kimg57•5mo ago

Overheard a client on the phone call my work 'adequate'...

I was picking up a check at a client's office last Tuesday and heard them on a call in the next room. They said, 'Yeah, the freelancer's work is adequate, we'll keep them for now.' Adequate... like lukewarm coffee. It hit me that after 8 months, I was just a safe, boring choice. I went home and redid my whole portfolio site that night, adding three big, creative pieces I'd been scared to show. Got a call for a much more interesting project two days later. Has anyone else had a moment that made you stop playing it so safe?

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jamienguyen4mo ago

Not gonna lie, "adequate" is kind of a gutpunch but also... maybe not that deep? Clients sometimes just say stuff in passing without thinking about how it sounds. Could've just been them trying to sound neutral to whoever was on the other end. But yeah, if it pushed you to finally put up those bigger pieces then it worked out fine. Just seems like a lot of drama over one offhand word though.

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kim_patel895mo ago

Totally get that. Had a boss tell me my designs were "reliable" once. Reliable. Like a boring old car. Spent the whole weekend making the weirdest, loudest poster series I could think of. Put it on my site and it actually got me a call from a band looking for album art. Sometimes you just need to hear that bland feedback to remember you can be way more than just safe.

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anna9835mo ago

My old art teacher said something similar, kim_patel89, and it really lit a fire under me too.

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