I won’t waffle on like one of those online recipes, telling you my life story before getting to the good stuff.

Here are 7 things, in no particular order, that I’ve realised about me, freelancing and studio life in the 12 months since:

1. People are important

Being back in a studio, part of a team, has been refreshing and inspiring.

Freelancing can feel isolating. Very isolating. I never really felt part of a team. And since Covid, I was mostly working remotely. There could be weeks, occasionally months, when I wouldn’t see anybody in person. Humans need that connection, and that was one of the main reasons for heading back into a physical studio space.

I’d missed the collaborative process. Sticking stuff up on a wall and discussing it openly, in real life. You can read people’s body language, everybody can have their say, you can easily grab ref that takes things off on a tangent. And it’s easy to just scribble something down and say “What about something like… this?” It’s such an important part of being a creative, having that instant sounding board to bounce thoughts and ideas off.

It helps that everyone here is friendly, chatty and fun. Having people around you that you like and respect breeds confidence and openness. That leads to interesting conversations, which ultimately generates creative solutions from unexpected places.

There is the team spirit beyond the studio too. Spending time together, away from the screen, away from working. Lunchtime walks and stress relieving, laughter inducing games of table tennis. I had missed all of that.

2. I’m rubbish at admin

I’d forgotten about timesheets. I get why we need them, but I’d forgotten how much I dislike doing them.

So, going from just making sure you turn up to a booking on time and getting your head down to being back in an environment where every 15 minutes is accountable, caught me out a bit.

Then there’s the pressure to update my progress, or the reminders that there are only a few hours left on the job. It took me a few weeks (probably months) to get into the habit of keeping track of my time, updating my timesheets, and updating job cards*.

*Our Head of Client Services, Paula, might claim that I still haven't, Sandra at The Chase would probably say I never did.

3. I had missed holidays

Oh boy, had I’d missed holidays.

Of course I’d taken time off during those freelancing years, but it was never what you would call ‘a break’. There would always be a niggling fear in the back of my mind that my next job would get cancelled or I would miss out on an opportunity because I was away.

Having paid leave is a godsend. Earlier this year, I had the first totally relaxing, switched off holiday I’d had in years. Well, as relaxing as a holiday can be with a four-year-old. It was so nice to spend time with my family without constantly checking emails or needlessly worrying.

4. An outside perspective helps

Who would have thought I’d miss appraisals?

Rarely, if ever, did I receive feedback or have a debrief after a job. Truth be told, I never asked for it. So I didn’t know how well I was performing. Rebookings and self-reflection only help you so far. And because I’m someone who regularly needs a pat on the head and a ‘good boy’ in the ear when I have done something well, I would often beat myself up unnecessarily.

But now I have appraisals again. Talking through what you have done and getting feedback on your work, as well as having a discussion about how you can improve, is surprisingly therapeutic. I still beat myself up, but I know I can talk it through if need be.

5. Clients

And clients, eh? Who’d think I would miss them?

There’s that ongoing joke about the relationship between clients and creatives. They can be a bit of a pain. I’m sure they think the same of us too. And while those requests for making things ‘pop’, or for logos to be made bigger, or for last-minute changes to Artwork_final_v21b.pdf to be made, can be infuriating. There is something to be said about the relationships you build with clients. I met none of the clients while freelancing, and it turns out I’d missed that.

It’s nice to be back working alongside them, getting to know them, presenting to them and celebrating successes with them again.

6. Variety is the spice of life

One thing I thought I would miss when rejoining an agency is the variety I had. I always tried to make sure I had a cycle of design, writing and illustration work, and would often have personal side projects on the go. Thankfully, my role here offers me a balanced mix of design and creative copywriting, allowing me the opportunity to scratch both sides of my creative brain.

I do sometimes miss the spare time that I would allocate to do those little, more playful side projects. But I know, with time, that will come.

7. The design network is a wonderful thing

Before deciding to head back into the agency-world I had been lax at keeping in touch with old design friends and colleagues. I was worried that I had been forgotten or was too out of touch. As soon as I mentioned I was looking for a full-time position, it was amazing how many people got in touch, passing on opportunities or spreading the word.

I used to work with Rob, but hadn’t spoken to him in years. He passed my details to Simon and, long story short, here I am writing a blog about my first year back in an agency. It’s important to keep in touch and help each other out. I like to think I do that with people I know and worked with. I just hadn’t realised how important it is.

So to wrap up...

Looking back, there are a lot of good things about being a freelance creative, and some people thrive working in that way, but I never really felt comfortable. I never felt like I was enjoying it. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t for me. It felt like I had somehow failed.

I imagine most creatives know it’s good to fail. It’s how we learn, how we improve.

But in case there is anybody reading this, who hasn’t learned that yet – Try things. Fail. Dust yourself off and go again. And if you find yourself on a path that doesn’t feel right, there’s no harm in retracing your steps and starting down a new, but more familiar path. Who knows where it might lead? You might just end up somewhere where it feels like you’re meant to be all along.