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As freelancers, we often feel out of control. And right now, that’s stronger than ever for me.
I’m not a Star Wars fan but it’s well known that today is ‘Star Wars’ day – “May the fourth be with you” is a regular greeting right now.
Last month I mused on feeling a freelance fool. Now it’s time to start shedding that cloak and grabbing the freelance power where we can. There’s so much we can control, if we choose to, or try to. It takes time, though, and some days the battery will be back on ‘low’ but knowing when and where and how to plug back in is crucial. It’s something I’m working on every day. I want to urge you all to think of – and try – ways to gain back that feeling of power and control so you feel more energised about your freelance business.
And so, May’s newsletter is about reclaiming your freelance power. Finding and engaging with the things you can control. Believing in yourself and surging forward with the things that matter to you and are within your power to work on or change.
Circumstances have put a halt to much of our business. Contracts are cancelled, projects are mothballed or work is halted, and commissions (well, in my world) are hard to come by.
With some clients, there is a trust that we have to dig deep to find when they tell us that a project may or will be back up and running as soon as possible.
We hear from people we are working on projects with that things are on hold – and we have to hope we’ll still be the person for them when the work gets up and running again.
It can leave us questioning our own worth and viability as a business, especially when we’re in an echo chamber of our own homes and the voices of people in our industry.
It’s exhausting to ‘keep at it’, don’t you find? But keep at it we must, somehow. To shake off that feeling of doom that we’re wearing like a duvet, to say ‘ok, I’ll keep trying’. To dry our tears, if there are tears (there have been tears) and to say ‘ok, I’ll try something else’, when plan A isn’t working. If all those emails to possible clients are falling on deaf ears, it might be time to post on Linkedin more, for example, or seek out new contacts.
If our freelance careers feel like embers right now, then it can be hard to think about trying to get that fire going again. But it can take just one little spark to get the flames crackling.
I had a day recently where I descended into a real pit of ‘I’m useless’ and things like ‘What is Freelance Feels even doing, anyway?!’. Have you had one of those? The frustrations of not understanding something to do with tax and the unanswered pitches I’d been sending out, coupled with a messy desk left me feeling very out of control – I felt like I had no power over the future of my business, no ability to even try and harness some.
Being freelance, many people say they can’t wait to be their own boss and I often say ‘careful, you’ll probably have three’, meaning all those different clients.
Their demands can be, well, demanding, and it can leave you feeling powerless again.
But at the same time, as a freelancer, there is so much power in what we do. We have chosen to take this path – there’s a power in that itself. Then there’s the power of choosing to do what we do every day. The strength we have in ourselves to say, ‘I’ll be my own boss again today’, to send another email, to post on another Facebook group looking for work. We are tenacious, hardy things – cacti, remember!
It’s time to try and take control and reclaim the power over things right now as much as we can. Here’s some thoughts…
Reclaiming the power with clients
I often feel powerless when it comes to clients. I think this is partly because, for me, clients are commissioning editors rather than someone I have an ongoing contract with. So rather than us having an arrangement as you might with a client if you were, say, a web designer or a copywriter or a builder, I do ‘jobs’ (articles) one by one for different clients all the time. So I am often on the back foot, subject to their terms and conditions, and not having a contract between us because it’s just one article.
It can leave me feeling completely powerless.
It’s up to the client when they publish (And sometimes, if they pay on publication, that can mean when they pay me, too). It’s up to them how it looks – from the headline and the edit to the design and what images they use.
It’s up to them whether they turn my piece into a one-page piece with one photo or a three-pager with five photos. The price is the same, it’s for the copy filed, not what they do with it.
The editing process can make me feel pretty powerless, too. Some editors send endless questions, almost doubling the amount of words you actually write before it’s edited back down to a publishable length. It can feel like they are literally tearing your work in half, or writing all over it with a red pen. You might have had this with clients, too, or people you work with in-house, perhaps, on certain projects.
The question is, how to reclaim the power in this situation?
1) I don’t pitch to certain editors anymore. This is hard as it means cutting off income stream. But after some bad experiences I believe it’s best for my mental health.
2) I’m also re-considering how I pitch; If my emails aren’t landing, is there something about that I can change? While I feel powerless about the lack of replies, perhaps I can change that by making my pitch more ‘them’ and redressing the power balance before I send the email.
3) I am trying to find new clients who are more in a certain sector – for me, that’s business and freelance-focused publications.
4) I’m learning from other freelancers. There are so many of us battling with client demands – and I think right now, any client demand would be preferable to none, right? But I’m seeing lots of posts on Facebook groups and taking comfort and inspiration from them. People who are fiercely chasing money from clients who might be saying they can’t pay right now, or people who are changing freelance direction to weather the storm. There’s a real power in reading about other people’s experiences and knowing you’re not alone in this.
Doing something for you and your business
Can’t control the client work and interaction? Then it’s time to control the things you can about your business. That could be re-vamping your website, having a shake up of your social media profiles, or even starting a newsletter, blog or podcast.
There’s plenty we can do to help our brand grow right now that we don’t need permission from an external source for.
I’ve been updating my mood board – if you’re not au fait with these then essentially it’s a board of words and pictures about the things I want to achieve. I use a pin board and cut things from magazines and newspapers. A mood board helps me remember my long-term goals which is helpful right now when the day to day can be up in the air.
It could be as simple as updating the link in your Instagram, or something as deep as re-designing your logo. But think about what you can control right now and harness that feeling of power.
