There’s a lot of stats out there about freelancing.  There’s stats about freelancer failure rates that raise concern. According to the IFS, 20% of sole traders don’t make it past their first year, 60% will fail to make it past 5 years, rising to 80% by 12 years. On the flipside, there’s stats about new freelancers quitting their day jobs and earning more money than they could ever possibly imagine over their previous full-time employed salaries. There’s stats aplenty covering every nook and cranny about the ‘plunge into the freelance life.’  Some of it exciting…many of it downright depressing.

Right, no messin’ about. No beatin’ around the bush. Let's get right into this. What is your freelance destination? What is your freelance endgame?

I still remember my first ever client meeting like it was yesterday.  It was right before Christmas, 2017. With a project start date immediately upon return from the holiday break.   And this wasn’t just any client, this was an American tech startup led by a woman who had run a department at the Rio 2016 Games. She’s the type of anxiety inducing high-flyer who budgets every minute of her time. The kind of client who will look at her watch the second you start to bore her.

Over the past couple of years, freelancing has become an increasingly popular career choice for many individuals as its mode of design often offers flexibility and independence in the fast-paced world of work. New York City, a hub of creativity and innovation, attracts many freelancers who seek opportunities across a diverse range of industries. Indeed, New York might for many be synonymous with the ‘land of opportunity’, but as the freelancing industry grows, so does the competition.

Freelancers are like superheroes.  Fair enough…we may not have super strength, we may not be able to fly, and we may not be capable of teleportation or invisibility. I could go on and on… But there is one superpower we do possess.  Our time.

Christmas is just around the corner and, for freelancers, it tends to be a busy period or deathly quiet. For the former, December can bring with it some financial anxiety as businesses slow wind down and work drys up. To help keep your spirits up and motivation high, here are a few ways you can get productive and continue to progress this December. 

Hey, you.  And when I say ‘you’ — I mean it in the way of greeting you as a lone wolf who has arrived at the party solo. I do not intend to lump you in with the rest of the crowd.  I mean, let's be honest here — we’re freelancers for goodness sakes.  We always roll solo.

You know what I love the most about being a copywriter?  Yes, I love the words. Yes, I love the creativity and imagination.  Yes, I love some of the exciting projects I get to be a part of.  And yes, I love it when my work is published and it’s there for the whole world to see — although I secretly dread it too. I also love that I dread it…it reminds me that I care.  I love all of these things that come with the job. But you know what? — none of them come close to what I really love the most.  The solitude.