Five Years of Freedom

This month marks five years since I went freelance! It’s been five busy years of freedom and creativity, interspersed with a global pandemic, the creation of two children and the balancing of a desire to express myself with the need to earn money. What a ride! Some days I cannot wait to get to my desk, while others are spent doing everything I possibly can to avoid it. (What’s that, dishwasher? You need emptying again?) It can be lonely, boring and frustrating, and I can confirm the ‘feast or famine’ thing is very accurate - but I also know I wouldn’t change it for the world! I love being in control of my own time, space and workload, shaping my own professional identity and relying on myself for success. I love having a flexible schedule, spending all day with my dogs and drinking too much coffee.

But there are downsides, too, so this month I thought I’d share a few posts exploring the reality of life as a creative freelancer. I’ll be chatting about why I chose self-employment, the juggle of work and motherhood, how I actually earn an income, and the highs and lows of freelancing. I hope it’s helpful if you’re thinking of choosing a more independent way of working! It’s not for everyone, but I bloody love it.

With the arrival of March, spring is really beginning to stir now - although this week has been extremely cold in south east England. I’ve started a little project drawing the wildflowers I see growing through the year, and this week I’ve been admiring the snowdrops and first primroses of the season, as well as watching a tiny goldcrest in the bare branches of an oak tree. It’s so uplifting to see the world slowly coming back to life - although nothing excites me more than the first day it’s warm enough to go out without a coat!

This morning I’m celebrating my freelanciversary with a Too Good To Go bag from our local bakery. If you haven’t heard of TGTG, it’s an app that prevents food waste by letting you buy cheap local food that would otherwise be thrown away. It’s amazing and incredibly dangerous if, like us, you live near a pie shop and always end up with a big bag o’ delicious carbs. I’m praying for sweet pastries in today’s bakery bag, so please send calorific vibes.