For all the pressures it brings, working as a self-employed professional running your own business is the ultimate way of working.
In fact, three creative freelancers, all of whom were once employees, say they’d never go back to traditional nine-to-five employment.
David Owens, freelance photographer, told Freelance UK: “I am a full-time Dad looking after a 14-month-old-boy, whilst my partner is in full time work.
“My partners work is flexible to allow me to teach in schools occasionally and undertake photographic assignments.
“Thankfully many assignments are to photograph weddings at weekends which works well time-wise. When I have week-day work, it eats into my partner’s work time - she then has to work at weekends and in her holiday time.
“After childcare and occasional freelance work there is not much time left but it is a great opportunity for me to look after my son whilst still keeping an interest in photography. I wouldn't change this set up unless it was absolutely necessary to do so.
“Assuming you can make a living as a freelancer I believe the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. I always enjoyed the banter…in full-time employment but now I enjoy the freedom and flexibility of freelancing.”
William Knight, a freelance journalist, said working alone can cause a feeling of isolation, which he said is a “hardship.”
“But isolation does also mean you are not distracted,” he told Freelance UK. “And the half-hour breaks gathered around the coffee machine don't eat into the working day like they used to when I worked in an office.
“When you are not in the mood to work, there is nobody with a stick to thrash you into productivity, and sometimes I spend hours surfing the web or reading magazines when I know I should be working.
“The deadlines always get you in the end of course, but no matter how much time I have to spare, I use it all up. Isolation can feed the creative prevaricator like fallen fruit feeds wasps.
“I don't think the isolation per se would cause me to quit freelancing.”
Jim Callender, a freelance web designer, said the self-employed need to be dependable, easy to deal with, cooperative and friendly.
“If you are not any of these, you career may be a non-starter,” he warned.
Asked whether the downsides of freelancing would make him quit, he responded: “The salary you can earn through freelance work is up to you. How hard do you want to work? How successful is your web site in the Google rankings? How well are you known locally?
“When you become successful and you are happy with the skills you possess you will no longer feel isolated.”
For Callender, who clearly wouldn’t quit freelancing, there’s something philanthropic about being self-employed.
“[When you become successful] you will still have peers that you look up to, however, some newcomers will be looking for tips… [to] help them save a few hours a day.”
He mused: [Why not] send them to a website that will revolutionise their project workflow!”
Oct 1, 2007
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