Expanding skills.... the fun of freelance

Growing With My Clients: The Unexpected Joy of Freelance LearningOne of my favourite things about being a freelancer in PR and comms —is that no two months ever look the same. I signed up for the freedom, the creativity, and the ability to choose projects that excite me. What I didn’t fully expect was just how much my clients would shape the direction of my career… and how much I’d learn because of them.

Over the last couple of years, working with different clients has nudged (and occasionally shoved!) me into new skills, new platforms, and whole new worlds of work. And honestly? It’s been fun. Properly fun.
Somewhere between planning communication strategies and writing press materials, I’ve found myself learning how to create online courses and websites on Klaviyo—a platform I previously only associated with email newsletters. Not anymore. Now I can map out flows, build landing pages, and piece together a whole customer journey. It’s become a little playground of creativity.

Then there was the moment a client casually asked if I “knew anything about running a Shopify store.” At the time, the answer was a solid no. But freelance life turns no into “give me 48 hours.” Fast-forward and suddenly I’m managing products, tweaking themes, and figuring out checkout settings like it's second nature. Shopify: conquered.

Speaking of platforms, another client project led me to build a full student course on Udemy, which was both challenging and engaging. I scripted, recorded, edited, uploaded, rewrote, re-uploaded, and learned - fast. One of those moments where you realise, “I didn’t know how to do this two months ago, and now look at me!”

Webinars? Same story. I’ve gone from attending them to singlehandedly arranging and running them—managing speakers, designing slides, coordinating the tech, and pressing all the right buttons at the right time. There’s a special kind of adrenaline that comes from hosting a live event and watching everything (mostly) go smoothly.

And then there are the quieter victories: becoming a total whizz with Microsoft Forms, refining my audio and video editing skills, and discovering little efficiencies that make big differences.

What I love most is that every new skill arrives wrapped inside a client project. I’m not learning in a vacuum—I’m learning because someone trusts me, believes in me, or needs me to help them bring something important to life. That’s the magic of freelancing: you grow with your clients, not just for them.

​So here’s to the next unexpected challenge, the next platform I’ve never heard of, the next skill I didn’t know I needed. If the last few years have taught me anything, it’s that freelancing isn’t just a job—it’s an evolving adventure. And I’m absolutely here for that.