Are your fellow freelancers rivals or allies?

Nikki Farquharson
Graphic artist
"If I had to choose between the two, I’d pick allies. Although the art and design industry is very competitive, it is still comradely. A network of support exists among professional creatives. Also, I am aware that my hand-drawn, graphic and abstract style suits a very specific kind of market and client. If you’re confident in your work and ability, you shouldn’t need to view your fellow peers as rivals."

Steven Bonner
Illustrator and designer
"Rivalry is natural and helps you strive to improve, but you can’t let it make you become insular. I try to be friendly with other freelancers wherever I can as it’s good to have a network of people with a similar skillset who you can recommend to clients if you’re too busy. It’s something I’ve done quite a few times, and I know other people have done it for me too. If we can help each other out and create a friendlier industry, then why shouldn’t we?"

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The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.