253: Tabitha’s First $1K Month (and Why She’s Quitting Her Day Job to Go All In on Freelancing)

No degree, no industry connections, no Illustrator skills—and still crushing it as a fashion freelancer! Tabitha Calvin proves you don’t need the "perfect" background to make it happen. Just a year ago, she was a Spanish teacher with a dream—and now she’s designing streetwear collections for clients, including a former NBA player!

In this episode, we get real about what it’s like to build a freelance fashion career from scratch. From teaching herself Illustrator to landing $2,500 streetwear clients through LinkedIn and Upwork, Tabitha’s story is packed with hustle, discipline, and major mindset shifts. We talk about hitting that first $1,000 month, dealing with tough client feedback, and the confidence it takes to own your worth as a freelance fashion designer. If you’ve ever doubted whether you can break into fashion without a degree, connections, or years of experience, this episode will leave you fired up to chase your freelance dreams.

If you're just getting started or ready to go all in on your freelance fashion career, click play now and see what’s possible when you bet on yourself.

About Tabitha:
Tabitha is a certified Spanish teacher and freelance fashion designer, finally living the dream she’s had since she was 8. After getting into her dream fashion school but unable to afford it, she studied Spanish instead—but fashion never left her heart. She tried the boutique life in college but realized she just wanted to design. Everything changed when she discovered FAST through Heidi’s YouTube channel and went all in. Now, she’s building a steady client base, growing her network of fellow designers, and working toward her ultimate goal: transitioning into full-time freelance fashion design.

Connect with Tabitha:
Email her at [e-mail]

Follow on Instagram
Connect on LinkedIn

Download my Freelance Price List just for fashion (it’s free!): sewheidi.com/price

Creators and Guests

Host

Heidi Weinberg {Sew Heidi}

Heidi (aka Sew Heidi) is a self-taught freelance fashion designer who built a six-figure business without a degree, portfolio, or industry connections. After years of burnout in the fashion industry, she went freelance—and never looked back. Now, she helps other designers ditch toxic jobs, land better clients, and build flexible careers they love. Through her podcast, courses, and resources, Heidi has helped thousands of designers take control of their fashion path and finally get paid what they’re worth.

What is Fashion Designers Get Paid: Build Your Fashion Career On Your Own Terms?

This is a show for burnt-out fashion designers (and TDs, PDs, patternmakers, textile designer and beyond) who want more flexibility in their career while still doing work they love.

You'll learn how to build a freelance fashion business, so you can do the work you love on your own terms. Freelancing in fashion is the only way to get freedom in your day (instead of being tied to a desk).

Whether you want to earn extra money on the side, fund your fashion brand, or replace your salary, the FDGP podcast will help you get there. Listen in for actionable tips and strategies to kickstart or grow your career as a freelance fashion designer, build your confidence, and create the life you want.

Hosted by $100k+ fashion freelancer Sew Heidi, the show features interviews and strategy sessions with successful freelance fashion designers from around the world who've ditched toxic fashion jobs and taken control of their own destinies. This is the only place to get REAL insights from REAL freelancers who have built REAL careers on their own terms. (Formerly the Successful Fashion Freelancer podcast.)

Heidi [00:00:00]:
Imagine starting from scratch. No Adobe Illustrator skills, no fashion degree, and no industry connections. That's exactly where Tabitha Calvin began. One year after joining Fast, she has built a freelance fashion career rooted in discipline, confidence, and serious streetwear skills. She went from a $17 an hour trial rate to confidently charging $50 an hour and is now raising it to 60. She hit her first thousand dollar month, landed a $2,500 design client, and got discovered by a former NBA player on LinkedIn to help design his collection. This week, she is putting in her two weeks notice to leave her Spanish teaching job and freelance full time. This episode is packed with so much goodness.

Heidi [00:00:43]:
If you have ever wondered, can I do this without going to fashion school, and what if I don't know anybody in the industry? Tabitha's story will have you saying yes, yes, you absolutely can. Let's get to it. Tabitha, I wanna talk about how you hit your first thousand dollar month when you're brand new to freelancing, brand new to fashion, didn't have any Adobe Illustrator skills, like, literally starting from scratch. No network, no nothing. And you hit a thousand dollars last month. It's March. You had thousand dollars in February. So Yes.

