Yesterday, I almost fell back into my freelance mind. I almost allowed a client’s response to a second round of logos push me into a corner instead of insisting (to both him and myself) that he hired me for a specific reason. I felt myself slipping into “the client must be right, and I’m just here to make them happy” mode. I even considered not invoicing for the work I’d submitted, as though it was that work that was not good enough to get paid for.

And it was really good work. A few deep breaths and a “big fuuuck that shit” later, I was back! I remembered why I’d started this in the first place. My business is to help them in theirs. Not just to push pixels around on a screen to their satisfaction.

They hired me to work with them to help them think through bigger problems. Not to be their personal Photoshop monkey. They hired me because my skills go beyond the actual work of being a designer. It’s because of how I think about design and how those thoughts inform the choices you make for your business. That’s why they hire me, and not the other way ’round.

It’s pretty normal to squirrel about and second-guess ourselves at times. But the faster you get back to realizing why you’re the person who is capable to provide the type of service you do for your clients, the more productive and valuable you will be for them.