September 2022: What's your relationship with freelancing?

Snog, marry... avoid? Going steady or ready to quit?

Dah dah dah dahhhhhhh… I’m getting married this month! On the 17th, to be precise, which means I am thinking about relationships, love and all things related to them. (And shoes, canapés and dresses, obvs).

It’s quite a big deal because I spent a lot of my life as a single woman as well as writing about it. I wrote for magazines about how I hadn’t been told ‘I love you’, through to dating exploits and even a novel about dating. (It’s called Boyfriend by Christmas).

For me, freelancing and dating have always been the strongest of the analogies I use. And, as I prepare to settle down, I’m also settling down with freelancing after a long time ‘dating’.

I call myself a Threelancer, because I have ‘gone freelance’ three times in my life. For me, freelancing was always a ‘dating’ thing. I would date it for a while, then go off and settle down with a ‘real job’ for a bit. Then freelancing would wink at me, like a cheeky boy band member across a crowded dancefloor, looking enticing and cool.

I’d quit the full-time job, and go freelance again, high again on the promises of freedom, excitement and flexibility. But the emotional pressure of freelancing would take its toll, the highs and lows, the chasing payments and pitching all the time. I’d hear of a job in-house and apply, then find myself in another relationship I wasn’t so keen on.

The third time, I went freelance after redundancy, and that wasn’t the best feeling because it was more of a knee-jerk. But, since then (that was in April 2017), I’ve actually fallen deeply in love with freelancing. It’s like we met again by chance on a train, got chatting and, this time, more grown up and understanding of each other, we decided to give it a go. A proper go. We moved in together (AKA setting up Freelance Feels) and got engaged (Hello, coaching training).

Suddenly, I realised, we were for keeps. We were for life. Freelancing and me, finally got it together.

It’s safe to say I feel married to my work! I am ‘in’ it all the time. I don’t switch off, and I’m always planning, curating, and trying to make things better.

Like any relationship, we do need our space, and I try to get that by exercising, walking the dogs, and coming off social media for a while (well, a day or so, you know me).

So, as freelancing and I (and Geoff and I) prepare to tie the knot, here’s my question:

What stage is your freelance relationship at?

Are you in the romantic first flushes of freelancing?

Perhaps you’ve been ‘married’ a long time and need to find that spark again

You might be wondering whether you want out - to divorce and ‘go steady’ with someone else

Perhaps you’re in a full-time staff role and wonder whether you want to flirt with freelancing

I’d love to know!

And I’ll see you all in October when I’ll be… Mrs Holliday! EEK.

In the meantime, if you’d like to consider coaching to help you with your freelance relationship, all the info is on the freelance feels website, from individual to group coaching which starts again in October. Re-ignite the spark with your freelance life with Freelance Fire group coaching.

freelance_feels

A post shared by Freelance Feels / Jenny Stallard (@freelance_feels)

Freelance things for this month…

The next CV workshop for freelance writers, journalists and copywriters is TODAY!

The IPSE freelancer awards are open - put your name forward! What’s the worst (or best!) that can happen? The application is a good way to get your feelings down about where you’re at with your business.

How to safeguard your mental health when you’re freelance

Virtual co-working from Freelancer Magazine - guaranteed to help you focus, meet new freelance mates and feel a boost of positivity about your work!

“Do I really have to be on social media if I’m freelance?”

Sign up to the Freelance CV workshop for Freelance Creatives - Sept 7th