Heidi [00:01:18]:
I can't wait. Talk us through this. Like, give us, where did this whole journey start?

Tabitha Calvin [00:01:25]:
It started when I was eight. I've always loved fashion. I was designing clothes since then. And then when I got to college, I was accepted to SCAD University, my dream fashion school, but my parents couldn't afford it. And so I ended up going to school for Spanish. I got a scholarship in that, became a Spanish teacher, and realized this is really not what I want to do. And then I just decided to take the leap. So I was on YouTube.

Tabitha Calvin [00:01:53]:
I came across your course, and I was like, okay. Well, I might as well just try it out. And then I ended up taking a leap of faith and leaving teaching in person. So now I part time teach their half is fashion design for freelancing. And it's been so amazing because I really didn't know anything, and I didn't wanna go back to university to learn those skills. But I just wanted to be creative. That was the main thing I wanted to do, and I've learned that through your course.

Heidi [00:02:23]:
That's amazing. So you, like, you joined fast about a year ago. Mhmm. February 2024. Okay.

Tabitha Calvin [00:02:33]:
Yes.

Heidi [00:02:34]:
And so, that takes some work because you're building from from nothing. And so how did you get those first few clients to hit your first thousand dollar month last month?

Tabitha Calvin [00:02:46]:
So I started on Upwork. I remember you mentioned multiple times through the video. It's okay. I'll just start working. It's okay if you just use that as a starting platform, but in your opinion, not long term. And I understand why completely. So it was great. I was working with clients on smaller projects, like, I'll design something, or I'll even do your logo.

Tabitha Calvin [00:03:12]:
I just need my first review. And I ended up working with someone who was so nice, and I helped her design her whole first collection, her core collection. And that was so fun. I really enjoyed working with her, and she left me a great review. And with that, it helped, I guess, catapult me to working with other people because they seen that I was credible. And then after that, I got a horrible review from somebody who wanted a lot of work for a very, small price. I mean, I live in Atlanta. So, unfortunately, I'm unable to do the work for the amount that he was charging for collection.

Tabitha Calvin [00:03:48]:
For entire collection, he wanted $600. And I was like, oh, you know, I will do some of the designs, but I won't do, like, the extra things, especially not a tech pack because I am still learning how to do that. I went through your course, and I was like, okay. I got it. But let me study it some more before I'm comfortable. Because I don't wanna mess up anything for anyone. Yeah. And he ended up giving me a negative review for that because I told him, hey.

Tabitha Calvin [00:04:14]:
It's not in the contract. I don't feel comfortable doing this. I'm not going to do this. And, of course, I said it more professionally, but that really, rubbed him the wrong way. He ended the contract and gave me a terrible review. But that wasn't the end of the world because after that, I met someone through the platform and she wanted to do a collection with me. And thankfully, you know, it worked out great. That project in total was 2,500.

Tabitha Calvin [00:04:43]:
So last month, it

Heidi [00:04:44]:
was It wasn't a thousand. I earned a

Tabitha Calvin [00:04:47]:
thousand for last month, but the total was 2,500.

Heidi [00:04:50]:
Okay. Okay. But it took longer than a month to execute the whole project? Yes. Okay. Oh, but that's even more exciting.

Tabitha Calvin [00:05:00]:
Yes. I'm very, very grateful. And I'm glad I have experience because I'm never gonna take someone who isn't going to be willing to, you know, pay me what I'm worth. I know I'm not the most experienced in the field, but I do have to pay bills like everybody else. Yeah. Yes.

Heidi [00:05:16]:
Okay. So I have so many questions. These first, the very first client you got where you designed the whole collection for her and you got a great review, did you were you just sending out, like, a ton of pitches, or how did you ultimately land that gig?

Tabitha Calvin [00:05:32]:
Yes. I sent out many. I would say I probably sent out 10 or 15. Okay. I was like, oh, this is a lot of money because the paywall for Upwork is it's a lot. I understand why they do it, but I don't I don't agree with it in the long term for me. So I sent it to her. And when we did our discovery call, she was like, yeah.

Tabitha Calvin [00:05:52]:
I just really like your style, and I wanted to give you a chance. So, I would love to work together if you're open to it. And here's what I have in mind. And I was following all your points that you had for when you're doing discovery calls, how to lay out the conversation and lead it to see if you're even the right person for them to work with and vice versa. And, yep, it went from there.

