I was in downtown Atlanta a few weeks back, delivering a few seminars at a writers conference. I loooove getting out from behind my computer and mingling with the rest of humanity (and when they’re paying me, even better…). It’s part of the variety that makes me love this life I (we) have.
Well, apparently, that love and appreciation for My Pretty Cool Life came through loud and clear to one of the attendees of my morning session on self-publishing. After the talk, sitting at my book table, this gentleman approached with a lovely bit of good news: He was a freelancer who did the regular Why I Love My Job feature for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and I sure seemed to fit that profile. Would I like to be the subject of a future half-page instalment of the series? “Is this a trick question?” I asked, smiling. Like, duh.
He came by last Thursday to do the interview and snap a few, and that’ll be coming up some Sunday in May, I’m told. Yay. Of course, it got me thinking about how good I have it. There’s a special moment I have every morning (after rising about 8, 8:30, and commuting 15 feet to my office) when I’m sitting at my computer answering email. Big windows frame trees and more trees, and let the morning sun stream in. I always stop and think about everyone out on the highway, struggling through gridlock on their way to an airless, windowless, soulless cubicle for the next 8-10 hours, and then back in the car for Round 2 and on to fight crowds at the grocery, gym, and dry cleaners, etc.
I thank my lucky stars I am not among their ranks and wish this life for them. To live life on one’s own terms. To rise or crash on your clock, not someone else’s. To take a day, week or month off when you say (as long as you can pay your bills). Yeah, I know, you folks still working for The Man don’t really want to hear all this, but hey, if it helps you get to this place quicker… I joke sometimes – but I’m more than half-serious – that while my Well-Fed Writer titles are ostensibly about writing, they’re really about lifestyle. I just happen to do that with writing.
If you’re living the freelance dream, what part of it puts that quiet, contented smile on your face or even makes you downright giddy?
I have been everything from a bartender to an insurance agent to customer service rep in my “other life”. The worst thing was that I had to deal with people who are openly rude and uncooperative. So what I love about the freelance life is that I get to work with people who respect me . . . or I don’t have to work with them again. No more biting my tongue for someone who is obviously rude because they might threaten to complain to some boss who always takes the customer’s side. You ever seen Pretty Woman? Well there’s this part where she talks about not having a pimp and how she gets to say what she does, with who. Yeah, life without a pimp is great.
I get that contented little smile on my face each Christmas when I get together with my family. They are grouching about commuting, working 60 hours a week, or some stupid thing their boss asked them to do and I’m just standing there trying not to grin too big because, well, I don’t have those things to grouch about anymore. And honestly, when they start moaning about going back to work after the holidays, I can’t join in. I love my work – in all it’s multiple-income stream glory!
I’ve read so many wonderful reasons why you’re happy with the freelance life! I truly enjoy the freedom. I like being able to take my job with me wherever I go – just pack up the laptop. And I like being in control of my career. While attending a magazine writers conference, I was feeling a bit out of place. But I had quite a few writers approach me because “I want to do what YOU do.” Well, Peter, where do you think I directed them? I even had a couple of magazine editors ask (generally) for my hourly rate. And when I told them, they high-fived me! What a rush! Thanks, Peter, for showing me the way and all of you “well-fed” folks for your support. We might not know each other personally, but we are all family! Continued success to everyone!
This was a great day to get the e-mail about your blog. My Intro – I’ve been FLCWing full time since 2004, thanks to running across you and Bob Bly on the Internet at a time when I was kicking around career change ideas. I was MADE for this lifestyle and work – but it was also mostly the lifestyle hook that got me. One of the direct response ads I read said this job would give me “the life of an artist and the income of a Dr. or Lawyer.” THAT was all I needed to hear, and I never looked back. I do have the artist life, but the whole income thing…well..I have 5 kids so it never FEELS like a good income, but according to my IRS returns a few days ago, I’m doing OK.
This is indeed the career of my middle age and I do get giddy sometimes when I look out the glass doors of my home office here in Central Florida at my shaded patio and pool area, and think about all the confusion on I-4. Sometimes after we send the last kid off to school I wander out onto the patio with my laptop and coffee – in January!
But here is why I liked getting your e-mail today – Right now I am up against several looming deadlines, very busy and have taken on a little too much work in too short a time frame – a great problem to have, but I usually plan better. On top of that I am just recovering from computer problems(can you say Windows…like you I’m making the Mac plunge soon myself). So at the moment I’m quite scattered, which (believe it or not) has brought you to my thoughts more than once. I think it’s in your first book where you say “even a bad day in this business is better than a good day in a cubicle” or something like that. Well, I spent way too much time in cubicles, and other “job” related settings – and I don’t want to go back. So count on the fact that, to make my deadlines I’ll be “burning the midnight oil” tonight (that’s what I call it when I’m making 70.00/hour while watching Fox news and banging out copy after everyone else has gone to bed). Someone’s gotta do it…thanks Peter for keeping us all energized about this profession. slr
I am motivated by, among other things, the possibility of avoiding the nonsense described in the article below:
https://nytimes.com/2008/04/20/business/20workexcerpt.html
As a few have mentioned, I am also UNemployable. Really, I find that I have less freedom then I used to (when I was a good and wholesome Canadian). I think what I like best though is being honestly rewarded for my efforts. It allows me time to participate and research hare-brained schemes, and it allows me naps, and it allows me fishing trips and various cavortings with my wife. And, I don’t have to lift up my hand and ask to use the washroom.
