by Rachel Smith
12 September 2018
Hi Rach and Leo. I’m a year into my freelancing career and while I love the flexibility, I can’t get past that uncomfortable feeling. I feel like I’m constantly worried about the future, worried about where my next paycheck or story is coming from, worried about whether I’ll be able to make the mortgage this month, worried about what happens if my work dries up completely. Basically you could say I’m a big worry-wart but I really need to hear from people who get past that icky, uncomfortable stage and into something easier. Help. Anon
I hate to tell you this, Anon, but that’s freelancing in a nutshell. It IS about feeling uncomfortable a lot of the time. It is about slow patches and pitching over and over only to hear ‘No thanks’ (or worse, not hear back at all). It is about having to become clever with money. It is about learning to negotiate like a gun and chase leads and find new income streams. All of that can make you feel very stressed. And I won’t lie: the hustle can get exhausting, even when you’ve been doing it for years.
When does it becomes easier? Well, if you can lock in a few retainers or even a part-time gig. Getting a good solid client base and referrals helps too. And it never hurts to build a posse of trusted freelance friends who swing you work every now and again. You’ll also find the stress eases a bit when your pitches start getting picked up regularly and you’re organised enough to make pitching and marketing a key part of your work week (along with the work-and-earn-money part, that is).
That said, I’ve written before about how freelancing is for some people and not others. There’s no shame in ditching the freelance life if you know you’ll feel better doing a 9-5 and having a regular paycheck hit your account on the same day every month. (A lot of the time I love that idea myself.) So it’s really about assessing what works for you – and especially, your mental health.
Listers: how often do you feel stressed and uncomfortable as a freelancer?
Freelancing isn’t for everyone. I continually weigh up the highs and lows to check in with myself whether or not it’s working for me. It very much depends on your priorities, needs and lifestyle. There’s no one answer fits all. It’s very much a unique answer for everyone, given each person is a unique entity with different circumstances. The ups are the freedom, yep, the freedom, and let’s say it again: the freedom. As well as the flexibility to determine your own schedule. On top of that, the joy of writing, following your dream, and perhaps a bit of glam, pride and personal satisfaction (say, if your name appears in big name publications). The downsides are equally epic: financial insecurity, worry, stress, possibly loneliness. There’s no one paying your super, holiday and sick leave. These are big issues one can’t ignore. So, weigh up what matters most to you, what you really need. There are many twists you can take to your career. Some examples include part time permanent paid work + freelancing, or a permanent job within the writing or another field with occasional freelancing on the side. For me, my decision to continue freelancing hinges on the fact I have a young child and live out of the city. Work flexibility is paramount. And, my personality enjoys the challenges of entrepreneurship and the adventure of floating my own raft in the surging seas. Like anyone alone, and paddling towards the sunny isles of paradise, I have many moments of crippling fear and doubt, as well as joy and euphoria. There are some terrible storms on the journey of freelancing (such as when one of my outlets went bust leaving me owed $1500) as well as lovely, placid days full of bounties. Unfortunately, if you freelance, that’s the kind of voyage it is. That’s what you’re finding, and sorry, to say, but that will continue, which I feel is what’s behind your question. Will this end? Probably not. However, the longer you go, the better and more accomplished you will become in channelling your boat through the choppy seas. And, in time you come to know that there’s always a sunrise after the storm. Best of luck on whatever journey you choose. Remember, there is no right or wrong.
Hi all, Conventional discussion around my freelance jobs emphasised either getting a day job and writing part time, plus, what’s already been wisely said above on pitching, and when possible, regular (and reliable pay) gigs. Great advice thanks!
Great article Rachel. Freelancing is all about peaks and troughs and when you’re in that downward dip you need to reach out and pitch and then take a couple of days off to do something completely fun. Worrying isn’t effective – it closes up opportunity and stresses you out. Plus fail to plan, plan to fail. So have a best and worst case scenario and be able to live with both. Remember that movie scene where Indiana Jones had to step into the abyss? That’s freelancing. Faith in yourself and some sort of universal power!
Dear Anon, the “something easier” comes with time; the trick is getting yourself to that place and never, ever giving up. You mention worrying about the work drying up completely – but you should never be in that situation because freelancing isn’t about sitting and drinking from a stream. It’s about bringing the rain.
More than two decades of freelancing have taught me that work ALWAYS dries up, almost always because of forces outside your control. That is the nature of the beast – and your defence is to make sure that you are constantly out there creating new work, not waiting for it to fall into your lap.
Make sure you are constantly reading and expanding your knowledge base. Read the competition. Pitch yourself by thinking of 3 story ideas after every news article you read – and to whom you might be able to sell them. Try different angles. Meet and interview industry experts even if it’s only to learn from them.
Be sure you know what you are offering your potential clients. They aren’t paying you for the function of writing, like they might pay someone to clean or wash windows. They are paying you to solve a problem. And that problem is, simply, that they need well-informed, well-expressed content that conveys authority and relevance to their target audience. If you can provide that – and you know your industry well enough to make sure that the relevant people know you’re the problem-solver they need – they will come back to you time and time again.
Be flexible in yourself, and be a problem-solver for everyone else, and you will find there’s always something.