Feasts and Famines of Freelancing

It’s been almost exactly seven months since I first started this full-time freelance designer journey. HOLY MOLY. This has been one of the most rewarding AND most challenging things I have ever done in my life! Some days I think “Wow! I’m actually succeeding at this!” and some days I think “WHY DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF.” Oftentimes I have both thoughts in the same day!

Looking back, it amazes me at how much my confidence in myself has grown. I have been pushed way, WAY beyond what I thought I could handle, and came out the other side still alive and breathing. I still have bad days, sometimes very bad days, and many doubts. But I have found out so much about myself since I began, and I have learned skills that I never thought I had the guts to learn.

Now that I have over half a year of full-time freelancing under my belt, I wanted to share my thoughts on my Top Three Likes and Top Three Dislikes about this particular career direction. My hope is that other freelancers or potential freelancers will learn about some of what it takes to be a fulltime freelancer, both the good and the bad parts! 

LIKES

1) Flexibility

This is one of my favorite things about freelancing full-time: I can adjust my schedule and my days around whatever I want. Do I want to get away from the apartment and work at a library or a coffee shop for a couple hours? I can do that! Do I want to sleep in a little longer in the morning and then work a couple hours at night? You betcha! Can I take an extended trip to St. Louis to help my mom with moving Grandma into a new home? Absolutely!

2) Responsibility

This is usually considered more of a Con, but I consider it a Pro. Having complete responsibility for my company, including budgeting, bills, taxes, client communication, project tracking, etc. is a huge challenge. To this day, I still have dozens of lessons that I need to learn about running a business.

But gaining all this new knowledge and carrying the weight of my company has given me a confidence far, FAR beyond what I’ve ever had before. All the challenges are mine, but all the rewards are also mine. I love learning new skills and have been very fortunate to have had budgeting and business-management lessons taught to me by both my father and my mentor Rich. The responsibility should be a major factor in a designer’s final decision to take the plunge into full-time freelancing. But for me, I have found it to be hugely rewarding in many ways.

3) Control Over My Career

One year ago, I had zero experience with book cover and book layout designs. And I really wanted to learn how to do both. Today, I have designed 5 book covers for 4 different clients, as well as a variety of editorial pieces, and I am currently working on my first book interior layout. Full-time freelancing meant that I finally had the time and energy to learn those skills, find those clients, and create those projects that I so badly wanted to do!

I can say “yes” to projects, but the important part is that I can also say “no.” If a client is showing red flags, or if a project is not something I want to work on, I can say “no.” And there is power in being able to say that two-letter word. There will still be difficult clients (I’ve already run into those…), and they should still be handled with politeness and courtesy. But I don’t HAVE to work with them if doing so will be detrimental to me or my business.

DISLIKES

1) Feast and Famine Cycle

For me, this is one of hardest parts of being a full-time freelancer. The “Feast and Famine Cycle” is a freelancing phenomena; you have periods of time where lots of clients and money come in, a “feast,” and then it rollercoasters way down to periods of time with little work and money coming in, a “famine.” This part of freelancing greatly affects my mental and emotional state. During famines I can be plagued by fear and anxiety about when my next paycheck is coming, and even during feasts I have to make sure I don’t become a workaholic driven by that same anxiety.

Unfortunately, from everything I’ve read, this is a regular part of freelancing. There are many articles out there about how to manage famine times, like updating websites, designing personal projects, reaching out to new clients, etc. It is still a hardship for me, but I hope with time and advice from other full-time freelancers, I will better learn how to handle the fluctuation.

2) No Benefits

Ugh. I am no longer connected to a company that will offer health benefits or life insurance, so I must find and pay for that all myself, out of my own pocket. Double ugh. I am very grateful to have a family friend who has helped me find affordable health insurance, but it still an unpleasant part of full-time freelancing. If you have a spouse or partner who can support you in this way, I highly recommend leaning on their insurance and benefits. It will for sure be a weight off your shoulders.

3) Isolation

Working from home, which is what I do most often, can be a great way to avoid commuting, child care, and other work travel expenses. But if you’re not careful, it can also be quite lonely. With no coworkers around me (except my cat, the constant Employee of the Month), I have found myself craving friend time or even just time around other people, like at the previously mentioned libraries and coffee shops. And I’m an introvert, which is saying something!

I am grateful that I have church on Sunday, and music practices and Bible Study on Wednesday evenings, but I know I need to make more of an effort to carve out time with my friends. I especially need that socialization if I am having difficulties with work, particularly during times of “famine,” and need encouragement and laughs from my buddies. If you are a big people-person and/or an extrovert, make sure you have a game plan to get all the socializing you need!

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I hope these Likes and Dislikes will show you some of what goes into being a full-time freelancer. Regardless of whether you decide to try full-time freelancing or not, do what works best for you. There is no “good” or “bad” decision; remember, I originally became a full-time freelancer not by pure choice, but because that was the only viable job decision for me at the time. Make sure you do your research, and no matter what you decide, good luck and God’s blessings to you!!

All the best,

Brittany Becker