I work on the final versions of my drawings (with colors). It is often the moment where I am the most creative. I also have my Spotify with me, playing songs according to my mood. If I do mechanical work, I listen to movies or TV shows at the same time.</p> <h3><strong>What are the online tools you could not live without?</strong></h3> <p>I use the Adobe suite but mainly Photoshop to draw. I also use Pinterest very much in order to find inspiration and help me with color palettes. Facebook and Instagram clearly take too much space in my life&hellip; I wish I could live without them! Because I use social media to make me known and keep my audience captived, it is always open. I could not live without Momenteo either obviously since it helps me manage all my invoices. It helps me see which of my clients have not paid me yet.</p> <h3><strong>How did you hear about </strong><strong>Momenteo</strong><strong>?</strong></h3> <p>It was suggested to me in a Facebook group of freelancers. It was not so long after its launch.</p> <h3><strong>How do you find new customers?</strong></h3> <p>I am lucky, I did not have to look for new customers for a long time! It is the best situation for a freelancer when it is customers that contact you and you need to say no more often than yes. Otherwise, I definitely use social media to develop and maintain my clientele.</p> <h3><strong>What would you say to someone who would like to become a freelancer?</strong></h3> <p>I think it is best to have a stable job while developing your clientele, even if it means to work more for a while. You have financial stability; it is often the main stress factor when starting as a freelancer. Thus, keep your job until you are ready to leap. You then leave with many customers, projects, and adequate financial padding.</p> <h3><strong>Any projects for 2019?</strong></h3> <p>I am currently on maternity leave for the second time in a short period of time. I do not have a return date yet, because I do not want to be stressed with that. I want to profit from the first months of my daughter. However, I have many comic strip projects in mind. I cannot wait to do them! &nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>How can we contact you?</strong></h3> <p>By E-mail: <a href="mailto:estellebachelard@gmail.com">estellebachelard@gmail.com</a> but mainly on my Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bachillustrations/" target="_blank">Bach Illustrations</a>.</p> <p></p>