By: Rae Ann Fera
When talking to creative freelancers, there’s one phrase that’s often repeated: “I don’t mean to sound cheesy or cliché but…” What follows that "but" ranges from waxing lyrical about the ability to control the professional and personal work they do, to an appreciation of work-life balance, to a full-on embrace of occupational joy and diversity. “It sounds cheesy, but if I’m not having fun, I’m not happy.”
That many freelancers sound like they have to defend their chosen career path says something about the state of the work world. It’s as if being satisfied in your work and how you go about it is something to feel guilty about; like somehow being your own boss is equated with not having a real job and faffing about in your jammies; as if in order to do real work you have toil away at a "stable" job with an office and its attendant politics. But, really, it’s the full-timers who should be defending the act of working at a desk inside a big office. Because, as we know, the state of work is changing.
As Fast Company has documented at length in its Generation Flux series, work can’t be defined in the old ways.
The pace of change in in business and culture is breakneck, and predicting what that job at that big company is going to look like next year, or what creative opportunities are going to present themselves to you, more difficult. As noted in Generation Flux: "what defines GenFlux is a mind-set that embraces instability, that tolerates--and even enjoys--recalibrating careers, business models, and assumptions." It’s a mind-set that’s shared by people who choose to pursue a self-driven creative career.
But what advice do successful freelancers give in terms of actually living and working this way? Mainly: get over it and just do it. While working independently is not all lollipops and rainbows, what with the added responsibilities of business finances, the stress of erratic income, and the unpleasant prospects of hustling for work, freelancers will tell you that the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
We solicited the opinions of nearly a dozen creative freelancers, from the established to the newly independent, to get the skinny on being your own boss. They shared candid insights on everything from building their own personal brand, to the ways in which they choose and create their work; from the sharing tips on navigating the annoying bits like finances (spoiler alert: get a great accountant), to the lifestyle perks that seem to trump the pain of going it alone.
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