There are Pros and Cons in any business, it depends on what’s right for the individual and how they like to work and live.

No matter whether you are employed, unemployed or self employed, it can be difficult to achieve the right balance between working and living, for many the line is somewhat blurred, and I speak from experience where this is concerned.

CONS

1. FLUCTUATING INCOME

When Freelancing you will have good and bad months, sometimes you will be working on long projects with nothing to tide you over, or you will have clients who pay really late or occasionally not at all, leaving you short now and then.

2. NO BENEFITS

You will have no company benefits such as healthcare, pension plan or life insurance. You also won’t have any paid holidays or get paid if you are sick.

3. SICKNESS COVER

Following on from above, if you are ill, who is going to finish the project and deliver the work that you are contracted to deliver? If you are ill it may be no fault of your own but in letting down a client, they may not come back again, or worse still make it known that you can’t keep your promises or deadlines.

4. ISOLATION

It can get lonely from time to time working on your own, you also have to be self critical without anyone around to bounce ideas off.

5. DISCIPLINE

A tricky part of running your own business is keeping yourself disciplined with all the distractions at home. Less x-box and cups of tea and more work.

6. CLIENTS

Lets face it, clients can be a pain at times, but there won’t be anyone else to deal with them, it’s all down to you.

7. PAPERWORK

You will also be solely responsible for the accounting and paperwork that comes with any business. It may be a drag but you will have to do it.

8. TECHNICAL HEADACHES

When your computer, printer or internet connection goes down, it’s up to one person to drop tools and sort it out…you guessed it, it’s you again.

9. INITIAL EXPENSE

Starting out as a Freelancer is going to cost you to a certain degree initially. You can’t start earning without the equipment and software you need to create the wondrous stuff you intend to start regularly churning out.

10. LONG HOURS

With all the responsibilities on top of the actual designing, animating, compositing or whatever type of job you do, you can expect some long hours and weekends.

PROS

1. FLEXIBILITY

You will be able to work when you choose to fit your lifestyle. You can take jobs or reject them, it’s all up to you what you do and when.

2. NO BOSS

When you are your own boss you can get up late if you want, have a long lunch, or go skiing at the drop of a hat.

3. HOLIDAYS

Holidays don’t tend to exist in the same way for Freelancers, but if you wanted to extend a holiday, change the dates, or just take a long weekend for the hell of it….you can!

4. MONEY

It’s debateable whether Freelancers actually earn more than employed people over the course of a year,  but at least you know that whatever you agree to do a job for, all the money will be yours to do as you decide. Rememeber to keep some by for the tax bill though.

5. MORE MONEY

You can have more than one income by running several businesses if you like. You can split your time between them as it suits.

6. INCREASE YOUR SKILL SET

If you feel like learning something new, a 3d package, or a new editing tool, or how to knit or arrange flowers you can afford yourself the time and peace to focus on it and get it learnt faster than you could in the office environment.

7. RESPECT

Your peers will appreciate how much effort and skill went into your work and admire your dedication. After all, you did it alone!

8. FREEDOM

The joys of freedom speak for themselves. No, you don’t have to attend 5 dull meetings today because your boss said so!

9. SATISFACTION

When the job is done and delivered, there really is nothing more rewarding. You can sit back content, knowing you did your best…and then start thinking about the next project in the pipeline. It really is satisfying to see what you have accomplished by yourself.

10. FUN

I just love what I do, and I’m sure if you are reading this then you do too. What could be more fun than doing what you love all day, the way you want to do it, and getting paid at the same time. It’s just FUN!!!

The various methods and services below are examples, there are many other similar services from alternative sites.

1. Yousendit

A very common and popular service with people from all types of background yousendit allows you to upload files free of charge to a limit of 100MB and download up to 1GB per month. If you upgrade to the Pro account for $9.99 (£6.50) per month then you can send as many files up to 2GB in size as you want with 40GB of download bandwidth per month. You can also keep a contact address book on the site for quick retrieval of email addresses that you share with regularly and provides free plugins for Outlook and Photoshop.

2. Mailbigfile

Similar to Yousendit except you don’t need to sign up, but you can for the pro account which also offers 2GB file transfers and unlimited amounts of transfers. You can use the service for free and as long as you want to send up to 200MB per file via email but with no additional features. It also has an address book facility.

3. Dropbox

Slightly different and becoming increasingly popular (It’s without doubt our favourite), Dropbox allows you 2GB of online storage space for free, and up to 100GB if you are a paying customer. The great thing about Dropbox is you can simply drag and drop files to a folder on your desktop, then share the folder with whoever you want to. They will receive notification and once they have a Dropbox account they can drag and drop from the shared folder to wherever they want. This means you can have as many folders as you like each shared with as many different people as you like, or a public folder for everyone. It’s a great way to store files and access them from wherever you are, use as backup cloud storage or a collaboration tool. They even have a new mobile app. Also, if you sign up using this link then both you and I receive 250mb of additional space, absolutely free. Everyone you then invite who sign up also adds to your free space quota.

4.  PipeBytes

PipeBytes claims to have no filesize limit and you can start uploading while someone else starts downloading by sharing a simple reference code. They claim complete privacy, there is no software to install and the file is not stored online but sent directly to your recipient.

5. Assetbox

With Assetbox there is no limit on file size and only the intended recipient will access the file. You can even embed a media player to smoothly stream your shared content to your blog or profile page. The folder structure is very coherent, but each person must register for an account before they can share a file with you.

