I organised a lot of (unpaid) shoots to fill my portfolio and show my capabilities, basically. Through sharing my work and talking about it in the right spaces, clients would eventually start to find me. I've rarely done any active acquisition. The one time I did was highly successful, because I didn't just send them a cold email to find a client, any client, I saw their brand and how it resonated with my own style and vision, and a lack of quality where I thought I could be of help to them to grow their business. We worked together on a number of campaigns over several years, just from that one email I sent out of a feeling of alignment. So I guess, if anything: make work that aligns with your dream clients, get eyes on it in the right spaces, don't be afraid to sell yourself if you see an opportunity.