How to Become a Freelance Animator

Discover inspirational tips to get started in animation, with expert advice for finding your style, building your brand, and overcoming challenges

Over the past four years, Danish 2D animator and motion designer Caroline Kjellberg (@caroline_kjellberg) has turned a passion for drawing, cartoons, and storytelling into a fulfilling freelance career, that's led to work with clients like Adobe.

In this content exclusively for the PRO community, Caroline shares expert advice for starting out as a freelance animator, from learning essential skills to defining your values as an artist, building a community, and establishing pricing.

How to get started as a freelance animator

Caroline has always loved being creative; since childhood drawing and storytelling were “meditative spaces” that eased her anxieties. However, she was hesitant about pursuing a creative career, admitting “I was scared, because there’s a lot of uncertainty in it.”

After high school, Caroline took a year out to work, saving up money for two semesters at Santa Barbara City College, California. There, she signed up for creative courses like Writing for TV, Drawing, and Animation. “My goal was to experiment and see how much I wanted to do this,” she explains.

“I felt my soul light up every time I sat down to draw or write, and I chose to follow that feeling.” Finding animation was also a revelation: “I discovered that I could take my drawing and breathe life into it.”

Caroline returned to Denmark to study Interactive Design at the Danish School of Media and Journalism where she learned skills like motion graphics, visual effects, and programming. After graduating, she pursued a freelance career in 2D animation.