Interactive Hug

Thinking of taking the plunge and freelancing full-time? I did and had success from a client stand-point but over time gradually became very dissatisfied. Once I deduced what needed to change I found the right mesh with the company I’m currently associated with, Elastic People. Here’s the pluses and minuses I encountered freelancing.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT FREELANCING

My bed-room was one room away from my office which meant that if I slowed down a bit I was always a power-nap away from being refreshed.

If clients gave me attitude I politely informed them I wasn’t charging them enough to allow them that luxury. I learned how to read peoples intentions and communicate my feelings from a logical perspective, these are skills that have translated into the general way I deal with all humans to this day, I’m a stronger more intelligent man because of it.

I had full creative freedom over most projects because many of my clients found me through award sites and really respected my work.

I became friends

with almost all of my clients and work-related friends tend to be the ones I value the most.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT FREELANCING

Everything gradually began to revolve around time and money therefore I was no longer able to justify activities like exercising or hanging with my girlfriend. I’m a bit obsessive and the success of my company was so important to me that I could think of little else.

I became a bit too much of an “artiste”. If clients asked me to make revisions that didn’t make the project any better I’d recommend another designer they could take it too for those types of menial tasks because I had better things to do, which was true.

Too many interruptions. The administrative side can be fun – dealing with clients, communicating objectives, resolving conflicts, but constantly dealing with that makes it difficult to sink your teeth into something that requires sustained concentration. There’s nothing more annoying than breaking your focus to answer the phone only to have a client reel off a list of requests as if their work is in front of you and you have a pen and a pad in your hand jotting everything down. I eventually stopped answering my phone altogether and to this day am reluctant to answer a call if the nature of it is unclear.

At first being close to my TV, bed, media and personal effects everyday was awesome but as time went on the seclusion affected me, I began working all night and sleeping during the day, I ate one massive delivery meal a day and snacked on whatever I could grab from the corner store the rest of the time. It was so fun in my little capsule I gradually became a shut-in.

I thrive in a competitive environment, not because I’m competitive but because I like being around other ass-kickers, when you’re alone everyday you don’t have that.

IN CONCLUSION

You need to have an office that’s away from your home

or a laptop so that you can work from coffee shops or restaurants from time to time. You also need a strong emotional home unit, meaning a wife, live-in girlfriend or at least a dog. I think it was absolutely vital that an ambitious person like myself freelanced before making a long term commitment to a company, I wouldn’t be so dedicated to my current employer now if it weren’t for that experience. Now I can say that I did it and it wasn’t for me… I’ll never be asking myself “what if”. I learned that my personality and skill-set make me more effective as a specialist rather than an everything-man.

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