> Canonical URL: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/1-30-journey-of-a-freelance-designer-developer

# Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer

🎧 Podcast Episode · S1E30July 21, 2021

# Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/hfh83o0w/production/97e9213b6bff5259b7f12fc69908f300fcee99c5-1920x1080.png?w=1920&h=1080&q=82&fit=max&auto=format)[![Alex Patterson](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/hfh83o0w/production/a606dfaa381aab08ddbe16a33fe1d3e1fb37c927-400x400.jpg?w=96&h=96&q=82&fit=max&auto=format)Alex Patterson](/author/alex-patterson)[![Brittney Postma](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/hfh83o0w/production/f25e504779cb6ebb7c0dd7df367f2c7490e17784-735x735.png?w=96&h=96&q=82&fit=max&auto=format)Brittney Postma](/author/brittney-postma)[![Amy Dutton](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/hfh83o0w/production/822995112c621b246fe5bf7e2ced9b04690bfa19-400x400.jpg?w=96&h=96&q=82&fit=max&auto=format)Amy Dutton](/guest/amy-dutton)🎧 Listen & Subscribe[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/6NkckhsW8DdxUNTNfyGY8T)[Apple](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-30-journey-of-a-freelance-designer-and-developer/id1491655542?i=1000529608765)[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI)[Pocket Casts](https://pca.st/episode/435c2101-20db-4e48-938b-1c3e8818dc4f)[Castbox](https://castbox.fm/episode/id2508485-id406752500)[Castro](https://castro.fm/episode/suQEok)[Overcast](https://overcast.fm/itunes1491655542)[RSS](https://anchor.fm/s/115b203c/podcast/rss)✏️ Visual Architecture Diagram

## how this episode connects together.

Follow AJ from first principles to production-ready architecture.

Let’s build it!✏️ Visual Diagram: Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer✓ Good PatternVISUAL DIAGRAM[Diagram Walkthrough]Step-by-step diagram breakdown for Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer: start with Amy Dutton, implement Architecture & Patterns, and ship to production.AAA Contrast Verified

**Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer ** is a CodingCat.dev podcast episode featuring Amy Dutton alongside Alex Patterson and Brittney Postma focused on Sanity, C#. In this episode we sit down with Amy Dutton and to talk about freelancing and what it takes to be a designer and developer. We also talk about working for Zeal and making her awesome channel Self Teach Me. 1.30 - Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/1-30-journey-of-a-freelance-designer-developer 00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Amy Dutton Intro
01:30 - What is ZEAL?
03:00 - What is your day to day like?
03:45 - Prototypes in Framer
04:50 - Journey into freelance
06:40 - What pushes you to make the jump to freelancing?
08:18 Watch the full video breakdown on [**YouTube**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI) or explore the architectural notes, chapters, and official documentation links below.

## Questions

- What is ZEAL and what do you do there?
- How did you get started Freelancing?
- Freelancing sounds like it's one of the dream jobs everyone wants, what are some of the pitfalls?
- At what point do you think someone is capable of making the jump to freelancing?
- What are the most common projects you get asked for as a freelancer?What is your tech stack of choice or does it depend on the project?

## Links

- [Figjam - Define ideas, align on decisions, and move work forward—all in one place](https://www.figma.com/figjam)
- [Branches](https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/360063144053-Create-branches-and-merge-changes)
- [Framer Prototype](https://www.framer.com/)
- [Sanity's Query Language](https://www.sanity.io/docs/groq?coupon=CodingCatDev&utm_source=codingcatdev)
- [Zeal Hiring](https://www.codingzeal.com/hiring)
- [Dribble - Inspiration for designers and creatives](https://dribbble.com/)
- [Behance](https://www.behance.net/)
- [Panda 5](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/panda-5-your-favorite-web/haafibkemckmbknhfkiiniobjpgkebko?hl=en)
- [Sidebar.io - Newsletter](https://sidebar.io)

## Technical Overview: Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer

1.30 - Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/1-30-journey-of-a-freelance-designer-developer 00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Amy Dutton Intro
01:30 - What is ZEAL?
03:00 - What is your day to day like?
03:45 - Prototypes in Framer
04:50 - Journey into freelance
06:40 - What pushes you to make the jump to freelancing?
08:18

When applying the concepts from **Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer**  in a production codebase, teams working with Sanity, C# should align their implementation with the [**Sanity.io Content Operating System Docs**](https://www.sanity.io/docs?coupon=CodingCatDev&utm_source=codingcatdev) (GROQ queries, Portable Text, Content Lake, and Agent Context). Structuring your workflow around repeatable patterns, automated verification, and clear separation of concerns helps prevent regressions as your application scales.

