Hey friends
Hope life has been trying you well! Today I got distracted by so many random tasks and this clip perfectly encompasses my morning.
Embracing the “free” in freelancing
I am in such a privileged position these days in my career.
I am a freelance graphic designer and content creator who theoretically can work whenever and however I want.
Yet…
I often hold myself to a rigid 9-5 schedule and put my work as the utmost importance over any other annoying task that comes my way.
And yes, this mindset has undoubtedly helped me grow my career, income, and overall place in the graphic design space.
However
It has not come without its pitfalls.
I am oftentimes so stressed out and crippled with anxiety about the idea of my routine or schedule being interfered with.
The double-edged sword to being disciplined and routine-oriented is that when stuff fucks up your schedule
(Which it always does)
It can feel like the end of the world.
Guess what… it isn’t.
Things get moved around, tasks get pushed back and life goes on.
I think because I have the luxury to work from home and do things my own way (for the most part)
I should be embracing this so-called “freedom” of freelancing.
Some people have to work hard ass jobs where their body’s hurt, the pay isn’t good enough and they are just scraping by.
Some workers have to risk their fucking lives every day just to help us live more comfortably.
While I’m over here upset that I have to clean up a mess outside before moving shapes around on my computer all day.
All in all it’s the same goal though.
Everyone is just chasing a higher level of happiness, comfort, and security.
These thoughts were all sprung upon me as I write this newsletter on a Thursday afternoon.
Our Garage broke last week, and fixing it is just as expensive and a fucked up process as you might imagine.
Last night at 9 pm my partner Erika messaged me and our roommate to let us know
“We have to move everything out of the garage by Friday for the workers. I know we all work tommorow but it’s gotta be done.”
I often hold my schedule to the same level as my partner who works in a salon or my roommate who works at an architecture firm, but at the end of the day, I have that flexibility.
I don’t have to tend to physical clients all day, go into an office, work 40 hours a week, or commute (besides my 15 second walk to my office lol)
So with all that energy saved I decided to just get the garage bullshit done.
And no this isn’t to pat myself on the back for doing a mundane household task, but more to hold myself accountable in the future.
I need to be more flexible with my routine and use the luxury/privilege I have built for myself in my career to make others’ lives easier and in turn my own.
Not sure how much this relates to graphic design per se, but more a story about the experience as a work-from-home freelancer.
I would love to hear y’all’s experience too if you are someone who also works independently at home
And
Are surrounded by friends, partners, and family who work a traditional 9-5 (or something of of that sort)
Anyway
I hope you all have an amazing rest of your Sunday and a good week up ahead.
Much love, Jesse.
“Be stubborn about your goals, but flexible about your methods”
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Thanks for reading!
I plan on keeping this newsletter free, but if you want to support, the best way is to buy me a coffee:)
This is so real! For the last 2-3 years I’ve been working as an independent and having the freedom to build my own schedule DEFINITELY stressed me out. I feel everything you mentioned above, you start taking shit so seriously that it does not feel freeing even though we have that chance to be on our own schedule. Not having a boss leads to taking accountability and it’s such a skill to learn how to manage yourself without being toxic and taking it too seriously.