So, December 2021, man. I remember that time like it was yesterday. Everyone was talking about resolutions, and for us Virgos, there was this whole buzz about boosting your income. And let me tell ya, I was feeling it. I was really feeling that push to make some extra dough, not just for kicks, but ’cause things were a bit tight, you know? My regular gig was fine, but it wasn’t exactly getting me where I wanted to be, especially with all the prices going up. I was just kinda surviving, and that wasn’t sitting right with me anymore.
I started thinking, “Okay, boost income, how do I even do that?” My brain was just buzzing with ideas, some crazy, some just plain dumb. I kinda sat down with a cup of coffee, staring out the window, and just started scribbling thoughts. What could I do? What skills did I actually have that someone would pay for, outside of my day job? I always loved messing around with design stuff, not like a pro or anything, but I could whip up a pretty decent flyer or a simple logo. People used to ask me to help them with their birthday invites and stuff like that. So, I figured, maybe there’s something there.
Getting Started: From Zero to Something
The first real step I took was just to actually commit to it. No more “maybe I will,” it was a “I’m doing this” moment. I decided I’d try to offer my super basic design skills online. I’d never done freelance work for strangers before, so it felt a bit like jumping off a cliff. My first move was to dig up all the little bits of design I’d ever done, even if it was just a mock-up for a friend’s band. I needed a portfolio, right? So I spent a good weekend just rounding up all that stuff, putting it into a simple PDF. Nothing fancy, just trying to show I could actually, you know, do something.
Next up, finding where to actually offer this stuff. I heard about a few of those freelance platforms, so I signed up for one of them. Setting up the profile was a bit of a pain. Figuring out what to write, what to charge – that was a real head-scratcher. I had no idea what my time was worth. So I just kinda threw out a number, something I thought was fair but also low enough to maybe get a bite. I remember thinking, “Just get that first gig, man, doesn’t matter how much it pays.”
The Grind and the Lessons Learned
And then came the waiting game. Oh man, the waiting was brutal. I’d check that site every few hours, refreshing, hoping to see a message. Nothing for days, then a week. I started feeling pretty deflated, thinking, “See, I told you this was a dumb idea.” But I kept at it. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos about how to make your profile stand out, what kind of proposals to write. I tweaked my profile text, added a few more examples to my portfolio, even though they were still just personal projects.
Finally, I got a bite! Some small business needed a simple social media graphic. It was for like, ten bucks. Ten bucks! But I jumped on it. It wasn’t about the money at that point, it was about proving I could actually land a gig and deliver. It took me way longer than it should have, probably three times longer than what was reasonable for ten dollars. But I poured my heart into it. I wanted that client to be happy, to leave a good review. And they did! That first five-star rating felt like winning the lottery, seriously.
That little success gave me a kick in the pants. I started actively looking for more small jobs. I learned pretty fast that you gotta be quick to respond. I also learned that some clients are a nightmare, always changing their minds, asking for endless revisions. There was one lady who wanted her logo in like, twenty different colors, and each time she’d say, “No, not quite right, try again.” I wanted to pull my hair out, but I swallowed it and just kept going. It was all part of the learning curve.
- I started understanding how to set boundaries with clients.
- I learned to price my time a little better, even if it was still low.
- I figured out which types of projects I actually enjoyed doing.
- Most importantly, I learned how to deal with rejection. A lot of proposals just went ignored, and that’s okay.
Did It Boost My Income? You Betcha.
By the end of December 2021, and pushing into early 2022, I definitely saw a difference. It wasn’t like I got rich or anything, but that extra cash made a real impact. It paid for some groceries, covered a few utility bills, and even let me splurge on a new pair of shoes I’d been eyeing. It wasn’t just the money, though. It was the feeling of actually doing something proactive, taking control, and proving to myself that I could create another stream of income with my own two hands. That horoscope might have planted the seed, but it was the actual doing, the trying, and the sticking with it through all the frustrating bits, that really made the difference. It taught me that sometimes, you just gotta throw yourself at something and see what sticks, even if it’s just ten bucks at a time to start.
