Mat Voyce

And then my final role was just under three years.

And then that came in just before COVID.

And then that's when I eventually left.

But my portfolios were getting clearly more illustrative.

And that then helped me get my final role for an agency called Analog, who are based in Leeds.

And working there, that's when I was able to work on like custom type and character illustrations and really hone in and nail that style.

I never even once considered looking for another job whilst I worked there.

That's when it started to become like, now I have the skills and the design style to then maybe go out on my own.

So it was only in that last role that it felt like it would ever be possible because it just felt like it was, it was the right time.

It was weird because I started freelancing when I was still working full-time because just before COVID came in and the year running up to COVID, that's when I started releasing these animated type pieces and they started off super simple and really basic.

But I was doing them quite often.

And that was then putting them out online was then bringing in pretty small freelance jobs.

So I was working freelance for a year and a bit before I went and left my full time role.

And obviously, all my friends at my agency role, they were following me on Instagram.

So they were seeing the jobs progressing.

They were getting bigger.

And Barry Darnell, the boss of Analog, like the MD, the guy who created the agency, he could see it coming, I think.

He knew that I was going to leave because he could see the brands that I was working with.

And they were sometimes getting inquiries at the agency and they were asking for my work.

So it was becoming a conflict of interest at times.