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Unfollowing the power-seizers
A recent chat with Bec Evans – author How to Have a Happy Hustle - who has also been a podcast guest, revealed the idea of productivity shaming. Oh, how I relate! I suffer with this so much and social media is one of the areas where we can often feel powerless. It’s more a powerlessness against our own progress I think, rather than other people. We’re powerless to stop someone sharing their success, or their work wins when we’re struggling. We feel powerless when someone we’ve reached out to for an interview or collaboration ignores us, for example. Hey, that’s their prerogative, but doesn’t mean we feel any more powerful!
So there’s one simple thing, which I have done recently. Unfollow. Just take them out of your eyeline. You could mute, if you prefer. But the idea here is to reclaim the power by choosing not to have them actually in your phone. You see what I mean?
Many people I speak to for articles and the podcast often speak about turning off notifications on our phones, and I’m a huge fan.
Baths and housework… and other practical non-work things
I’ve been finding a lot of power in doing things while I wait for the work power balance to re-set. Housework, a daily bath, tidying my desk… things that I can choose to do that nobody has to give me permission or a commission to do…
I recommend it! Find some non-work tasks that you can control and feel that power.
I know it might feel like the last thing you want to do right now, but reclaiming your freelance power, even in one area of work, could be the little spark that ignites the flame again for you. I hope so.
Upcoming collaborations
I’m taking part in some online webinars in the coming weeks – this Tuesday I’ll be speaking with Sabrina Bramble from My Staff Room – join us 1pm Tuesday May 5th where we’ll be spending our lunch hour talking on how not to sell yourself short. More info here.
And later in the month I’ll be doing a Q&A with Press Pad – more info on Instagram when I have it but you can check out their insta for updates, too.
Freelance Feels: Wellbeing workshops
I’m planning some online workshops of my own – date and content TBC but keep your eye on my Instagram for updates. The idea is to use worksheets to help people consider their freelance feels at that moment, and then all discuss what we might be able to do about it.
Freelance Feels: The podcast for humans who work for themselves
I can’t quite believe that the podcast is nearly reaching the end of season 2!
Lockdown has actually proven to be a productive and positive time for the podcast, which is creeping up nicely towards 3,000 downloads.
In season 2 I’ve had some bonus guests, the most recent being fitness trainer Julia Buckley, who has set up morning exercise routines on her Facebook page (they’re free, if you’re a morning person, you can join her at 8am). She spoke about the power of living by water – she’s on the South Coast of the UK – and it really stuck with me. While she can walk by the sea, and take in that vast body of water, and the power it has, we can all find power in water somewhere, we agreed. For me, it’s the ‘new river’ near my flat, a short waterway which used to bring water into London.
For you it might be a pond, a lake or even the water coming from the watering can or hose as you water the garden or your houseplants.
Or, hey, those baths, too! There’s a stillness in water, too, which can be calming.
Listen to Julia’s episode here.
Then there was the power of making a house move, which Nicola Slawson talked about in her recent episode. Nicola talked about single life when you’re freelance and why we should all start a newsletter (you can see info about hers in the insta links). Yep, you guessed it, being in control of the newsletter content is a big part of why we do this, and it gives you a fantastic positive power boost. You can download Nicola’s episode here.
Illustrator and lettering artist Jennifer Hines explained how it feels to do two tax returns – one UK and one US! – as well as her journey to freelance and making pizza in lockdown. Listen here.
Finally, there were wise words from TV producer Adeel Amini, who spoke about how it’s only through our own behaviour as bosses – if we have a team working for us – we can make lasting changes to the way freelancers are treated. Listen to his episode here.
Insta links to make you think
Cheryl Strayed @cherylstrayed
I recently watched the film of her walking the Pacific Crest Trail, Wild, and Cheryl’s story is one of truly choosing to do something you can control – although then finding that thing can bring elements that are out of your control… She’s now a motivational speaker and writer – and friends with Reese Witherspoon who played her. Watch out for a big little lies cross over if you decide to watch it (I’d recommend it, it’s a powerful watch right now. Think you’ve got it hard… wait till you see her pull her own toenail off!)
Calm @Calm
I mentioned Calm in a recent piece I wrote on making the most of your ‘commute’ time – Calm has a post with suggestions of mindful invitations for May and I’m going to try meditation this month, too.
The Single Supplement @thesinglesupplement
The Single Supplement is the brainchild of Nicola Slawson who was a guest on the podcast recently and is also a newsletter focusing on single life. Honest and relatable, even if you’re not single.
The Paw Post @thepawpostuk
I’ve picked the Paw Post as it’s such a unique idea – Rachel Spencer helps pet businesses with their press coverage. Also lots of cute animal and dog pics, plus she’s started a podcast, too.
The stork and I @the_stork_and_i
Mel Johnson is a good friend, and her platform helps women who are considering solo motherhood. Her account has really honest posts on her own life – very inspiring whether or not you’re a parent! She’s helped me a lot with coaching and is a very positive, ‘get things done’ person.
Podcast of the month
This month I want to flag a podcast focusing on male mental health (rarer than you’d think – lots of women producing them, not so many men).
It’s Phone a Friend with George Ezra. He calls up friend Ollie, and they have a chat every week about mental health (warning, there’s swearing).
He talks about comparing yourself to other people - you don’t imagine successful singer-songwriters get that, do you? They’re too busy being on stage and famous, right? He’s lovely and honest and his voice is like treacle.
Share Freelance Feels: The newsletter for humans who work for themselves
Thanks for reading! If you’ve enjoyed this issue, please do share it by clicking the buttons below! I’ll be back with a mid-May newsletter for Mental Health Awareness Week and then in early June, too.
