http://ajamesediting.com What can I help you say? Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:12:57 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://0.gravatar.com/blavatar/433d9aecdafc0ba59ed9cecf895fb3cd?s=96&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png http://ajamesediting.com http://ajamesediting.com/2011/11/18/how-being-a-freelance-creative-is-like-being-a-survivalist/ http://ajamesediting.com/2011/11/18/how-being-a-freelance-creative-is-like-being-a-survivalist/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:25:44 +0000 Amber http://ajamesediting.com/?p=1408 ]]> According to Webster’s, a survivalist is “a person who advocates or practices survivalism” or “one who has prepared to survive in the anarchy of an anticipated breakdown of society.”


Being a freelance creative won’t necessarily prepare you to survive a natural disaster or societal meltdown (though I’m positive we have some transferable skills), but it will enable you to take control of your income.


Yeah, yeah, we’ve all heard the term “starving artist.”


And conventional wisdom tells us that being a freelance anything is dangerous because you never know how much money you’re going to make in any given month.


This is only partially true, and far more alarmist than it needs to be.


As freelance creatives, we have the power and the privilege to steer our own careers and set earning goals that could change every month if we chose.


We, not our passive-aggressive supervisors or the faceless CEO of the company, have the power to give ourselves raises, take 20 weeks of vacation per year, work remotely from anywhere on the planet, and climb our industry ladder as quickly, or not at all, as we see fit.


Our position is unique too, in that we can change the course of our business or work as quickly as our personal and client needs dictate. What’s easier, turning your car around or turning it around while a trailer’s hitched to the back?


We just have less baggage, less bureaucracy and way more flexibility in every aspect of our business.


Is being a freelancer really all roses, rainbows and sunshine, as you say?!


Hell no!


Being a freelance creative is hard work and sometimes we don’t make our monthly earning goals. C’est la vie.


But we don’t do it because it’s easy.


We do it because we love it.


We do it because it’s our right livelihood.


We do it because we wouldn’t want it any other way.


We know what to do and where to go to make our dreams come true. We’re certainly not islands, but we each produce enough of our own natural resources, to at least be self-sustaining.


That’s why being a freelance creative is like being a survivalist.


Because we have the skills to survive and thrive, regardless of the economy. Unfortunately, wage earners are not always so fortunate.

Filed under: business, freelance writing, Life Tagged: being a freelancer in a tough economy, freelance creative, survivalism, transferable skills ]]> http://ajamesediting.com/2011/11/18/how-being-a-freelance-creative-is-like-being-a-survivalist/feed/ 0 Amber