Heidi [00:06:17]:
Amazing. Okay. So 10 to 15 is actually not that that many

Tabitha Calvin [00:06:23]:
to

Heidi [00:06:23]:
have landed your first client. Yeah. But my guess is that you were sending quality pitches. Like, do you remember roughly how how you pitched and what you said for the project that you landed? Do you have any memory of what you wrote?

Tabitha Calvin [00:06:37]:
I did exactly what you told me to do. I said, hi. If they had a name that they posted, hi, Sarah. I noticed you want this for your collection. This is a great idea. I love it. Here's what I can offer. If we were to work together, would you be interested in a collaboration? Boom.

Tabitha Calvin [00:06:59]:
Had my things attached to the proposal. And then when we did our discovery call, I made sure that I knew what I was talking about and that I just followed the layout for everything. So I have all of your notes. I follow them every day.

Heidi [00:07:14]:
Good. Good. They work. I do. I will humbly say that they work.

Tabitha Calvin [00:07:18]:
They do.

Heidi [00:07:20]:
Okay. So you got that project. Then tell me a little bit more about what happened with the project that went poorly that where you got the bad review. Like, you had he originally said he had a budget of 600, and you said, okay. I'll do I'll

Tabitha Calvin [00:07:32]:
do this amount of work. And then what really happened there? So we agreed that I was gonna do designs. Design only. So I did design only, and I did a mood board. I threw that in there for fun. And afterwards, I was like, okay. Here's everything nice, pretty in a package for you. Then he was like, where's the tech pack? And I said, if you refer back to our contract, here's a screenshot of it as well.

Tabitha Calvin [00:08:01]:
Here's where you can find it. If you would like to look at it on your own end, that was not in the proposal. That wasn't in the contract. And he said, well, other people have done it for less. And I said, I think that's amazing. That's great that they were able to, you know, do that service for you for that price. But as for me, I don't feel experienced enough to do that for you. I don't want you to, you know, waste time or lose money working with manufacturers with this tech pack that isn't up to par.

Tabitha Calvin [00:08:31]:
So I would prefer not to do that. And he was just very upset that I said no politely. Also it wasn't in the contract. Exactly. You hadn't agreed to that. Mhmm. And I was like, Heidi was right. She said do not work with extremely low paying clients.

Tabitha Calvin [00:08:47]:
And look at me. I just went ahead and did it, but now I understand.

Heidi [00:08:51]:
Everybody learns this lesson firsthand. Mhmm. It's a little rite of passage. So it almost feels, like, frustrating. Like, can you go back to Upwork and be, like, he left me a review for something that, like, can they help with anything on the back end or you didn't try?

Tabitha Calvin [00:09:08]:
You know, I looked into it a few days later, but Upwork has this policy where if you want to critique someone's review of you for them to look at and maybe take off, you have to do it within, like, twenty four to forty eight hours. So I was outside of the time frame to do that.

Heidi [00:09:23]:
Oh my gosh.

Tabitha Calvin [00:09:24]:
I tried to email them, but they only have their emails available to those who, like, want for companies for companies who want to hire contractors. Try to call. When you call, they tell you to refer back to their, articles that they have posted. There wasn't an article that could help me. And then eventually, I found someone on their blog saying, hey. If you want to get a review taken off, you have to do it within this time frame because Upwork I didn't maybe they told me. I didn't see it.

Heidi [00:09:53]:
Oh my gosh.

Tabitha Calvin [00:09:54]:
But it was there. And after that, I was really really ready to give up on the platform, but that's when my last client reached out to me. Yeah.

Heidi [00:10:02]:
Okay. So now that brings us to the third client, which was the $2,500 project. Yes. Also a design package for her collection. Yes. So exciting. It is so exciting. So and she found you on Upwork or you pitched? Yes.

Tabitha Calvin [00:10:21]:
She found me on Upwork. She said she typed in streetwear designer because that's what I specialize in, and she was

Heidi [00:10:27]:
on pages. Gonna ask what your niche was.

Tabitha Calvin [00:10:31]:
Streetwear. I only do streetwear, men's and women. So she said she had to go through pages and pages and pages to find me because after the negative review, I had a 57%. But she was willing to trust me because she said I was so niched down, and I did well, she didn't say you were so niched down. But, you know, I did streetwear and the way I did it was aesthetically pleasing to what she was looking for as well, which also made me stand out. So she said she was willing to work with me, even if she was, like, taking a chance because my rating was low. She said she loved my style and aesthetic and was willing to, you know, take a chance.

