The Year of Flexible, Collaborative Work

Coming from such a small town in Manila with a tight-knit community, New York is a completely different scene. Ever since I moved here in 2019, I knew that I wanted to a) learn and grow as much as I can as a designer, and b) work hard to earn my own money. Since then, I set out to find an on-campus job the minute I started my Associate’s Degree at Parsons - just so I could help my parents out by earning a little extra. That job I landed on campus helping out the School of Media Studies by designing collateral for their events was the first paid position I had in New York City, and it was completely remote (..a foreshadowing of the work life I’d be living from then on out?). I loved the feeling I got from earning my own money, even if it was just an on-campus job and I worked less than 10 hours a week - it made me feel more independent and it gave me that extra push to look for even more opportunities like that.

Ironically, I’ve worked at companies longer than I’ve been an independent designer. I started off the summer of 2020 (right when the pandemic hit) interning at a small boutique agency, and then interning again in the Fall at a larger B2B startup, and now finally working full-time as a designer at a growth marketing agency. The 9-5 was my hustle, even if I wasn’t physically able to go to an office. It was in the gap between my last internship and my current full-time job wherein I started freelancing just so I could keep the ball rolling. Even if I never saw myself entering the workforce as a freelancer, I didn’t like being stagnant and I needed money to support myself, so I started reaching out to my school professors and even cold-emailing design studios that I admired.

ABN - Always Be Networking 🧐

It was through this type of networking that I was able to land my first freelance gig helping a Brooklyn-based and women-owned bakery redesign their website. The long process when it came to me searching for a full-time job gave me even more time to take on different freelance projects, all of which I found through networking with people I’ve worked with before. Even when I started my full-time job in February, I realized that the freelance life is still something I could do on the side so that I can stay creative and continue to support myself, and the long hours are definitely worth the kind of exposure and learnings I’m getting from my different freelance gigs.

With that being said, I think the best advice I can give to someone starting out as a designer is to utilize all the connections you’ve made throughout the years - whether it be teachers, co-workers, or new friends. These connections are key in building your network and you’ll never realize how much help and advice you can get from others in return. Up until now, I’m in close contact with some of my Parsons professors and they continue to give me the best career advice.

2020 was truly a year that changed the way we work for what could be a long time. Remote work is all I’ve known here in New York, and it’s probably going to be this way for a while which is fine by me - it gives me all the more flexibility to continue on with my freelance projects. 2020 has taught us that in the coming years, the office can be anywhere and you should be able to get work done from wherever you’re most productive and comfortable. And because we’re having less in-person interactions in our places of work, networking and collaboration has become more difficult - yet more important than ever when it comes to bringing something great into the world. 2021 brings in a new year where people are seriously reevaluating what work means to them - is it something that is confined within the 9-5? Or is it something that I can do at my own pace, on my own time? Or like me, maybe it’s both. Flexible work has given us this opportunity to map out our own days, and I’m excited to see what other projects I can take on throughout the year.