From Full Time to Freelance and How I Got Here
A lot of people see going “freelance” as scary, or perhaps unattainable. The idea of relying on your own business practice to power your life can seem overwhelming. I get it.
Being a freelancer means patching together a life.
It’s ultimate freedom, and it is also ultimate responsibility for your own meal ticket. Being a freelancer or entrepreneur means you are constantly hustling, it’s true. Running your own business means doing work that you can’t just “leave at the office” at the end of the day. Your work is interwoven into your life and that’s not the right lifestyle for everyone!
Today I’ll share a little bit about my journey to freelance, and some of the key traits I think you need to have to make it work
I’ve never been one for the 9-5 lifestyle.
After all, I grew up with parents who housed our family on a converted school bus and ran their own business enterprises. I was taught from Day One to design a lifestyle that you want to live, and then figure out how to make personal economics support it.
When I went to school I studied theatre, art, social justice, community organizing, and a bunch of other stuff that led me to constantly have a varied schedule and to work a myriad of small, part-time gigs with a lot of different people. I also balanced college and grad school with my myriad of part-time gigs and often worked 60+ hour weeks to fit it all in. Remember that time I wrote about self care? Well, I had to learn that lesson pretty heard.
When I moved to Seattle in August of 2014 I gave up my part-time gigs to take a full-time office job with a small, international nonprofit that kept extremely regular hours (I had to sit at the desk from 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday). I have never been more miserable in my life. You know when you do something and you can immediately tell it’s NOT for you? That was my experience. I would much rather work retail, where I get to walk around all day and interact with people, then have to be chained to a chair.
Although I’m not the type of person to start a job and quit soon thereafter, I put in my notice at this place after 6 months (with no job prospects and no savings account) because I hated what I was doing.
I put in my notice on Friday. On Saturday I went on a hike to Teneriffe Falls in the mountains and got a phone call asking me to interview at Intiman Theatre as their Development Manager.
I took a full-time position with Intiman in February 2015 and thus began the last 3 years of my life! During my time at Intiman I learned an incredible amount about producing professional theatre, social justice and racial equity, and raising money to support all of it.
I learned how to balance budgets and market the arts. After the first few months our Development Director left, and although I was inexperienced, I inherited the entire development department for a 1 million dollar company in partnership with our Artistic Director. It was an incredible chance to roll up my sleeves and learn anything and everything I could. I thrive in challenging environments and it has been an incredible journey.
Over the last 3 years, I also started writing grants on the side to pick up some extra cash from small nonprofits and individual artists. And, I started an artist collective, forming The New Alchemists, LLC with 3 friends (a composer, a videographer and scenic designer, and a playwright).
However, last year was a turning point for me as I had some amazing opportunities: I went to Hawai’i with The New Alchemists for 3 weeks and I spent 2 weeks in July at 2 professional development intensives in art making and civic practice.
I learned a lot from these projects and experiences, and started to feel more and more like I was ready to branch back out on my own in sustainable ways. I put out some feelers, and went down to part-time at Intiman in September 2017. Meanwhile I picked up 3 more grant writing contracts, and a contract directing The Wizard of Oz with 4-5 graders. I kept my feelers out in the world.
Around the same time, one of my contacts from Intiman noticed that I had gone down to part-time and asked why. He had just started Scandiuzzi Krebs, a consulting strategy firm for the arts and wanted to know if I’d like to get involved. I said YES, because I’ve always wanted to be a consultant and that really kicked things off.
In January 2018 I went down to contract with Intiman for a final spring campaign, and picked up a few more small grant contracts. At this point, my roster is booked through September, and many of the clients I am finding are long-term. One of the things I love about what I do is that I get to choose who I work with and what kind of work I support.
In some ways, I think that development and marketing are a bit like superpowers, applied properly they are very effective. To me, it’s important to work with clients that are doing really remarkable work, spending their money well, and setting ambitious goals that will actually transform the community. Some of my clients include: Sawhorse Revolution, The Common Acre, Mini Mart City Park, Ezra Dickinson, and Alice Gosti.
As of April 22, 2018 I will officially be making the break from Intiman Theatre and be 100% contract and freelance. As it turns out, it’s not scary, it’s just a lot of work.
Don’t get me wrong, IT IS AWESOME, that I get to work with AMAZING people every day doing hella inspiring work on issues that I get to pick and choose (my having the freedom to select my clients!).
However, it is also a lot of work. I manage a large work load for each client, and because they pay me a contractor’s fee they expect exceptional quality every single time. I am currently managing deadlines and events for over 10 clients. Keeping track of it is, at times, a nightmare.
There are weeks where I spend so much time meeting with people about my work that I don’t have the time to do the work itself. There are weeks where I spend so much time on contracts that I don’t have the time and space to focus on my creative work with The New Alchemists as Artistic Director.