Heidi [00:11:11]:
So you had a 57% completion rate. Is that right? Yes. Yeah.

Tabitha Calvin [00:11:16]:
We made a post in the chat about it on fast. I'm so hurt.

Heidi [00:11:21]:
Which for anybody listening who doesn't like, if you've never looked on Upwork from a hiring perspective, when you're searching for freelancers, you see their name. And then, like, the second thing you see is underneath their name is, like, a completion rate, and it has the percentage. And so 50% does not look good for you. Yeah. Yeah. So one great client, one bad client knocks you down to 57%, and then you still get this amazing third client who found you because you're niche and she liked your aesthetic. That's amazing.

Tabitha Calvin [00:11:54]:
I'm very excited.

Heidi [00:11:56]:
Yeah. Okay. So then I imagine, you know, you chatted with her. You led the discovery call really well. How did you, like, how have you been pricing things? Are you doing project or flat rate, or what's that look like for you?

Tabitha Calvin [00:12:11]:
I'm doing hourly like you said. K. I remember all the time you said if you're beginner, just do hourly because it's easier that way. So when I first started, I was doing, I believe, 17 or 18 an hour with my first client as a trial rate. Yeah. That was good. That was for as well. So I did the trial rate, and now I'm currently at $50 an hour with her.

Heidi [00:12:34]:
Oh, yes. I love you. You booked it from 17 to 50. Yes.

Tabitha Calvin [00:12:40]:
It was it was nerve wracking for sure, but now I'm just waiting for her to leave her positive review. We got along so well. She was open to ideas. I was open to her ideas as well, and we developed a client relationship that was really nice to say, hey. You know, I'm not sure about this, but I'm open to what you have. So I really love that. But after she does her review, it's gonna go up to 60. But I'm really excited.

Tabitha Calvin [00:13:10]:
Yeah.

Heidi [00:13:10]:
Your rate is gonna go up to 60.

Tabitha Calvin [00:13:12]:
Yes. It

Heidi [00:13:13]:
is. I love your boldness. I love this. Okay. So now the big question, like, you did not go to fashion school. You studied Spanish. Oh, hello. Yeah.

Heidi [00:13:36]:
Okay. Everybody's like, what's going on here? We're just having a little chat in Spanish. I don't get to use it very often, but I did I minored in Spanish in college. And so

Tabitha Calvin [00:13:42]:
I remember you said that.

Heidi [00:13:43]:
Oh, you remember? Oh my gosh. Good for you. Yeah. It's fun to chat sometimes. You study Spanish, and and you didn't get to go to SCAD. And, like, you jumped into FAST about a year ago. Talk us through, like, building up your skills and learning Adobe Illustrator and learning how to design. Like, I know you had an interest in fashion and you were been designing clothes since you were eight.

Heidi [00:14:14]:
Although you said, quote, let's be real. That doesn't count. Yeah. Like, how have you approached these projects, in terms of a design perspective and a technical perspective from, you know, even if you're not doing tech packs from a designer's perspective, you still have some understanding of construction and, like, how garments work so you can design within certain constraints. And then also technical technical perspective with the Adobe Illustrator skills. How did all this happen over the last year?

Tabitha Calvin [00:14:47]:
It's been it's been a lot of studying and researching and going through your courses. As I said before, I had no idea of the technicalities. Adobe Illustrator, I didn't know any of that. So when I went through your courses, I had to do them multiple times to get a good idea of it and then put it in practice with some personal projects that I can add to my portfolio. First one was horrible. It felt like it was perfect, but that's when I used the chat to get other professionals, opinion on what I was doing. And then I was like, okay. Let me go back and tweak it.

Tabitha Calvin [00:15:21]:
It. So my very first post is just horrendous. But I learned. I came a long way. And I've also been utilizing my local library for, books on fabrics and which I'm learning about now. And, as far as the technical design, that's been a help from technical designers in the chat. I've reached or they've reached out to me actually because I asked a question about it. And they've been, like, helping me.

