POD 36 - Webflow, UX, Rive & the Long Game of Freelancing - with Joshua Fry

In this episode, I sit down with Joshua Fry to talk about freelancing, UX, and how he added Rive to his service stack almost by accident. Joshua walks through his path into independent work, how UX has changed over the years, and why a strong discovery phase keeps projects on track. We talk about communication, client relationships, and getting started in freelancing.Joshua also explains how he balances agency work and direct clients, how video helps build trust, and why showing your face can help sales. We get into work-life balance, learning new tools, Webflow frameworks, and the state of AI in music and design. And as always, we finish with a small Finnish language game.Check out Joshua:https://www.fryux.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-fry/https://x.com/joshuafryhttps://bsky.app/profile/fry.designAlso mentioned:We Ride At Dawn (animation studio): https://www.wrad.work/Witness Studio (production/video studio): https://www.witness.london/Endlesss (software product): https://endlesss.fm/Contra (freelancing platform): https://contra.com/Flowkit (Webflow's own framework): https://developers.webflow.com/flowki...Timestamps 00:00 teaser 00:27 How Joshua Sells Rive 04:30 Introductions & UX landscape 09:14 Early Days of Freelancing and Project Experiences 15:18 Current UX Services and Discovery Process 27:59 Agency Collaborations 31:30 Navigating Freelance Work vs. Agency Work 36:22 Contra & Design Challenges 41:07 Advice for New Freelancers 49:34 The Intersection of Music and Work 53:28 The Value of Being a Generalist 01:00:41 Creative Workflows in Web Design 01:02:55 Framework Talk 01:08:28 Build mode & Components 01:11:15 The Role of AI in Music and Art 01:16:43 Is AI ok to use in Web Design? 01:19:21 Cookies 01:21:28 Cultural Insights and Language Quirks 01:23:09 Check Out Joshua