### Key Engineering Takeaways

- **Core Topic Focus: ** Practical strategies for Sanity, C# covered in "Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer" (In this episode we sit down with Amy Dutton and to talk about freelancing and what it takes to be a designer and developer. We also talk about working for Zeal and making her awesome channel Self Teach Me.).
- **Production Implementation: ** Combine the architectural patterns demonstrated in this podcast with the official [Sanity.io Content Operating System Docs](https://www.sanity.io/docs?coupon=CodingCatDev&utm_source=codingcatdev) for type safety, performance, and long-term maintainability.
- **Hands-On Video Walkthrough: ** Follow along with the live coding demos and discussion on [YouTube (Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI) and subscribe to [CodingCat.dev on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@CodingCatDev?sub_confirmation=1) for weekly deep dives.

## Video Chapters & Timestamps

Jump directly to any segment of [**Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI) on YouTube using the timestamped chapters below:

- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Intro
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Amy Dutton Intro
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): What is ZEAL?
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): What is your day to day like?
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Prototypes in Framer
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Journey into freelance
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): What pushes you to make the jump to freelancing?
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Did you do more design or development?
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): What size of projects do you usually do?
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Time management
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Social Interaction
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): What are some of the pitfalls of freelancing?
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Tools for remote collaboration
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Design collaboration
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): ZEAL is hiring (https://www.codingzeal.com/hiring)
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): FigJam
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Framer components
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Tech stacks
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Sanity CMS
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI&t=0s): Tech stack at ZEAL

## Resources, Links & Official Documentation

- **Watch on YouTube: ** [Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer Full Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI) (plus [Subscribe to CodingCat.dev](https://www.youtube.com/@CodingCatDev?sub_confirmation=1))
- **:05 - Magnetic Phone Mount - (): ** [https://amzn.to/2Q9iLVP](https://amzn.to/2Q9iLVP)
- **:55 - Embrava Blynclight - ( ): ** [https://amzn.to/3nXo0o4](https://amzn.to/3nXo0o4)
- **compressed.fm/episode/6: ** [https://www.compressed.fm/episode/6](https://www.compressed.fm/episode/6)
- **compressed.fm/episode/7: ** [https://www.compressed.fm/episode/7](https://www.compressed.fm/episode/7)
- **:20 - The Mitchells vs the Machines - (): ** [https://www.netflix.com/title/81399614](https://www.netflix.com/title/81399614)
- **:00 - 10 Tips for Finding Clients as a Freelance developer - (): ** [https://dev.to/creativetim_official/10-tips-for-finding-clients-as-a-freelance-web-developer-1cbe](https://dev.to/creativetim_official/10-tips-for-finding-clients-as-a-freelance-web-developer-1cbe)
- **Show Pick: ** [Tips for Finding Clients as a Freelance developer (picked by Alex Patterson)](https://dev.to/creativetim_official/10-tips-for-finding-clients-as-a-freelance-web-developer-1cbe)
- **Show Pick: ** [Jupiter's Legacy (picked by Alex Patterson)](https://www.netflix.com/title/80244953)
- **Show Pick: ** [Freelance episodes on CompressedFM Part 1 (picked by Brittney Postma)](https://www.compressed.fm/episode/6)
- **Show Pick: ** [Freelance episodes on CompressedFM Part 2 (picked by Brittney Postma)](https://www.compressed.fm/episode/7)
- **Show Pick: ** [The Mitchells vs the Machines (picked by Brittney Postma)](https://www.netflix.com/title/81399614)
- **Show Pick: ** [Magnetic Phone Mount (picked by Amy Dutton)](https://amzn.to/2Q9iLVP)
- **Show Pick: ** [Embrava Blynclight (picked by Amy Dutton)](https://amzn.to/3nXo0o4)
- [**Amy Dutton Guest Profile & Episodes on CodingCat.dev**](/guest/amy-dutton)
- [**Amy Dutton on GitHub**](https://github.com/ahaywood)
- [**Sanity.io Content Operating System Docs:**](https://www.sanity.io/docs?coupon=CodingCatDev&utm_source=codingcatdev) GROQ queries, Portable Text, Content Lake, and Agent Context
- [**.NET & C# Documentation:**](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/) Modern C# language features and .NET cloud architecture