Thanks Deb, Cathy, P.S., Angie, Denise, Steve, and Andrew,
Wonderful comments, all! And Steve, thanks for the detail. Extremely helpful stuff, for all of us!
PB
Wanted to weigh in again: first off Steve, get a Mac!!! I have had mine since 2004 and I will never, ever go back! We have 6 Macs in this house and have never had problems with any of them!
I am truly unemployable these days too – I love my free time too much! I love that I can decide when I will work on a project and not be tied to an 8-5 job and the commute that goes with it. I love that we are spending less than $150 per month on gas right now, and most of it is tax-deductible anyway. I love that my husband and I can take lunch when and where, and for as long as we want.
I don’t know how usual it is to have both partners working as freelancers, and there were a lot of things we had to weigh before he made the leap to full-time freelancing, (health insurance, life insurance, financial planning etc.) but the freedom we both experience as a result has done wonders for our marriage.
For anyone on the fence – take the plunge – you will never regret it!
Having left corporate America only a few months ago, I am happily enjoying all the benefits of freelancing mentioned here. I’m just beginning my journey, actually, and comments like these always reinforce my decision to leave the cubicle life – very encouraging for me during the initial start-up phase. I surely don’t miss the 5:00 am alarm, long commute, and even longer day in my “airless, windowless, soulless cubicle” (thank you, Peter, for stating that so well!)
My old corporate life (20 years at the same company, right out of college) was running me into the ground, emotionally and physically. Fortunately, after a few years of planning my escape and saving my pennies, I am now on the right path to a healthier, happier career…and life!
Thank you, Peter, for your books – and thanks to everyone here for sharing their thoughts on this wonderful freelance lifestyle.
Hi Peter.
Wanted to pop in and CONGRATULATE YOU on all your successes–especially the super-cool Blog, man! Continued success! Oh yeah–the writing life is one I’m grateful for as well! It feels great to get up early(usualy before 5 or 6 A.M.), do all my work, and be free to “own” the day before noon. Thanks again for all yo’ confidence-building! Check out my blog, too, if you want. (btw, you are listed in my LINKS, Peter!)
The funny thing for me is that I still have a daily commute of driving my 3 kids to school. So I can’t claim that as my big benefit. (I use that time to listen to educational tapes on business and my niche market.)
Still, I’m available for field trips and home whenever one of them gets sick.
One of the things that I really love is how I’ve been able to fine tune my client roster as I defined my niche and am able to work with the people I want to work with. I’m learning SO much everyday from these experts who are hiring me to provide their content. And since I have writers working for me now, I get to pick and choose those people too. Never again will I complain about who I spent my day with. Or if I do, I know I have to power to change that situation.
Amazing you can truly create the life you want once you understand exactly what you want!
I’m just starting out as a freelance writer. I’m looking for my first real project and my husband is self-employed as well. Having just had a baby, it’s the best thing in the world to work from home. I have worked from home for the last 2 yrs, but have been studying copywriting for 6. It’s time to go for it. I’ve been too scared previously but now I’m ready. #35 had a link to a NY Times article and it just makes me thank God I don’t need to be a slave to anyone, ever.
Great topic, Peter. I’ve been freelancing for over 30 years and I still get giddy sometimes because I enjoy it so much. I enjoy the work, but I also like the freedom to choose projects and clients. I find, however, that I’m a bit of a work-a-holic and I have to watch out for burn out. Does anyone else find it difficult to create a good balance and maintain it?
Patricia Fry
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog
Thanks Patricia,
Oh, yeah, it’s easy to get into that rut, especially for we that work freelance AND write books. Trying to get from becoming a dull boy sometimes, but it’s a challenge. That said, I just got back from taking a one-hour walk by a river on a gorgeous spring day in the middle of the day, and I can do that most days if I want. If that means I work past 5 or occasionally on a weekend doing something I enjoy, then there are worse things…
PB
It’s good to highlight, as some have done here, that freelancers can be just as stressed as our corporate colleagues. And we can become slaves to ourselves just as easily as being a slave to a boss.
But one thing that I’ve found is that I don’t mind those stressful times as much as I did when I worked for a company. (Microsoft, in my case.) At MS, so much was out of my control… who I had to work with, what resources I had to work with, the extra workload I’d have to handle at various points in a project whether it was realistic or not, the endless meetings, feeling the need to check work e-mail from home to be on top of things.
I still have stressful moments as a freelancer, but I can minimize or eliminate it much quicker. I can step away and make adjustments that are best for me and my family.
It’s been a long time since I read it, but Daniel Pink’s book, Free Agent Nation is a great read. (Not sure if PB recommended this book long ago.) I read it just as I was making the transition to freelancer. I remember thinking, “Wow… I’m not so strange to want go this route after all.” (Believe me, when you tell your co-workers that you’re thinking of leaving a “secure” company like MS, you get strange looks and comments.)
