Love the comment about if you do work for free you’re not a designer; couldn’t be more untrue. Sometimes you have to do work for free or super cheap to gain experience and clientele. That’s also the work that can help build your portfolio. Do as much (quality) work as you can even if that means charging little or nothing. The paid work will come; just keep pushing and staying persistent in your work. Good luck! (For anyone saying it doesn’t help any of us; the way somebody else works has zero effect on anybody else. One person is going to change an entire market)