Interview - Hayley McMurray
Coming the vibrant city of Melbourne, Hayley’s quirky and fun personality radiates through her work. She strives to offer out of the box, considered and conscious design.
Tell us how you ended up here as a freelancer? Where did it all begin?
From the get-go I knew I wanted to be my own boss. I was pretty determined to live life how I wanted to. I kinda couldn't stand the thought that my every day / every week felt like groundhog day. Surprisingly I stuck it out 6 years on. 😅
A few months after TAFE ( yep, you heard right! No uni and no debt for life and still got the career of my dreams - it's doable people! ) I landed my first full-time job. From there, I moved to Melbourne and tried my hand at freelancing for 3 very poor months. I got many knock-backs, many smoke bombers (did the work and did a runner) and many underpaid long hours. I learnt some important lessons, like always getting a deposit before you start the job! After this, I had a few more full-time jobs. Stable money seemed like a better alternative at the time. However, it was like bad dating - it was all good in the beginning but after a while, it just wasn't for me, they weren't my "type".
After 6 long years in the industry (and gaining a tonne of industry experience), I felt like this working for someone else business was coming to a close - I had learnt a lot and grown all I could. l took a holiday (had many epiphanies), came back and quit my full-time job. Taking the exciting (but also terrifying) leap into full time freelancing as of May 2018.
What was your last ‘real’ job?
My last real job was conveniently 2km from my home, a small family-owned company, easy work, days (if not weeks) of not much to do for good money. Seems like a dream? Well, I wish - but not for me! I outgrew the role pretty quickly and did a lot of pointless jobs just to keep me busy and every day I wished I was working on something else, like my business. But as it was a Monday to Friday, 9-5:30 job, by the time I got home and weekends came around I just wanted to switch off.
Working for a family business definitely has its pros and cons like any workplace. Unfortunately, the cons started to become heavy. If you weren't a part of the family the blame was put on you. It was like you were the naughty kid getting yelled at for something that more than 9 times out of 10 wasn't your fault. Everything was just handled poorly and super unprofessional. The dreaded Monday morning came around and I had my resignation letter with me "just in case" cos at this stage I had talked to my friends over the weekend and they could see how miserable I was and encouraged me that I will be ok even though I kept thinking I have no clients lined up so if I did quit what would I do?
I hadn't even put my things down when I arrived and got called into the office. Next thing I know I had shreds ripped off me first thing that morning. I sat there in disbelief and all the things I wanted to say but bit my tongue. I got up, walked into my office grabbed my letter and put it down on the manager’s desk. She was shocked! I gave a months notice (I’m still a good person) - that whole month was amazing cos I was treated like royalty after that haha!
“I wanted to know what I put my heart and soul into was for a good purpose.”
What inspired you to start freelancing?
Like most, travelling and seeing how the other half lived (boss babes and hustlers I mean), really opened my eyes to what life could and should be like again. Life’s far too short. Cheesy but true! I wanted to work with likeminded people, brands and businesses. I wanted to know what I put my heart and soul into was for a good purpose. I read a fair few self-help books like the "The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**K" and it helped reinforce what I’ve wanted all of these years. Thank you Sarah Knight!
What was your biggest fear before you started freelancing? Any tips to overcome these fears?
No money coming in and no stable income.
A lot of it is mindset. That’s easier said than done, and I’m still working on it myself. There are lots of podcasts and books out there, so educate yourself and get into the habit of owning money and not let money own you!
It’s good to have a part-time job even and wean your way off till you have enough coming in, but one lesson I learnt the hard way this year is SAVE SAVE SAVE where possible. This you have some extra cash in quieter times (like Christmas).
In three emojis, describe your life as a freelancer…
👩💻🙄🥰
Walk us through a typical day in the life of you?
AM
I start my day usually with a walk (with a pooch if I'm sitting one at the time or yoga or a sleep in cos I can) no two days are the same for me and that’s how I like it! My incredible other-half usually makes me a fancy coffee or I have a cup of tea. No fancy breakfasts for me usually just a bowl of cereal - the occasional Melbourne brunch but usually an excuse to get out and make those client coffees.
