“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” – Joseph Campbell
Name: Chris Hingel “CHINGEL”
Age: 28
Occupation: Freelance Artist / Designer / Painter
Where are you from? Born in Port Charlotte Florida, raised in Rochester, NY
Did you go to college? Yes
Where? Rochester Institute of Technology
What did you study? Graphic Design / Communications
Where do you work? www.chingel.com
Why did you pick this career?
I never really had the urge to get a full-time position, I started freelancing right out of college and grew accustom to the lifestyle.
What are your future plans for your career?
To keep building my network and client base in hopes to one day establish myself as a trusted brand in the art & design world.
How did you get involved in this career?
As far back as I can remember art has been a part of my life. When I got to high school I was fascinated with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and it compelled me to go to college for graphic design. From there, I just kept doing what felt natural to me, picking up all sorts of jobs designing, and continuing to learn and grow as an artist and designer along the way.
How did you prepare yourself for this career?
I learned a lot about the foundations of design in college, from there I just stayed involved with the programs and kept working on projects, constantly improving along the way.
And if you just happened to land in this career what made you stay?
The projects kept coming in, so I too kept freelancing and networking.
What are the downsides to this profession?
The stability of income and consistency of projects. Even though I work with a lot of clients, I never fully know exactly what “next month” has in store for me. The income fluctuates from time to time, and also, taxes are not fun. When you freelance, there is no one taking out taxes from your paychecks, so you really have to keep yourself organized, or you can find yourself behind.
What is a typical workday for you?
It varies, but I do like to keep myself available during working business hours, because a good amount of my clients come from the 9-5 world. I divide my weeks up depending on the projects I’m working on that month, so a typical day would consist of me checking emails, connecting with a client, and working off of the schedule I made for that day. Sometimes I pick up small projects here and there and might work on them after-hours as well, if my schedule permits.
How might this job be a stepping stone to other professions?
I’ve had clients offer me full time positions after working freelance for them, so if someone was up for that, opportunities like that do come up.
Also, there’s a lot of networking going on in the freelance world, so you never know who you’ll meet through projects. The possibilities are endless.
What is the single-most important piece of advice you can offer a person pursuing this career?
Network, Network, Network! They say “It’s all about who you know” for a reason.
What steps do you recommend to someone who is planning to pursue this career?
Make sure you have a strong foundation in whatever you’re pursuing. There will always be someone out there who knows more than you do, but that’s alright, as long as you have a good foundation, you can teach yourself what you need to know to get by, and by doing so you’ll get ahead.
What professional or community volunteer organizations are you currently a member of?
Monthly supporter of Greenpeace
What’s a funny memory from your college or high school days you are legally allowed to share?
Fall of my senior year of college, I went to a concert with my good friend who was two hours away from where we went to school. After the show, we hung out with the band. The next day, upon waking, my friend couldn’t find his cell phone, car keys, or his jacket. Figuring he left them in the bands tour bus, we called AAA, got a key made for his car, and drove two more hours to the next venue on their tour just to find out his belongings were not on the bus… we got free passes to the show that night though.
How can we find out more about you, where can we stalk you online?
Facebook: Chingel Fanpage
Twitter: @chingel
Website: www.chingel.com
Comments on this entry are closed.