Tabitha Calvin [00:15:48]:
I forgot her name, but she started doing, like, tutoring sessions in the chat, and she's been helping me with technical design as well. So I would like to do tech packs in the future, but really in all, I would say your course, the community, and books have been helping me with this journey because without it, I definitely would not have went back to fashion school.

Heidi [00:16:11]:
Yeah. And when you say the chat, you're talking about the our private community inside circle within the fast program. Okay. Yeah.

Tabitha Calvin [00:16:18]:
Yes.

Heidi [00:16:18]:
It's such a great community there. I love it. Talk to us a little bit about, like, a confidence component because I know with a lot of people, women in particular, were very good at doubting our abilities. And and you, like, built yourself up from a point of, like, not having skills, not having a network, learning all this stuff from scratch on your own, and then going out there and putting yourself out there for $50 an hour on your third project. Mhmm. Like, where's your mindset been on this whole journey?

Tabitha Calvin [00:16:57]:
Well, it's been a journey of growth. I will say I came a long, long, long way. And Upwork and this community has definitely helped me build my, confidence in myself and in my craft. I'm still studying and I'm still learning every day, so I'm nowhere near, like, perfection. But I just feel more self assured knowing that I have a community to help me and that I have clients who love my work, and that makes me feel good on the inside. Yeah. But I'm still growing my confidence. Like, recently, I just confirmed that I'll be working with someone on another collection.

Tabitha Calvin [00:17:38]:
What? Yes, he found me on LinkedIn, surprisingly. Because I I posted in the fast chat. How's LinkedIn? Does anyone have any recommendations? And so I started posting on LinkedIn every day for almost a month. Maybe it's a month now. Almost a month, and he reached out to me. And he looked at my Behance and the other things that I posted. And he was like, oh, I would like to, you know, see if we can have a collaboration. And I was like, oh, okay.

Tabitha Calvin [00:18:07]:
And And then we began talking. I was like, oh my gosh. He's a former NBA player. What? Scared. Yes. I was like, oh, this is nervous nerve wracking for me. But that has also built my confidence as well. Because although I don't seem I don't think of myself to be, like, top tier professional fashion designer.

Tabitha Calvin [00:18:29]:
Other people are seeing, like, the quality of my work and how I present myself, and that's made a difference as well.

Heidi [00:18:37]:
Wow. Okay. So he found you on LinkedIn and reached out. And you said the project's confirmed? Yes. It is. And you're designing he former NBA player. You're designing a collection that he's gonna launch. Yes.

Tabitha Calvin [00:18:52]:
So he already has his established brand, but he wants to k. Not quite rebrand it, but he wants to move the designs more to streetwear to specifically cater to, NBA players who are of a certain stature. Because, of course, their clothes have to fit them well and they're taller. I have to do more research on my end. He's like, I definitely want you for the designs. And I said, okay. I'm gonna have to do some studying because I I I don't know about seven foot clothing. Yeah.

Tabitha Calvin [00:19:25]:
But, yeah, that's exciting. I was like, wow, LinkedIn does work. I'm still sending my cold emails. I did 45 so far. Two responses that said no politely. I was like, hey, at least I got some responses.

Heidi [00:19:39]:
Yeah.

Tabitha Calvin [00:19:40]:
So things are rolling. Things are rolling.

Heidi [00:19:42]:
That's amazing. Okay. So you posted every day on LinkedIn for a month. Talk to us about that experience. Like, what were you posting? What was it like? Like, where did you start? Did you have, like, five followers? Or, like, what did your what did it look like? You know, what what were you starting from?

Tabitha Calvin [00:20:00]:
I believe I had a 20 followers, but I never really used it. I made it in college because I heard that's what the professionals do. I never used it because I was like, oh, I'm not gonna be a Spanish teacher. And then I graduated, and I was like, oh, I'm a Spanish teacher. I guess I would use it. But now I just have it strictly for fashion design. And I was posting things, talking about the fashion industry, specifically streetwear. Just streetwear things, streetwear brands.

Tabitha Calvin [00:20:30]:
That's that is what I specialize in. And then here and there, I would post, like, pictures of my flats. But since I don't have a, I guess, huge following or anything, I was like, let me seem like I'm credible at first. Let me show my work. But I didn't want it to be, like, two sales seats. I was like, let me make it informational. Pull people in with the information, have designs in there, and then throughout time. Maybe that'll fill my credibility.

