How Freelancing Helped Me Stay Sane In 2020
Down the centuries, my profession has acquired many names. Some charming, others less so. Soldier of fortune, as per that famous Deep Purple tune. Condottiere, which, I must say, appeals to my history-buff heart. Mercenary, which, though derogatory, best hits the mark.
More recently, it’s been freelancer. A peculiar profession, one I never thought I would make money from. As a deluded fifteen-year-old, I used to look down upon anyone who’d degrade themselves enough to actually sell their skill with words. Fast-forward to a broke twenty-year-old, no closer to living the published author dream, and I found myself traveling down that same route I’d once despised.
Fast-forward yet another year to a world in the midst of chaos and pandemic, to a brief moment of self-reflection. It’s as good a time as any. I’ve been using my skill with words to create content for those in dire need. I’ve penned thousands of articles. Hundreds of commissions, and dozens of satisfied customers. And I’ve learned a few things.
And perhaps you shouldn’t listen to me. Perhaps I’m too young to know what I’m talking about. But when else are you gonna learn something, if not when you’re actually doing it?
What I Learned as a Freelance Writer…
- Putting yourself out there really is as scary as it sounds.
I remember at the very beginning of my journey, I worried about a great deal of things. I worried about getting scammed. About no longer having time to work on my writing. But most of all, I worried about no one wanting to hire me.
In many respects, working as a freelancer is every bit as scary as sending manuscripts to potential agents. It brings with it that brief second where you think to yourself — what if I’m really not good enough?
People tell you it’s not so bad, but let me tell you, it really is. It’s terrifying, particularly because there’s no safety net. You could get a $200 commission tomorrow. Or you could spend another 6 months with no work whatsoever.
2. If you’re not going to respect yourself, neither will your clients.
There’s still so much prejudice against freelancers. Both from the more traditional copywriters, journalists, and other forms of content creators, but a lot of it from clients, too.
There’s a tendency of treating you like dirt because you’re literally selling your services for a couple of bucks online.
Now, it may sound cliche, but what I learned, in my time doing this — If you don’t respect yourself, neither will your clients.
Sometimes it means going out on a limb. sometimes it will mean losing clients, too. Because no one likes being put in their place, particularly not by some two-dollar schmuck on the Internet.
And if you’re gonna do this as a part-time gig for a couple of months, I get it, why bother? But more and more people are turning to freelancing as a way of life. And in that case, you’re gonna need to establish some ground rules.
Me? I kick any client who is rude, disrespectful, or condescending. And you know what? I can afford to. So I must be doing something right.
3. I’m good at what I do.
I don’t mean to sound egocentric. I’m merely stating a fact. There is a moment in one’s professional life when this realization kicks in. That second where you acknowledge it for the very first time:
I’m actually good at this. I excel.
And there’s nothing like that moment. Nothing.
What’s terrifying to me is that a lot of people never come to this realization. Because maybe you have a boss who always puts you down. Or maybe you’re too busy chasing after Jill in Accounting. And that’s fine. That’s a worthy enough endeavor in its own right. But I think every single person needs that one moment when they realize they have the capacity and the tools to see this job through. And for me, that was freelancing.
4. There is hope.
It’s the sort of thing I never thought I’d write, but I think 2020 has given us all a lesson in the hardships of hopefulness. When I got into freelancing, I did it, like most, for the cash, but also for the opportunity. Because I’m a travel junkie at heart, and this was one of the very few positions that could actually work with that, rather than against. And then 2020 came along and went “haha”.
But in a way, I’m glad it did, because it allowed me to learn this last lesson. In a year where we’re all just wanting to scream into a pillow, my job helped me survive. No, it did more than that, it allowed me to thrive. Financially, but even more so mentally.
As a freelance creator in this past year, I’ve come across so many extraordinary people, projects, ideas, ambitions. I’ve learned so much from the people I’ve worked with, and ultimately, it restored my hope in humanity and in the future of our world.
Yes, we’re experiencing a momentary setback. But we, as a group, are going somewhere incredible. Every day, we are re-inventing the way the world works. Every day, new ideas are born into the atmosphere — ideas that have never been here before in the whole history of humankind.
It showed me that right now, I am doing something that wouldn’t have been possible in my grandparents’ day. I am collaborating with people from all over the globe, each with our own unique ideas and visions. That, to me, is extraordinary.
And in spite of all the horror of 2020, that, to me, is worthwhile.
Thank you for reading.
Images courtesy of the fantastic people on Unsplash 1 & 2. Exactly the sort of phenomenal creators this post is about.