6. Z-Share

With Zshare you can host files, images, videos, audio and flash in the same place, and as long as the files remain active they can be downloaded limitlessly. Files not touched for 60days are automatically deleted. Zshare lets you upload files up to 1GB, and if you register for the service which still free, you’ll be able to share them privately. Premium members get faster downloads and the ability to upload files as large as 2GB.

7. Rapidshare

Rapidshare is a basic storage place lacking in features & design, but if you’re looking for a one-click file host, it may be the right solution. The service is the twelfth most visited homepage in the world. With Rapidshare, users can upload files up to 200MB in one step and make them available to anyone they like via the download link. The 200MB limit means that larger files need to be broken down into pieces using compression software ready to be pieced back together at the recipients end after download. Premium accounts offer additional convenience and faster speeds.  A file can be downloaded 10 times, and will be deleted after 90 days.

8. Filedropper

With this service you can upload files as large as 5GB and they claim it is the simplest way to share large files. You need to sign up for an account and it isn’t a free service. You can try a 7-day trial or pay for 3 plan options, 99cents (65p) plan, Silver Plan which is $5 (£3.25) a month or the Gold Plan which costs you $10 (£6.50) a month.

9. FTP

FTP or file Transfer Protocol is used to exchange and manipulate files over a TCP/IP-based network. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server applications. Anyone who owns a web domain with associated webspace can utilise part of it for FTP usage by installing an FTP client such as filezilla or cuteftp to transfer the files back and forth to the server. This method can also be utilised well by creating links on ’secret’ posts within your website and sending the recipient the link and password. Not only can they watch or download the file, they can also leave comments and collaborate via your website.

10. PeertoPeer

BitTorrent technology also requires a client to interface with the torrent files and hosts on the internet. The more popular a large video, audio or software file, the faster and cheaper it can be transferred. BitTorrent is a protocol (a set of rules and description of how to do things) allowing you to download files quickly by allowing people downloading the file to upload parts of it at the same time. BitTorrent is often used for distribution of very large files, very popular files and files available for free, as it is a lot cheaper, faster and more efficient to distribute files using BitTorrent than a regular download. There are many other peer-to-peer networks, most famously Napster and more recently Limewire.

- Here’s hoping this brief list has given you some options when considering how to move your files around, please leave any comments or suggestions and let everyone know what methods work best for you.

The latest advice for Motion Graphics Freelancers and all those from any industry considering going into Freelancing or setting up a studio at home on your own.
Check it out here.

We discuss:

Financial Startup

Portfolios & Showreels

Pricing yourself – Your market value

When work is plentiful or scarce

Paperwork & Accounting

Clients and their slow payments

What you miss out on as an employee

Are you right for Freelancing?

What is great about being your own boss

There are more Free Articles,  downloads and more here in Resources.

1.  The Motion Exchange

A relatively new site started by renowned After Effects master Harry Frank especially set up to bring together the worlds motion graphics community.

Here you can post videos, discuss others work and all topics relating to graphics and video. It is also a place to generate work for each other and collaborate across continents.

You can set up and join regional or specified groups of like minded designers, blog about current technology and events, or just cruise around the site looking at all the beautiful work posted by the members.

2. Mograph.net

This is a great place for forums, somewhere the bih hitters and tech heads hang out and discuss everything mograph. If you are looking for answers, feedback, critique or industry conflab, this is the place to come and get involved.

3. Motionworks

This site is a fantastic all round resource, and it’s free. John Dickinson posts everything you could ask to see and hear about. The site hosts two popular shows, one interviews leading industry figures, the other offers business advice within the world of motion graphics. On top of that there are hundreds of tutorials, downloads and useful bits and bobs. There is also a forum, and popular comments section on every post, so check it out and get involved with a strong community spirit.

4.  Creative Cow

The world famous cow is the biggest central stop for everything to do with video, graphics, software and technology. Resident experts as well as senior posters offer advice, articles, solutions and insight. The cow has been going since 2001 and is an enormous treasure trove of information. There are forums on every topic you can imagine, with millions of visitors asking questions and answering problems.

5. Vimeo

Vimeo is the video hosting site where creative people like to upload and share their masterpieces, showreels, short films and interesting visuals. There is a huge amount of fascinating material here, and you can join in with discussions, groups, comments and more. Connect with like minded people by adding contacts and stay posted with all their new content, then tell them what you think of it and they can tell you what they think of yours.

6. Media Motion

This is the home of the AE-List, an email list where After Effects experts from around the world can post questions and get answers from the community. It’s a great place to sign up to and get involved, or just lurk and read what the eggheads are talking about. This is a very friendly community but be advised not to ask any stupid questions you could find the answer to on google.

7. Linkedin

A well known business minded social networking tool, linkedin has many groups dedicated to motion graphics, post production and the film and television industry. Sign up for an account then apply to some of the groups specialising in your field. Once you are accepted by the group manager you can enter into the many discussions in the groups, network with people and post your own content.

8. Motionographer

This is another brilliant place to get inspired and connect with creative’s. The forums are varied and there is an enormous amount of visual material to see, articles to read, interviews and video galore. It’s well worth an explore if you aren’t already getting your daily motionographer fix.

9. Behance Network

This site encourages you to communicate with other creatives by enlarging your ‘circle’ of contacts online. You post your work, then look around and get inspired leaving comments and constructive criticism for others.

10. MakeCoolShit

A different sort of networking, but this blog by Nick Campbell is a companion to his successful tutorial and 5 second project site Greyscalegorilla. MakeCoolShit is about the business of creativity, there is some useful advice and a real sense of a place designed to help others get the best from themselves and their work. The comments section is always constructive and sometimes enlightening.

There are more Free Articles,  downloads and more here in Resources.