It’s a constant balance and I’m still figuring things out. Thing like: getting my own health insurance, deciding whether to incorporate a personal LLC/business license, deciding whether I can afford to hire an administrative assistant and if so how to file taxes to pay them legally. Stepping out on my own has given me a whole new array of things to think about and learn.
So let me go back to my first statement: I think that a lot of people see going “freelance” as scary or unattainable. It’s not. But, there are certain things you have to be ready to do every damn day to make it work (at least in my opinion):
(1) You must be okay with your work being woven into your life. There is no way around it, you will not be working a 9-5 schedule. I find that many of my friends are also my collaborators, our conversations effortlessly flowing between work and personal topics. I find that I answer emails and write posts at all hours of the day. I work as much, or as little, as I need to. There is no set rhythm, every week is different. I love it like this, but it’s also the way it goes.
(2) You must genuinely like people quite a lot. If you are going into business for yourself you’ll need to be pretty good at connecting with clients and people who can potentially pay for/buy your service. If your income is reliant on other people wanting what only you can provide, then it’s best to be good at talking to them.
(3) You must be ready to work really, really hard. There is no way around this. I don’t know freelancers who are also slackers. When you run your own business there is literally always something else you could be doing. You have to set boundaries and maintain balance, but you’re not getting anywhere if you aren’t down to work.
(4) You must maintain a flexible mindset. One great thing about a freelance life is that your income is now diversified through many contracts. If you lose one, you still have others to fall back on. However, you will also be managing multiple clients and contracts all at once--you must remain flexible in order to do that and maintain an even keel. People can be flaky, busy, or hard to track down. A great freelancer is positive, professional, and maintains aplomb at all times.
(5) You must be a pleasure to work with. This is key and it goes along with liking people. You are your own business and you need good reviews. I get ALL of my clients via personal recommendations from people I’m already working for. It started with an Intiman colleague recommending me to The Common Acre and it has spread from there. People talk and if you are good at what you do and a pleasure to work with, you’ll get more business. You might even get more than you know what to do with. ;)
I realize that the road to freelance looks radically different for everyone--that’s part of the game.
Still, I hope hearing a little bit about what my process has looked like, and what I believe you have to do to make it work out will spark some thinking of your own. I’d love to talk more with anyone who is interested in making the leap and wants to bounce ideas around! Feel free to reach out and say “hi!”.
Exploring the Big Four Ice Caves | Photo Album
Passing My 500 Followers Milestone and How I Got Here!
ART MIX-UP CONTEST | 04
The Art of Self Care | 5 Essential Tips
The Hero with a Thousand Faces: a monomyth
An Afternoon Jaunt to Wellington Ghost Town | Photo Album
There is something scary about being your own boss but is marvellous on so many levels. Working 9to5 has never been my thing either and I enjoy my life this way, it has its challenges but the rewards are amazing. Thank you for telling a part of your personal story. I hope people who read it will get a new perspective and learn that it does not have to be unattainable.
Thank you so much for stopping by to comment, I appreciate it. I also love my life on my own terms, and I think more people can totally do it if its what they really want! Appreciate your comment. <3
i personally felt that before becoming a freelancer, you need to be part of a professional organization first to get your name out there and build a profile. I want to become a freelancer too, probably should register a company too or if would b quite difficult to borrow money from banks and ect. i thought about it, a lot. but i can't help to think that i will be handling so many things which can be really time -consuming. have you ever though of getting a partner? or hire a PA?
Yes, I totally agree! To freelance you need a professional network and you will need to invest some time building one (working with an organization, going to school, or being active in networking groups can definitely help!). Spot on. :) I have thought about getting a PA, part of the thing right now is figuring out how to do the taxes and paperwork if I were to hire/pay someone. So many things to figure out, haha. Maybe at some point! Appreciate you stopping by to lend your thoughts and comment!!
hmm, so if u hire someone there are taxes or paperwork.. how about hiring a freelance PA, a college kid for instance. or from fiverr or upwork? (just an opinion)
Ya, perhaps. Ultimately it comes down to me needing the right person--someone who will stick with it for awhile, and someone who is also interested in getting to know the local community here in Seattle where most of my clients are based. I’ll find them someday!
well, i hope you do! =)
What you've described sounds great! I would add though, that to be a successful freelancer you also need to have a healthy set of boundaries. Your work and other parts of your life can be flexible, but if you are "on" all the time you'll get burned out.
I think it's also important to note that what you've described here is only truly possible when you're the only one relying on your income. If you have a family, things like a steady paycheck and health insurance are important.
