Freelance Framing

[Mog]

I have been looking for a full time picture framing job for a long time now to no avail, though I have several years experience. it seems most businesses are family run or one man bands. I am now looking into becoming a 'freelance' framer so I can help out people when their busy but they dont have the burden of having to employ someone. From what I've looked at already it seems I can work by the hour, day or have a contract for a certain project or period of time. (I do realise there will be times when none of the framers have work and am also looking into setting up a seperate business of a photography website its all still in early stages)

Does anyone have any advice for example, where to advertise (I guess Art Business Today is one option), what sort of thing framers are looking etc. Does anyone do this already?



Thanks

[JamesC]

If you have your own business and can write invoices out for subcontracting/self-employment that should help greatly because for small businesses employees and the hassle of setting that up is a big pain and demand can be up and down like a bride's nightie, as we say in yorkshire anyway.

It's a seasonal business and you can probably find a lot more work from July to December (contract framers that are left after the China trend in my observation tend to busy up around July getting stuff ready for Xmas, bespoke framers have lots of people come in October onwards). To me May seems like quite a quiet month usually so you may have struggled recently.

I have two part-time framers plus myself - one does his own framing 20 miles away so no clash, the other is also a web designer and computer repairer. It works great and problems shared is a big blessing - these are experienced, knowledgable guys and I'm fairly young. It leaves me to print, design, promote and manage while my partner does a great job with the customers. I think everybody is happy and business is growing.

If you have photography/print/digital skills and can deal with customers you are probably going to be even more useful. I think most framers would love someone they could leave in charge for a day, week or two if they are constantly busy. It can be a family affair as you say though - overheads have to be minimal in general to make things compute in this age of throwaway high street art.

I would say don't demand too much in pay because general framing is not highly paid per hour. Start at maybe £6-7 an hour and hope to prove your worth up to 8 to 10 perhaps with bonuses with good business performance. If you can be left unattended, have all the skills for complex work and need no training then maybe start at £8. Joiners and mechanics near me work self-employed for £10 an hour and arguably that's more skilled/hard/dangerous. That's North York Moors though Hampshire could well be different! Remember in hard times it may well be more than the owner is getting once you factor in all the extra effort they put in.

That would be my experience but I am a business graduate who is young, progressive, online, ambitious and open I would say, relatively speaking. Other brands of framer are available!

[Keith Hewitt]

Problem as I see it with ABT (aka Art Biz Today) is that you may get work all over the UK and even Eire.
Assume you dont want to waste your time up and down M ways.

So why not try a targetted mail shot to framers say in a 30 mile radius for starters

Tell them with bullet points exactly what you can do for them.
Maybe no instant replies - but they may call you later when they sudenly need help

[Mog]

Thank you so much for taking time out to give me some advice thats all really helpful I love this forum!

I have just taken on my first client starting at a day rate of £80 for 2 days a week and have had a couple of other enquires, so I'm quite happy with that as a start. Now I can quit my 9-5, though my budget will have to change dramatically at least I'm doing what I enjoy! I have had quite varied experience incl cmc mat cutter, lots of styles of mounting, laminating, vinyl, ultimat, setting up and running a department, customer service, and all the usual underpinning etc oh yeah and far too much canvas stretching experience! So hopefully I can be of some use to some people.

I have been moving around quite a bit for the past few years and have always managed to find some sort of framing work eventually, Although it doesnt help that moving from country to country means nobody knows you or has heard of the companies youve worked for or suppliers! I've been here for a year now and its just not been the right time to be looking for a job. I have just started sending off information to all the framers locally about my new venture and have been advertising on Gumtree so hopefully I will get some more interest.

I have a photography degree and have just entered the world of digital..reluctantly, so I really need to put that all to some use and start making money from it with a website. Also I think it would be useful to have a fall back source of income if the framing side goes slack for a period.

Thanks again for all your help and if anyone else has any advice on what framers are looking for I would be really grateful.

[daisy]

Hi Mog,

Thats a fantastic idea, I think you should soon be extreemly busy. E-mail me your details with hourly rates etc. I'm not far from Edinburgh but have really busy periods, but not busy enough or (earning enough) to employ someone even part-time. Contract work for most small framers would be ideal. Good luck with everything

Daisy