First month of freelance life = done

I thought it’d be good to document my journey as a freelance graphic designer in Shrewsbury. Partly so I can look back on how things evolve, and partly to share some behind-the-scenes for anyone curious about the ups and downs of freelance life.

August is always a quiet month in design and marketing. At first, it felt like the worst time to make the leap — but actually, it turned out to be the perfect moment.

It gave me space to pause, reset, and focus on the foundations. Amongst a busy personal month — birthdays, a wedding, a trip to Harrogate, and All Points East festival in London — I dedicated plenty of time to:

• Sorting admin and systems

• Polishing up the website

• Building the foundations for freelance life

• Making time for learning and creativity

And it wasn’t all background work. A couple of small projects landed too, which helped keep things ticking over.

A new partnership with Lyneal Trust

One highlight this month was starting a partnership with Shropshire charity, Lyneal Trust. They offer canal holidays for people with disabilities, with specially adapted boats and accommodation.

• I migrated their website and emails to my server after their host shut down

• Later this year, I’ll be rebuilding their whole site and handling ongoing maintenance

It feels good to support a brilliant cause and help them move into their next chapter.

Starting off with a few website rebuilds

I also kicked off two website rebuilds:

• Wem Bowling League – Their old site was outdated and clunky. The refresh improved usability, security, and overall look.

• Goodspace | Coworking, Hot Desking & Meeting Room Hire in Skipton – Their single-page site became a proper website with more content, helping them show up on Google and support growth. (Case study coming soon.)

Why keeping your website up to date matters

Refreshing a site isn’t just about design. It’s about:

• Security and functionality

• Better usability

• Aligning with current business goals

As your business grows, your website should grow with it. If you think yours might need an update, get in touch!

Time for creativity and learning

Something I want to protect in freelance life is time for creativity and learning.

This month I:

• Dusted off my DSLR and got back into proper photography

• Completed Rankin’s BBC Maestro course on photography and editing

• Joined webinars, including:

  • BrightLocal’s AI and Local Search session – loads of useful tips; local search feels underused by many businesses

  • Peter Brenan’s Content to Client workshop – full of practical ideas (I’m testing one next month)

Looking ahead to September

August started slow, as expected. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting any enquiries at all — but then, four landed in just two days. A real confidence boost.

September is already looking busier with:

• Several website projects booked in

• New leads coming through

That said, I’ve still got space for more projects — whether you’re a local business in Shrewsbury looking for a freelance designer, or an agency needing an extra pair of hands.

Email [email protected]
Connect with me on LinkedIn

That’s month one wrapped up. If you’ve read this far, thanks — I’ll be back with another update soon.

Original article: First month as a freelance designer in Shrewsbury