One of the quotes from that book is a guy who works for himself. He explained his work life this way:
“Working when, where, how much, under what conditions and for whom I want.”
Perfectly said!
GREAT comment, Mike,
We can get just as stressed, but doing it on our own turf makes a lot easier to take. And yes, I did recommend “Free Agent Nation” by Daniel Pink in TWFW Back For Seconds. Excellent book. Here’s what I wrote about it, echoing what you said: “If you’re already successfully working as a ‘free agent,’ you’ll find tons of great ideas to incorporate into your own business while reaffirming all the glorious benefits of the independent life. If you’re still part of the salaried world but plotting your jailbreak, the book will give you a ringside seat to an exciting revolution that gathers more recruits every day. And it might help you see yourself less as some intrepid pioneer alone against the world, and more as a new player in a dynamic and rapidly expanding business sector that boasts an extensive network of support industries – with the power of a new consciousness on its side.”
PB
Ok, weighing in for the third time. One of my freelance gigs is to edit a Business magazine here in San Antonio. Megan Alexander (Inside Edition Correspondent) is one of the regular contributors. I had to edit her latest missive and after I was done reading it I sat back in my chair and thanked God I didn’t have to take one lick of her advice!
Here are the highlights:
1. BE A FAMILIAR FACE. Make a point of walking past your boss’s office or sticking your head in the door to say hello. Don’t avoid office meetings or parties, but do avoid taking long vacations right now.
2. GO THE EXTRA MILE. When companies are re-evaluating their staff and making possible cuts, you can keep yourself off the “hit list
My number one, all-time, favorite thing about this work:
I love being at home with my children. My husband also works from home as a freelance writer, and we’re able to take turns watching the kids while the other one works. That means we rarely pay for childcare — and only when we’re both so swamped we need the kids out of the house. In another year, we’ll be homeschooling. What fun!
Thanks Kristin and Cori, and EVERYONE who weighed in on this one. 48 comments – not bad for a three-week-old blog! I haven’t posted much here because the commenting has been so rich and savory that I wanted to squeeze as much out of each topic as possible before starting a new one. Look for a fresh subject coming soon. Thanks to all of you for making this such a great forum…
PB
I have been wanting to get over here and comment on this post ever since it was written. 🙂 I’ve been thinking A LOT about this topic in recent months for a variety of reasons – the number one being family complexities. If I wasn’t available at the drop of a dime, this place would (seemingly) fall apart. Although, the same falling-apart-ness would be true if I was not earning an income. This is why I love the freelance life. I can be a mom, I can be a friend, I can be a companion, and I can be a family member —- ALL at a moment’s notice! 😀 If the kids need to run here, there, and everywhere I can grab the keys to my mom taxi. If my friend needs a babysitter, no problem! If a family member needs me to take time off because they’re in from out of town for a few days – okay!
Okay, sometimes it isn’t that easy because I do get overwhelmed, I do get blindsided when I have a deadline, and I do fall behind. These are the little quirks that keep me on my toes and details I’m constantly working to iron out. It’s worth it, though, because I don’t have to worry about being fired. Sure, I could lose a client if something keeps me occupied longer than I would like it to . . . but there’s always something else around the corner. Freelancing allows me to put what’s important first.
I love it because I am much more productive on my own schedule than someone else’s.
I also love it because anything that catches my interest — I can follow it, learn about it, and communicate my enthusiasm about it and get other people excited, too.
Devon
Ink in My Coffee
I have been freelancing part time for about 7 years but never was in quite the right place (read: too scared with big mortgage) to quit my “real” job… and then I was laid off last month. Just the kick in the a** I needed! I’ve been doing the calling, getting my name out there and networking. This morning I landed my first new client expanding my part-time base – it’s very exciting and after only about 150 calls so far, very rewarding! I’m slowly facing and conquering my phone-phobias!
So, that leads me to the freelance lifestyle. I live in the mountains of Colorado outside Denver and it does NOT suck to sit here at my desk and look outside at the snow-covered Divide, watch my horses graze, take my dogs on a hike whenever I want and I’m slowly convincing my subconscious that No, I don’t actually have to go back to “work”. I’m not on vacation. This is my LIFE now. Nothing like it. Sat on my deck compiling my next list of contacts to call. My life is my own, my success is up to me, and I am in control. It’s an amazing feeling and I can’t believe I waited so long!!
Patty
The Writing Quill
One of the best things about being a freelance copywriter is to be able to sit back and read three year old blog posts at your leisure without someone bending your ear to do something else…
Seriosuly, though, I endorse all the comments above about lifetsyle and freedom. And it’s so nice to be away from the agency politics.
And you know what? I truly don’t mind having to work late or at weekends on those occasions I have to. It’s because I’ve chosen to, not because someone else has screwed up. And I’m making money for me, not some conglomerate.
The other thing, which I don’t think was mentioned by anyone else, is the pleasure of being my own creative director. It’s my creativity, my selling abilities, my reponsibility. Okay, the client may still not buy it, but at least it’s down to the client, not some internal machinations, the CD having a bad day or an account person not selling it properly.