A journey to an Independent Career

When I graduated from Vancouver Film School in 2012, I wanted to get a full-time job. I had no intentions to try freelancing or open up a little design studio; I was mostly opposed to the idea of doing something on my own this soon in my career.

As a graduate living in Canada, I felt more secure having a full-time job. So, the moment I graduated, I applied everywhere. It was a mixed bag of interviews either no replies and rejections for the first month. Eventually, I landed a remote job for a design studio in New York called Fueled.

I worked for them remotely from Vancouver, and a complete remote position back in 2012 was very uncommon. This position gave me exposure to a very different lifestyle compared to my fellow graduates, as I had the flexibility to travel and make my schedule the way I want it. Not having a physical team was a bit disorienting at first. But after the initial adjustment, I loved it.

After two years of working with Fueled, I had the confidence to try something on my own. I moved back to India, where the startup scene was booming. I started a small design studio and eventually had a team of seven. While the work we were doing was great, the constant stress of being responsible for getting large projects to sustain was getting to me.

After three years, I found myself back at a full-time job as a Head of Design for a fintech company in Delhi, India. But two years later, I was starting to become miserable with the entire vibe of the startup ecosystem. My priorities were shifting; I wasn’t sure how to move forward. I decided to move on and interviewed with different companies.

I interviewed with several top companies, but none of them felt like a place I would like to be. Plus, geography was another issue — I wanted to stay in India and be near my family. So, in 2019, I left my current job with some savings to explore what was next. One of my side projects of selling design assets was doing well, but nothing close to what I would be making at a job. However, it also showed me an opportunity, and I started reading up on solo entrepreneurship.

I also found myself doing illustrations again. I fell in love with making 3D illustrations and saw a rising demand online. I took my design assets gig and combined it with my new found love for 3D illustrations. It took time, but it seemed there was always enough demand for me to keep going and exploring more. I also learned a lot about self-branding and marketing during this time. Since then, I have been very active on social platforms, sharing my work and experience regularly.

In June 2020, one of my design assets called Toy Faces Library was an instant hit. It was featured by Product Hunt and covered by all major publications. My next few projects also did very well, and I got to work with brands like Google, Pinterest, Gowalla, and many more.

Currently, I can finally say I’m at ease and love having an independent career. 2020 and the pandemic has changed everything, and I am extremely thankful I found a path during this time. We all know how priorities have shifted in the last year. Things that seemed so important suddenly seem… silly.

One silver lining of all this is that it has opened up a whole new world where the possibility of doing things on your own time and owning your career is more than ever. Invest in your education and take the time to specialize. Learn to promote yourself in any medium you are comfortable with, whether that’s social platforms, blogs, videos, emails, or Zoom calls.

If you’re looking to learn more, I’ll leave you with three recommendations of people whose work helped me on my journey. Check out the works of Seth Godin and Chris Do (of The Futur), as well as the book Company of One by Paul Jarvis, for great inspiration on today’s world of digital businesses.