It’s been a while for me since I started but I can tell you that I started off on Elance(now Upwork). Took me about a week to get my first gig and a week to see the results ($$). I’d say online places like this are a good way to start.
Be careful about Craigslist. At least in New York, a lot of the ads up for creatives are seeking unpaid interns. It’s especially bad for art and graphic design, but it also affects web design. Sometimes they pull a bait and switch, posting a paid position but claiming it is unpaid when they respond to you. Don’t let anyone tell you they’ll pay you with “experience”.
Another fun thing about Craigslist: if you see anything about social media in the CL post, the job will morph into writing tweets and FB posts for them, no matter what else is in the job description.