Tabitha Calvin [00:20:57]:
But, yes, that's what I've been doing.

Heidi [00:21:00]:
K. What type like, give us an example of an informational post that you might have shared that you felt like was good or you got some engagement on or I don't know. Just give us give us some examples. For people listening, I think we can get really stuck in our head.

Tabitha Calvin [00:21:13]:
Okay. I'll say one of my favorite posts was and there's a typo in it, but, hey. Still just okay. Trends do not equal sales. And I was just basically talking about how you can't rely on trends to give you sales. There's more to it. And then another post that I did was talking about how streetwear isn't just graphics on t shirts is about the fit, the style, the design, the quality. And yes.

Tabitha Calvin [00:21:43]:
I've just mostly going into, like, streetwear brands or, like, another fun one was, like, the thriller jacket from Michael Jackson and how that was, like, the most iconic streetwear jacket and how it's, how it's inspired current outerwear for streetwear specifically. But, yes, things of that nature. And then I'll be like, oh, here's the flat. This is why flat's important. Here's my flat.

Heidi [00:22:07]:
Okay. Yeah. Alright. That totally makes sense. I get it. I love those angles of the posts. So do you know how he found you on LinkedIn? Like, did he just go on and search streetwear designers, or did he tell you?

Tabitha Calvin [00:22:20]:
He was he just searched streetwear designers, and I came up. Then I was like, oh, wow. He said the main thing that really drew him in was the designs and that I'm in Atlanta. Because he wanted to work with someone who could come in, see the pieces from his current collection that he's had, because he started it in the eighties. And so Wow. Okay. Yes. He kept a lot of things, and he wanted me to physically go through it, see what could be kept, what could be tweaked, and what we can completely revamp and make from scratch new again.

Tabitha Calvin [00:22:51]:
Yeah. And then he said after meeting with me in person, he really wanted to move forward because, you know, I I'm nice. He said I'm nice. Aw. And I seemed professional. But yeah.

Heidi [00:23:04]:
Yeah. You do. I mean, I can just tell

Tabitha Calvin [00:23:06]:
in the

Heidi [00:23:06]:
way you present yourself and how you're talking me through some of, like, the conversations you've had with clients and some of the Upwork stuff you were mentioning earlier. I can tell you carry yourself very professionally, verbally

Tabitha Calvin [00:23:17]:
Thank you.

Heidi [00:23:18]:
Which I imagine also comes across in writing and and everywhere. So yeah.

Tabitha Calvin [00:23:23]:
Thank you.

Heidi [00:23:24]:
You're welcome. Okay. So, posting on LinkedIn, that was for a month. Are you still engaging there? Like, what are you doing on there now?

Tabitha Calvin [00:23:36]:
Yes. I'm still engaging. I have, excuse me, I have people that I follow from fast on there and vice versa. And then I've got sucked in. I made another post in the fast chat talking about how LinkedIn is actually fun, you know, because it's so tailored to your career field. You can see fun trends happening, and you can also learn how to better improve your collection.

Heidi [00:24:01]:
Yeah.

Tabitha Calvin [00:24:01]:
And it was just really nice to actually see that side of LinkedIn because I thought it was just boring career things until I actually started utilizing it.

Heidi [00:24:10]:
Totally. And the other thing, people, brands, and clients who need to hire do use LinkedIn as a search engine. I have said this before in the podcast. And the more niche you are, which, Tabitha, you've done an amazing job, the easier it's going to be. If you were like freelance fashion designer, and I can do anything, or even freelance women's wear designer, it's so broad, and you're just gonna get lost in a sea of everybody. Right. So this this niche strategy has has proven valuable for you both on LinkedIn and Upwork, which is awesome.

Tabitha Calvin [00:24:49]:
Yes. And my client did say that he goes to LinkedIn exclusively for manufacturers, designers, people photographers, who he wants on his team.

Heidi [00:24:59]:
Mhmm.

Tabitha Calvin [00:24:59]:
Nothing else.

Heidi [00:25:01]:
Yeah. I know, so many other freelancers have talked to me about that, and I talked to other brands and other companies that hire, and they're like, I just go on there to search and find people.

Tabitha Calvin [00:25:13]:
Mhmm.

