I wanted to post a little discussion on the topic of “fair rates” for web design. It is my hope that this video is a help to web designers who are just starting out and also people who are currently shopping for a web designer and are unsure of what to look for and what to expect in terms of skill, price, and a number of other factors. Hope it helps!

A discussion of fair rates for web design and what to expect as both a client looking to a hire a web designer, and also a web designer just starting out and trying to figure out what a fair going rate is.

I think when I speak about magic and refer to it on my blog in reference to my work, I’m not talking about incantations, spells, and the like.

I’m talking about
“Do you BELIEVE in magic?”

I’ve been thinking about this question alot lately, because I think it’s a question that alot of people would give an emphatic “yes” to, however, I think alot of those people are at the same time not at all interested in incantations, spells, and sorcery. Why is that? If you want my opinion (and unfortunately you’re in my “realm” right now so you’re going to get it :D ), it’s because people are looking for something more. I think such a classic and timeless theme that runs through human history. Recently, we’ve seen J.R.R Tolkien write his epic saga “Lord of the Rings” and magic was a major part of the wonder and mystery of the world and story that he told. The same is true of C.S. Lewis and his works. I know that both authors did not actually practice witchcraft, sorcery, or tarot readings, yet magic was a central theme to the stories they told.

The funny thing is that I do believe in witchcraft, sorcery, tarot reading etc. and their ability to affect the world, but I’m not really convinced that the effect is positive. Obviously there’s plenty of controversy surrounding that issue and I’m not interested in adding to it, however, I will say this:

The fundamental problem of witchcraft, sorcery, and the like is not the tapping into the supernatural, it’s the motivation behind it.

The mystical realms are a place where, in my opinion, all of us are born to live and breathe and thrive. However, I don’t think anyone wants to take a journey into that realm (as my friend did once) and end up trying to jump out of a car going 65mph because they’re tripping face on acid and perceive demons in the car trying to kill him. I’m just sayin’, the spirit realm is the place to be, but you have to enter through the proper door to get the GOOD stuff.

At the end of the day it’s the motivations: it’s control, manipulation, self-promotion, and self-righteousness that are really holding us back as a worldwide community… Not so much the mystical or the magical or the supernatural. What we REALLY need to do is awaken people to the reality of the presence of the SHING DING of HEAVEN! More on this later…

I am a freelancer, and like many other freelancers I have a fairly regular interaction with other web professionals through Twitter. As a result, I have a definite bias, but I see alot of freelancers suffering from burnout and having difficulty figuring out how to manage their time and balance their various roles and responsibilities in life. This post (at least in part) is my two cents on the whole phenomenon, which is very real.

Raises and Benefits

There is a group of web professionals that are very interested in security, stability, raises, and benefits. These people often have families that they need to care for and are under alot of pressure in that department of their lives. They are excellent at their trade but for them, it is a high priority that their work end at a certain time each day so they can invest in developing strong relationships with their spouse and children. Others in this category include those who place a higher value on relaxing and enjoying life than working hard.  That makes web design a great career for people with this personality type.  Being a web professional is a great way to get that freedom; you can even work from the road or while on vacation etc.

The struggle for this group of freelancers is that despite being sincere in their passion for their trade, they are more interested in web design / development than they are interested in business.

Ay, There’s the Rub

Being more interested in web design / development than business is a serious problem for many freelancers.  There’s something misleading about the term “freelancer”.  It’s not quite “self-employed”, not quite “entrepreneurial”, and just a bit vague.  If you’re a freelancer then you’re a business owner.  Period.  The question that really needs to be answered is this: “What is your dream?” 

If things like security, stability, and comfort are important parts of your dream, then it’s my humble opinion that the “freelance” (a.k.a. business-owner) lifestyle is not the one for you.

Why?  Because one of the basic tenets of business is “Work hard now, reap the benefits years later”.  If you want to be successful as a freelancer, it should be your goal from the outset to develop a strong brand and be developing a strategy to gradually turn your business from a one-man operation into a studio with specialists in a variety of industry niches.  I warned you at the start that I wanted to make some polarizing comments, but take heart, for there is hope.

Why We Do the Things We Do

I think it’s a great idea to sit down and make an honest decision, “Am I interested in security, stability, and comfort or am I interested in making a mark, sacrifice, hard work, and being a leader?”  I think taking the time to commit to one or the other could help many freelancers bypass years of confusion and frustration and ultimately, failure. If you’re doing the freelance thing right now make the best of it, but have a plan.  Is your freelancing a time to develop a strong portfolio and expand your knowledge / marketable skillset in hopes of landing a better full-time design / development gig?  Is it to establish a strong brand identity and a steady influx of clients to the point where you need to bring other people on staff in order to handle the influx work?

My personal goal is the latter.  Of course many people never have life circumstances align in such a way that they are capable of making the huge sacrifice to move from freelancer to entrepreneur.  I am very grateful to own two companies, a fitness & wellness company that is profitable to the extent that I am able to invest more time in my still-growing “DreamStar Studios”.  I’m currently mapping out a plan to make the transition from “DreamStar Studios – Freelance Designer Brian Feister” to “DreamStar Studios – Private Design Studio”.

Maybe it’s just my sense of adventure and romance, maybe it’s my unreasonable and silly love of a good challenge, but I’m going for it.  There are some of you reading this that should too!

First of all, as a designer, I have always had a weakness for all things sparkly, shiny, glowing, etc.  I share this weakness with most of the bellydancers I know, so we get along well.  Also, my wife has been bellydancing for a few years now and it was the exposure I got to  photography, web design, graphic art and similar visual arts mediums through helping bellydancers that ultimately helped me decide to make a living at this stuff.  That’s the history of how my path originally intersected with the whole bellydance scene.

My relationship with bellydance has evolved over time and I am more intentional these days as I continue to involve myself in the “scene”.  As an artist, I celebrate and cherish all art, but to me Middle-Eastern dance is an exceptionally awesome art form.  I think it’s obvious that we’ve lived in a culture that, for quite some time, has devalued and torn down women.  To me, bellydance is a beautiful and expressive art form that celebrates womanhood and femininity in a way that emphasizes women as unique and special in a way that men are not.

To me, American society is at this place where everyone wants to be everything.  I see women suffering from this as society tends to put them into one of two categories. A) Domineering. over-ambitious, manipulative, control-freak  or B) Submissive, passive-aggressive, disadvantaged, weakling.  Bellydance puts women in a category that is wholly outside of those two vague categories.  Bellydance is strongly feminine and beautiful in a way that for me is all about joy and celebration.  There is something incredibly powerful and joyous about being able to carry and ultimately bring new human life into the world.  To me, there is just something special about bellydance that reflects beauty, power, and elegance… graces that are beautiful and feminine and worthy of celebration.