Marcus Hammarstedt
Let’s start with your name…
Marcus Hammarstedt
Q2 What do you do as a freelancer?
Product Design and UI Development as an integrated part of a product team. I’ve got many hats on my shelf that I can wear – So I generally put on the one that suits the weather of that day.
Q3 How long have you been doing it for?
3 months
Q4 What inspired you to become a freelancer?
The initial 3-9 months of working on a product are quite magical. Like the honeymoon stage of product development. You’re uncovering which problems to solve, talk to interesting people, set a vision and identify which solutions will bring most value. You ship your first version, you iterate, refine and get it to a point where your customers are happy and the team is proud of their work. Freelancing allows me to stay in that honeymoon stage and get exposed to interesting problems more consistently.
Q5 What do you think the benefits of being a freelancer are?
Exposure to a wide arrange of problems and technologies. I think it also helps you with focus as you’re generally brought in to work on something specific and deliver on a single outcome. So it’s easier to stay focused on that and not get distracted by other opportunities or things that are going on in the periphery.
Q6 What are the biggest challenges you think freelancers face at the moment?
With all the layoffs it’s possible that the freelance market also gets a bit saturated with talent. And time will tell how that affects things.
Q7 What do you think is the best resource you have found to use as a freelancer?
There are plenty of Slack communities to join that can really help with finding work, not feeling alone and stay inspired. For me one of those communities is the DesignOps (designopsmelbourne.slack.com) workspace that started in Melbourne.
Q8 What one piece of advice would you give to other/aspiring freelancers?
Leverage your network of friends and colleagues as much as you can. Ask them if they have experience with consulting. Interview them and find out what they would do differently if they started again. Make sure that people know that you’re available for hire.
Q9 What is your favourite project you have ever worked on?
I love working in the field of Medical Technology. I get to interview doctors and visit hospitals. They work in high stress, high pressure environments so it’s really inspiring to get to try and make their lives a little bit better.