Heidi [00:25:14]:
So really, really even if you don't wanna be on there and engage regularly, I think there's a lot of value in setting up your profile, dialing it in with the right keywords, maybe having a couple posts, even if they're old, doesn't matter, but it just kind of show visually make a connection with you and who you are and what you do. Right. Okay. So talk to us a little bit about we're kind of going backwards here, but one thing we didn't touch on that I'd love to chat about, is your portfolio. So you, when you started, it was just all self directed. Yeah?

Tabitha Calvin [00:25:45]:
Yes. Yes. And it was terrible because I was still learning, the proportions. Because the way I was doing it, I was stylizing the flats. But through the chat, they reminded me, hey. This is not supposed to look, you know, aesthetically pleasing. The manufacturers have to be able to look at it, and can technical designers be able to, like, understand things within your callouts.

Heidi [00:26:09]:
Mhmm.

Tabitha Calvin [00:26:10]:
So throughout time, I've learned how to hone that in, make it look better, more professional. And through that, my portfolio has definitely gotten better. I will say it did help when I looked on the website that you have as well to see other people's portfolio so I can kind of guide mine off of that. So because I am self taught, I've just been relying on all the resources and the, the programs that you have to help guide everything that I do.

Heidi [00:26:43]:
I mean, it's kind of like fashion school in a little bottle.

Tabitha Calvin [00:26:49]:
Yes. I don't know.

Heidi [00:26:50]:
And that's and that didn't even make sense. But

Tabitha Calvin [00:26:52]:
And it's self paced, which was so convenient because I was working full time as a teacher when I started. So now even though I'm still, like, transitioning out of it slowly, I'm actually putting in my two weeks this week. Wait. What? You're just mentioning this thirty minutes in? Yes. I'm so excited. I'm a little nervous. Huge. But I'm I'm excited.

Heidi [00:27:16]:
Oh my gosh. What a moment to announce that on the podcast. Yes. I'm so excited. Okay. Talk about this. Like,

Tabitha Calvin [00:27:28]:
talk about, like, I know you said you shifted to part time. When was that? I shifted in October because I was extremely stressed. I was working as a teacher in an inner city school of Atlanta. They They pay extremely well, but I was stressed to the point where it seemed like the best thing for me to do was resign in the middle of the semester. And when I did that, I just began to completely throw myself into fashion design even more because to me, it was the sign that it was time for me to move on.

Heidi [00:28:04]:
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So it's March right now. March of twenty five right now. You went part time in October, so that's roughly six five, six months ago. Mhmm. And now where do you feel the tipping point was for you to decide I'm ready to quit? Cause I know a lot of people struggle with this decision.

Tabitha Calvin [00:28:26]:
Mhmm. This project that I have with the NBA player because it's a lot. He wants a lot, and I won't be able to teach part time with what he would like. And I'm so excited for the project. So I was like, there's no point in me waiting till the summer when classes are over. I was like, let me just go ahead and do so now, and expenses will be covered. Those will be paid. Yeah.

Tabitha Calvin [00:28:53]:
So might as well just take this opportunity while it's here.

Heidi [00:28:58]:
Good for you. How are you feeling about that?

Tabitha Calvin [00:29:02]:
Kinda wanna throw up.

Heidi [00:29:04]:
Okay. Totally fair. Still

Tabitha Calvin [00:29:06]:
nerve wracking and overwhelmed, but it's it's only been a year. That's why I almost decided not to go through with it just quite because I was self doubting myself. I was like, well, I didn't go to school for this. I'm still kinda new. I don't have a massive following, but there's no right time to do something. So just gotta commit to it and hope for the best.

Heidi [00:29:30]:
Yeah. There's never a you'll never feel fully ready.

Tabitha Calvin [00:29:35]:
Right. Right.

Heidi [00:29:37]:
You gotta just leap. I am so excited for you, Tabitha. This is amazing. What an exciting little bomb you just dropped in this conversation.

Tabitha Calvin [00:29:46]:
Yes. I'm so excited for what's to come.

Heidi [00:29:49]:
Yeah. Okay. So this project with the NBA player, I don't know how much you can or can't say, but it sounds like it's a pretty large commitment over extended period of time.

Tabitha Calvin [00:30:00]:
Yes. I cannot say too too much. K. Totally fair. Mhmm. But I I am excited. I am excited. And there's more opportunities to network in the industry for streetwear.