Oh for sure! Haha, that’s why I talked above about Self Care and how finding your balance is crucial! Great point. :)
It’s interesting the second point you make--my Dad ran his own business/freelanced his entire life and supported me and my Mom. For him it was possible. I’ve seen other freelancers get their feet under them and have children (in fact, one of my colleagues at Intiman left her full-time gig with us the she was pregnant to go back to contracting clients so that she could work from home with her little one). I suppose it depends on the kind of freelancer you are. My work sometimes allows me to connect with clients for several years at a time if the relationship is maintained and developed--so I’m able to look at sustainability and legitimacy to develop a savings, and a plan for growing my “business” and opportunities. :) It’s different for everyone of course, but I’ve never felt like I won’t be able to easily support myself and my future on this path. I think its possible.
Your story is very inspiring! But you definitely have to be able to focus and trust yourself on when to stop and for many it might even be on when to start working. It's a lot of effort that you have to put into it and it costs you a lot of time! But in the end it's definitely worth it :)
It’s definitely a lot of work to run your own “business”. Self care is important as I write about above, but for me, I’m doing what I love to do and that feeds my soul simultaneously! :) That’s why I think I’ve found the “sweet spot” for my working style. What I do doesn’t feel like “work” and that’s pretty incredible, even when things get a little stressful. At least I’m stressed because I love what I do and want it to succeed, I’m not stressed because I’m unhappy. :)
Wow nice blog. Following. Very inspiring to see people talk about their personal business ventures.
I am en route to going solo with Oracle work, so this was an informative read for me. (For anybody interested, I often do free Tarot readings on my blog.)
That is such a cool idea/business proposition for steemit (the Tarot readings!). I’m going to go check it out. Thanks for stopping by to support and I wish you every success figuring out your “freelance recipe”. :)
I am not sure how plants apply to this post, but I like it!
Also, I feel like I could learn a lot from you. I've been partly freelancing for a bunch of years and doing some other cool projects on the side.
Before I started travelling, I had a part time job and the other part time I enjoyed my free time or did some freelancing. Now, it's full time traveling and posting on Steemit as much as I can! Eventhough, this is only until the end of the month and a period of no work is arriving and I am slowly getting anxious as to how to fund my life then. Eeks!
Hah, I guess because I have a lot of plants around my workspace to keep me calm, lol, I figured they’d be good to add some peace here too. ;)
I feel you on the stress of expiring contracts and needing to replace them. Agh, a freelancer’s perpetual dilemma.
Ah, that makes sense actually! Though, I somehow always end up killing them :(
And yea, but I guess we all love the freedom though!
Ha, I have strangely good luck with only certain types of houseplants. I can keep orchids alive forever, but anything that looks even a little bit like a fern basically just shrivels and turns brown if I even look at it. Whomp.
I tried multiple times with herb plants such as mint and parsley, but I gave up on it. I believe I got the curse from my mom - she killed a cactus.
Ahaha, that makes me laugh. Although sometimes cactus can be tricky, to be fair!
She just had to water it maybe once a month :(
This was a very interesting read. It was neat to hear your insight into this world that seems so unstable. I'd love to make a living running my own production company but just haven't gotten to the point where I can quite yet. The right tech is a huge barrier plus I have so much more networking to do. This platform helps a lot though! Glad to hear you're staying busy :)
I’m sure you’ll be there eventually...running a production company takes a lot of network to get off its feet. Seems like you’re off to a great start! :) Thanks for stopping by, appreciate it.
Really great post @lilyraabe, it's good to learn more about your professional journey. Congratulations on creating a thriving creative professional life that you genuinely like! This is definitely a feat and something to be very proud of. You are clearly multi-talented and seem to thrive in the "juggle". Cheers!
Thanks so much for stopping by to comment. :) I definitely thrive in the juggle--even when its overwhelming I find that I do my best work with a lot of different things for my brain to work on at once, like a puzzle. Also, such a compliment from a talented woman running her own life with panache! <3
Congrats @lilyraabe. Sounds like you have great things going for you :)
I do think that many people look at being their own boss as something that will mean less hours and more fun time. But it's really just a myth. Lots of times it takes way more than a regular job working for someone.
But I think it's much more gratifying :)
It’s definitely more gratifying because it also means it’s likely you get to work on something you love. Thank you so much for stopping by to read this mega-long post and comment, appreciate it!
What an interesting carrer! I´m always happy to hear people who love what they do. Thanks for sharing!
I was running my own business, when I was a student. This was ok, but at one point you forget how to say "no" to a job and then it starts becoming too much work. That´s what happened to me. Now I have found a good company, where I have the security I need (especially with having a family). But on the other hand I´m pretty flexible, I can almost work wherever and whenever I want, as long as I get my stuff fixed. So that´s the best of the two worlds now!
If you can have the best of two worlds, why not?! I would definitely consider a job that offered security and also flexibility to work from home whenever...honestly freedom to manage my own schedule is the number one things to me. Awesome to hear you’ve found something that works for you! :)