Ghilky Gerdian Offers Tips for Freelance Success in Indonesia
Ghilky Gerdian is a 27 year old motion graphic designer from Bandung, Indonesia. Ghilky made a very successful transition from full-time company employee to independent freelancer. We met up with him at a recent Payoneer dinner in Jakarta and invited him to answer a few questions.
Q: Hi Ghilky. Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I’m a freelance motion graphic designer and typographer. My mother is a former reporter and my father is a politician and lecturer. I’m not quite sure where my artistic talent comes from. I was named after someone appearing in the credits of the ‘Jungle Book’ movie back in 1967. Perhaps that’s where it all started. My formal education is from Institut Teknologi Nasional (ITENAS) in Bandung, Indonesia, where I graduated with a degree in visual communication design.
Today, most of my income comes from custom motion graphic projects. I’ve produced more than 70 videos and worked with some big names such as Nike and Verascope Pictures. I also sell motion graphic templates and fonts on videohive.net, The Hungry JPEG, and Creative Market.
Not less important, I’m married and the proud father of a 2 year old boy.
Q: How did you start your online career with Envato?
A: After graduating from ITENAS, I started working as a graphic designer for a company in Jakarta. Soon after I took a job as a graphic designer in my hometown. I began as a 2D animator and with time was promoted to motion graphic designer. When my wife and I decided to start a family, we agreed that my wife would leave her job and raise our child full-time. This, of course, meant that I would need to earn more income to cover our expenses. My colleagues recommended that I try selling design templates on an online design marketplace and introduced me to VideoHive in the Envato market. In the beginning I worked at my day job and then went home and began my “night job” creating design templates until the early hours of the morning. It was a real struggle to keep up with two jobs. After working like this for a year, I began to see that my hard work paid off. I was earning more at my online career than at my day job. After several months of selling motion graphic templates on VideoHive, I received many custom project requests. This is when I decided to leave my full-time day job and begin a real career as a full-time freelancer.
As we all know, working as a freelancer comes with risks as we don’t know how much income we’ll have every month. In my country, many are uneasy about working this way. Luckily I have the full support of my wife and parents and this has helped me succeed.
Q: Why did you seek out Payoneer?
A: When I began working as a freelancer and selling templates, I needed a way to receive payments. At first, I created a PayPal account. I ran into problems when I tried to withdraw all the money in my account at one time. The PayPal Customer Service then asked me to fill in and send back many documents. Finally, my account was frozen and the money was sent back to the sender. This was one of the most stressful times in my life as I didn’t have any other source of income.
A colleague then recommended that I try Payoneer. As Payoneer is linked with VideoHive, I immediately decided to create an account. The sign-up process was quick and easy and I had an account within several minutes. I also applied for a debit card and set it as my default payment method. And when it came time to withdraw my funds, voila! I did this easily at a local ATM with absolutely no problems.
Q: What is it like for you to work with Payoneer?
A: After I began using Payoneer to receive payments, life as a freelancer became easier. I am able to get paid easily and withdraw my payments anytime from anywhere. I also feel confident that my money is safe in my account and I have no reason to worry that I won’t receive my payments. I’ve also been able to easily receive payments from clients in the US that don’t have a Payoneer account.
Q: What do you like best about working with Payoneer?
A: I have 3 things that I like best:
- The feeling of security knowing that my payments are sent to me quickly and easily and stored safely in my account.
- The Payoneer Prepaid Mastercard®. I can withdraw money easily at any ATM or use the card for shopping at the mall.
- Payoneer’s Live Chat service. This is a really great service for non-native English speakers. I, many times, have questions about receiving payments from clients. The Customer Support representatives, via Live Chat, answer all my questions and know how to resolve any problem. I also like that they ask me if I have any additional questions before ending the session.
Q: Would you recommend Payoneer?
A: Absolutely. I have recommended Payoneer to many of my friends who sell design templates on online marketplaces and especially on Envato. Online freelancers need a reliable method to get their payments and Payoneer is the best so far.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: To new freelancers, especially in Indonesia, I would say not to be afraid of what people say about freelancing work. The key is to focus on your goal and give 100%. The rest will follow. I didn’t think I would be a freelancer 3 years ago. Today, I enjoy my life, have a good income, and also have plenty of time to enjoy with my wife and son.
I’ve also shared my experiences with others at local seminars and national meet-ups. In 2015, I was named a finest new shop owner in the Creative Market community. In VideoHive, I was a weekly featured author.
It’s amazing to share my experiences with people around me, not only in my hometown but all over the world.
Q: Thanks Ghilky. Where can people find you?
A: In any of the following sites: