Hitting ‘Post’: A Graphic Designer’s Leap Into Self-Promotion

For years, well always, my social media has been a highlight reel of hobbies, travels, and life outside of work. It was never a place where I actively sought out clients or promoted my design business. But as I stepped into full-time freelance, I knew I had to get comfortable with putting myself out there—not just in the work itself, but in letting people know I am available for hire.

Enter imposter syndrome.

I had just finished reading The Imposter Cure by Dr. Jessamy Hibberd, which felt like perfect timing as I prepped my first reels to promote some recent graphic design work. I was already hesitant about posting—what if no one cared? What if it felt forced? What if asking for work made me seem desperate? It felt like an awkward pivot from my usual content, and the idea of self-promotion to get work made me cringe. Even tho, one could also say a mid-thirty year old man wanting attention for hobbies and jumping off dumb shit is equally cringe. But, I find joy in that, sharing select memories of good times doing things I enjoy with people I love. So, why not look at these work posts the same way. They were fun to make and I’m proud of them.

Then, sure enough, the first scheduled reel hit the algorithm, and almost immediately, I ran into a challenge. A client had concerns about the timing of the post and a possible conflict of interest. My gut reaction? Panic. Had I already messed up? Should I even be doing this? Was I really cut out for this whole “marketing myself” thing? This never would have happened if I just posted another picture of a mountain or a golf course.

But after taking a step back, I realized:

• The concern was logical, not personal.

• I could easily adjust how and when I post about projects.

• Nobody was mad. Nobody was hurt. And the world kept turning.

Ultimately, the reel was archived, a better plan was made, and I learned some valuable lessons about communicating with clients when sharing work. Most importantly, I followed through on something I had been avoiding—actually putting myself out there.

As creatives, we often hesitate to share our work, fearing judgment, rejection, or just… silence. But in reality, marketing is part of the job, and perfection isn’t the goal—consistency is. I will get the flavor of the week syndrome as bad as the next person and sometimes that makes me feel like I’m not consistent, I get fascinated with something then lose interest instead of building it consistently into my life. The other better way to look at that is… I’m consistently curious and looking into new things. Relevant or not and that fuels the brain.

The post came and went. The algorithm moved on. And guess what? I’m still here, still designing, and still learning.

So if you’ve been putting off that portfolio update, that social media post, or that client pitch because you feel like you’re not "there" yet—just do it. The hardest part is hitting post. The rest? You’ll figure it out. Plus you can always delete haha.

Need help refining your brand or putting your business out there? Let’s chat.

P.S.: You can check out the reels HERE. Let me know what you think. Good, bad, and the insights are always welcome.