## Related CodingCat.dev Tutorials & Podcast Episodes

- [**Using Content as Data with Sanity.io**](/podcast/1-42-using-content-as-data-with-sanity-io): We sit down with Kap and Knut from Sanity.io to talk about using content as data.
- [**Breaking Into Tech Through Streaming: A Journey to Teach Jenn Tech**](/podcast/2-45-Breaking-into-Tech-through-Streaming): We chat with Jenn Junod on how to break into tech and maintain mental health.
- [**Creating and Using Kendo UI**](/podcast/2-24-making-progress-with-kendo-ui): We have Alyssa Nicoll and Kathryn Grayson from Progress teach us all about KendoUI and how they maintain this frontend library.

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

### What are the main takeaways from Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer?

In this episode we sit down with Amy Dutton and to talk about freelancing and what it takes to be a designer and developer. We also talk about working for Zeal and making her awesome channel Self Teach Me. 1.30 - Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/1-30-journey-of-a-freelance-designer-developer 00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Amy Dutton Intro
01:30 - What is ZEAL?
03:00 - What is your day to day like?
03:45 - Prototypes in Framer
04:50 - Journey into freelance
06:40 - What pushes you to make the jump to freelancing?
08:18 Throughout this podcast, Amy Dutton breaks down real-world implementation details for Sanity, C# so developers can apply these patterns directly in production.

### How do you implement Sanity best practices in production?

When adopting Sanity and C# in a production stack, start by validating your configuration against the [**Sanity.io Content Operating System Docs**](https://www.sanity.io/docs?coupon=CodingCatDev&utm_source=codingcatdev) (GROQ queries, Portable Text, Content Lake, and Agent Context). Focus on incremental adoption, automated testing, and observability so your team can measure performance and developer velocity improvements at each stage.

### Where can I watch the full Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer walkthrough and find related code resources?

You can watch the complete video session for [**Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VQ_x4zZMI) on the [**CodingCat.dev YouTube channel**](https://www.youtube.com/@CodingCatDev?sub_confirmation=1). For a deeper dive into Sanity, check out our related guide: [**Using Content as Data with Sanity.io**](/podcast/1-42-using-content-as-data-with-sanity-io).

## ✏️ Episode Summary

1.30 - Journey of a Freelance Designer & Developer: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/1-30-journey-of-a-freelance-designer-developer

00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Amy Dutton Intro
01:30 - What is ZEAL?
03:00 - What is your day to day like?
03:45 - Prototypes in Framer
04:50 - Journey into freelance
06:40 - What pushes you to make the jump to freelancing?
08:18

## episode picks.

### 🐾 Alex Patterson

- [Tips for Finding Clients as a Freelance developer](https://dev.to/creativetim_official/10-tips-for-finding-clients-as-a-freelance-web-developer-1cbe)
- [Jupiter's Legacy](https://www.netflix.com/title/80244953)

### 🐾 Amy Dutton

- [Magnetic Phone Mount](https://amzn.to/2Q9iLVP)
- [Embrava Blynclight](https://amzn.to/3nXo0o4)

### 🐾 Brittney Postma

- [Freelance episodes on CompressedFM Part 1](https://www.compressed.fm/episode/6)
- [Freelance episodes on CompressedFM Part 2](https://www.compressed.fm/episode/7)
- [The Mitchells vs the Machines](https://www.netflix.com/title/81399614)

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