Tabitha Calvin [00:30:16]:
And the vision that he has is going to require, a lot of me going out and about and mingling so I'm nervous but excited Good. We'll see what happens.

Heidi [00:30:32]:
What a great challenge and opportunity to really like stretch your limits and get outside your comfort zone and stuff.

Tabitha Calvin [00:30:40]:
For sure. For sure.

Heidi [00:30:41]:
Oh my gosh. I am so happy to see you.

Tabitha Calvin [00:30:45]:
Thank you Oh. For the program, all of the resources. It's I I feel like you've held my hand through this entire process.

Heidi [00:30:54]:
I'm so glad to hear. Thank you. And I also wanna applaud you though because I feel like you've I mean, multiple times throughout this conversation, I can see in here examples where you have taken the scary action and done the scary thing and kind of just leaned in. And it doesn't always pan out, but sometimes it does. And that's how you keep making progress. You keep taking the action, and you keep going forward. And you are studying and putting in the work, and you are learning so much through fast and through my master class and stuff, but also independently at the library and on your own. And, I mean, I can tell you take a tremendous amount of initiative, in bettering yourself and learning, and it shows.

Heidi [00:31:45]:
Thank

Tabitha Calvin [00:31:46]:
you. Thank

Heidi [00:31:48]:
you. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's no surprise. Now getting to chat with you and getting to to meet you and hear your story and see how you present yourself, like, it's no surprise to me you're experiencing this this success, honestly.

Tabitha Calvin [00:32:00]:
Thank you. Thank

Heidi [00:32:02]:
you. Yeah. I'd love to know because, everybody still freelancing is not all rainbows and roses even though, you know, on this on the podcast, we talk about a lot of good stuff. What are some of the challenges or hurdles that you're still facing in your business?

Tabitha Calvin [00:32:19]:
I'll say the biggest one is my own mind. I know it's not good to compare yourself to others. But in this day and age of social media, you see what's going on in the lives of lives of others or allegedly what's happening in the lives of others. So subconsciously, I'm still doing that from time to time, and that can physically manifest in, like, the actions that I'm taking. So constantly having to redirect myself and speak positively about what I'm doing and what I see from my future, that's that's been the biggest challenge because you just have to do it every day. Every day. Every day.

Heidi [00:33:01]:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, from an outsider's perspective, I'm I'm truly impressed in how you're showing up. So it it doesn't show as much as it maybe feels like it's sometimes in your own head.

Tabitha Calvin [00:33:17]:
Thank you.

Heidi [00:33:18]:
Where can everybody connect with you and find you online?

Tabitha Calvin [00:33:22]:
I will say LinkedIn and Instagram. I'm going to start posting on Instagram because I know that could also be a potential space to run into clients as well. Yeah. But definitely at the moment, LinkedIn. I've been there every day as I say.

Heidi [00:33:37]:
Good for you. Yeah. And, I'll end with the question I ask everybody at the end of the interview, which is, what is one thing people never ask you about being a freelance fashion designer that you wish they would?

Tabitha Calvin [00:33:50]:
I wish they would ask me, how is it really like? Because social media has made freelancing seem like, oh, you just wake up when you want to. You do work when you're ready. You just deal with people when you feel like dealing with them. But in my experience, I still have to wake up at a certain time, meet deadlines for clients, make sure I'm disciplined enough to do one of the things that you mentioned, deliver things early, over deliver. So my clients want to refer me to other people and work with them again and do the things that I don't wanna do. Like, hold emails. I cannot stand cold emails. Sometimes I feel like they're going into the black void, but you still have to do it.

Tabitha Calvin [00:34:33]:
It's a necessary evil. Yeah. So yeah. It's not rainbows and roses every day. No. You still have to have some sport of initiative and drive. Yes.

Heidi [00:34:44]:
Yeah. And the keyword you said too was the discipline. It does take serious discipline.

Tabitha Calvin [00:34:49]:
Yes. For sure.

Heidi [00:34:50]:
I can tell you've got it. It's been so amazing to chat with you and hear about your story. I'm so excited, and I really feel like this is just the beginning.

Tabitha Calvin [00:34:58]:
Hey. Yeah. I'm excited too. Thank you for having me on. I listened to all of these. So I'm so excited.

Heidi [00:35:04]:
Thank you so much.