I'm finally in the habit of getting up and dressing properly as it’s so easy to stay daggy and in "comfy" clothes all day but I feel more productive if I look and feel good.
By writing my to-do lists the night before or even on a Sunday I've started mapping the week out when I'm extra busy. I try to start my day by getting the mundane tasks out of the way. As it still is just me I am also my accounts, admin, financial, marketing, everything gal so start with emails, Xero etc.
I also trust how I am feeling that day (deadline depending) and work on the area of creativity, whether it be research for a moodboard, illustration projects, or something deeper like a full rebrand, I will work on what I feel I'll be most productive with and do well.
PM
I find myself working in all areas of my home, not just the studio. Outside is my fave in our little courtyard in the afternoon. I usually get snacky around 3:30itis time and take a mini-break and usually get my most productive in the late afternoons and evenings. Before clocking off and spending time with my other half when he gets home from work.
How as COVID-19 impacted your everyday life?
As far as working from home is concerned it wasn't too hard to transition back to working from home every day as I have done that in the past. It was hard changing my routine back and re-learning to separate work/home life especially in our quaint apartment with ALL the distractions!
I have ensured I upped my self-care rituals and focused on segmenting my day more than I normally would. I love my Garmin as it notifies me to move every hour and the Fabulous app as it has helped me build healthy habits around my morning, day and evening routines. Ensuring I have a proper break for lunch is the most important as the day can just get away from you. You are more productive and creative if you learn to take a pause. I take a walk, quick meditation, watch an episode of the Nanny (forgot how good it was!) and just eating lunch outside in our little courtyard.
There are days I feel super-flat, unmotivated and not creative in the slightest. Then there’s days or nights where my mojo kicks in and I can’t step away. I let it flow when that happens and just embrace the creative flow. Every day is so different and so mundane at the same time.
Workload has been steady and many beautiful people and businesses have got in touch to use this time to get on top of their business goals. As have I, booking in much-needed brand photography for after COVID to spruce up my site and working on myself and my business and future new business goals. Stay tuned!
“Get into the habit of owning money and not let money own you.”
Name three qualities you need to succeed as a freelancer?
Self-discipline / time management
Great networking skills
Remember your ‘why’
It will get super tough at times and the universe will test you but when you start to feel overwhelmed or over it all ask yourself why. Why did you become a freelancer? Why did you start your own business? This helps ground you and reminds you of the life you left and what you want your life to really look like.
I know we’re not supposed to have favourites, but please share a favourite client project with us?
There's too many but possibly one I have just completed when writing this.
It was for the super lovely Amanda from The Loop Market (Bespoke and handcrafted bridal hair accessories). She wanted more than just words to describe their hiring process. Anita from Wordfetti crafted a whimsical story from what is normally a pretty normal process and I got to illustrate those words with line drawings that visually told the hiring process.
The challenge was to create something so simple but spoke a thousand words. These illustrations needed to be versatile in the way that they needed to work with or without the copy beneath them but also work on other marketing collateral other than the website.
I started with a more in-depth illustration with more detail and we worked together to simplify the design from there. It's always easier to take away than add later on. I digitised the hand drawings so that can be scalable without losing their resolution.
What do you love most about freelancing?
The freedom - feeling like I'm in control of my life. Get to work with likeminded people businesses and collaborate with some pretty awesome people. It's a lifestyle that’s not for everyone because its hard work and that's made me realise just how resilient and driven I can be. You're also forever learning, about yourself, your business, what you like and don't like.
What sucks the most about freelancing?
Knowing that there will be tough times, there will be good and bad clients/ experiences but you just know what not to do next time. The feeling like you never stop working or never truly switch off cos your business is your baby! But again, it comes back to mindset, training your brain and putting boundaries in place.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Get you and your work out there. Go to events, seminars, meetups, courses, competitions etc and just chat with people. Most of my clients are purely through word of mouth and having a chat with someone and be open. I highly recommend business mentoring or coaching! Winging it only gets you so far ( I know from experience) Outsource where you can, when you can to a professional whether its mentoring, financials etc.