For a long time, I defined success as a freelance motion designer one way only.
Make. More. Money.
Raise your rate. Book bigger clients. Stay as busy as possible.
That worked… until it didn’t.
Sustainability, it turns out, isn’t just about income.
It’s about whether the career you’re building still fits the life you’re living.
For me, that shift became impossible to ignore once I became a mom.
Motherhood completely changed how I thought about work.
I didn’t want to fill my calendar with jobs. I wanted fewer, better projects.
More time with my daughter. More time to work on parts of my career that weren’t client deliverables.
The solution wasn’t hustling harder. It was charging more and working less.
By increasing my rates and being more selective, I could hit the same income goals while freeing up time. That time didn’t disappear. I reinvested it… into digital products, new business systems, and building new offers like my motion partner subscription.
That’s when I realized something important.
Growth doesn’t always mean higher output. Sometimes it means refocusing your energy into new opportunities.
Freelancing gives you endless optionality. That’s both the gift and the trap.
Sustainable careers depend on systems, not constant negotiation.
Early in my career, I said yes to everything. Including 3D work.
I was capable, but not passionate. And I wasn’t willing to put in the years required to be the best at it
There are people who love that work. They should take those jobs.
Now, I focus on design forward After Effects motion. That decision has made my work feel lighter and more aligned.
These days, I don’t just evaluate a project based on scope or budget.
I ask myself: Is this a type of client I want more of in the future?
That filter has done more for my long term growth than any rate increase.
For years, the only thing holding me back from building a social presence was… me.
Fear of being seen. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of not being “ready.”
But the bigger issue was this: I sold every available hour to client work.
I hustled so hard that there was no time left to invest in myself.
I was there for the early days of YouTube and Instagram. And I still don’t have much of a following. That’s one of the biggest missed opportunities of my career.
Visibility isn’t about likes. It’s about attracting opportunities.
You can’t get those opportunities if no one knows you exist.
Some of the best opportunities in my career came from people, not posts.
My favorite director has pulled me into incredible projects. Big name studios. Google. Work I never could have planned for.
The same thing has happened with producers. I work with them once, make their lives easier, and then they take me with them when they move to new agencies or teams.
That kind of trust only comes from long term relationships.
I’m their secret weapon.
Freelancing can be isolating, especially in smaller markets.
There aren’t many motion design meetups where I live. But Slack communities with other designers have been huge for me.
They’ve helped me stay informed on rates and industry norms. On what’s considered reasonable in New York or LA… even if no one in Dallas is charging $1,000 a day.
Knowing that matters.
It keeps you from underpricing yourself just because of geography.
Earlier in my career, I went religiously to the NYC Motion Meetup. I built relationships there that directly led to my first freelance gigs. I owe a lot to that community.
Success doesn’t happen alone.
I used to book myself on client projects 240 days a year.
Now I target the same income, but with less time.
The remaining time is reinvested.
Marketing. Digital product development. Experimenting with new pricing models. Building offers that don’t rely on day rates.
In the future, I don’t want to think about my income in terms of days at all.
I want to measure success by total income, flexibility, and happiness.
That’s what sustainable motion design looks like to me.
Not endless growth. Not constant hustle.
Just a career that still feels good to show up for… year after year.
Motion Partner
