I missed May and June… whoops. I’m pregnant, remember, and I will blame that for everything (forever). So this is going to be a catch up post.

In Australia, July marks the start of the new financial year, and is also roughly a year since I left my part-time job to pursue freelance. I think that makes this a good time to look back at reflect.

July 2022 – June 2023

So what’s happened in one whole financial year of writing?

• I worked with 5 corporate clients and publishers (4 of which were new)
• I completed 6 writing and editing projects
• I broke into the education market, writing 1 narrative school reader with a 2 more commissioned
• Became pregnant with my second child
• Earned $1203.50 (with hourly rates of $60-100)

It’s important to note, that I didn’t have a financial goal of any kind in the first six months of that financial year, but rather set a goal for the 2023 calendar year. I also have a small salary from the admin work I do for my partner’s farm business. And on top of all that, I am not attempting to make a full-time income while I have small children (a privileged choice, I know).

If you have bigger and better financial dreams from freelance, do not let my income deter you. As you can see my hourly rates were not measly, especially for starting out, and I urge you to check out other freelance resources, such as The Freelancer’s Year and Mimimoo Illustration, both of whom discuss making six figures from freelancing and creative businesses.

So what is my goal for 2023?

Easy. It’s $5000. Not massive, but still growth, and I’m nearing it already.

Let’s take a closer look at the first half of 2023.

January – June 2023

In the first half of 2023:

• I worked with 4 corporate clients and publishers (all of which were new)
• I was commissioned for and completed 4 projects
• I commissioned for $1178.50 and was paid $878.50

As you can see, most of my income from the last financial year actually came from the first half of 2023.

But if that’s all I made in the last 6 months, how am I well on my way to making $5000 by Christmas?

Let’s take a look at July…

July 2023

In July 2023:

• I worked with 3 clients (1 of which was new)
• I was commissioned for 4 and completed 2 projects
• I was commissioned for $3550 and was paid $700

While we’re not talking about August yet, I’ll also mention I’ve already been commissioned for another $350 worth of work and been paid $300.

So, as you can see, in regards to my personal goals, I’m quite happy. I could increase my target, but with baby of the way I’ve decided not to over do it. I might pitch some articles instead, or refocus on some of my fiction writing projects, which have been neglected with this current influx of work.