The Freelance Dance
Illustration © 2007 Elise Hurst
So… yes… if anyone held their breath since the last Blog, I’m awfully sorry that you ran out of air. I understand you will not be reading this.
I cannot, for the life of me, understand how anyone is simultaneously able to stay current with their online Virtual Life AND their Actual Life. ‘Actual’ is tricky enough.
Life… hm… It gets in the way of reporting it.
Doesn’t help when you entrepreneurially manage the freelance-dance of your own multi-faceted business. There’s no ‘after hours’. You never leave work. It comes home with you. You even have to sleep with the boss. You come home with the boss because the boss is you. You also come home with your Life.
Sure – there are pros… You don’t have to deal with office politics, performance reviews, pending redundancy, philosophical conflicts, regular hours, open plan offices and neon lights… You can pick and choose clients who nourish your world, you can stay in your pyjamas, lay on the floor or walk by the sea during breaks, take personal phone calls and you can online browse anything, anytime you like…
‘Freedom!’ You may say… but yes, there are cons… There is no cosy sense of community on arrival at your desk. No receptionist, administrative support, or accounts department. No in-house tech support, no help-yourself stationary, no free photocopies, no photocopy machine repairer, no photocopy admin person, no chats in the tea-room or lift. There’s no sick-leave, care-leave, automatic Super or HR department to complain to about how your inner critic bullied and harassed you in the kitchen. No limit to how much you eat after you’ve been bullied by your inner staff… and no free-flowing bikkies, chockies, tea and coffee, or left-over birthday cakes.
It might be easier if my business happened to be singularly faceted – if for example I simply sold buttons – but the problem is – I AM the business and I’m not singularly faceted. (Tip: try to be born with only one skill and with only one desire and put all your eggs in one basket; it will simplify your life.)
It might also be easier (to find time to Blog), if Actual Life was less tricky. If there were no accidents, illnesses, death. If websites and emails did not get hacked. If your car didn’t break down or get rammed. If your internet and telephone provider consistently provided. If your white goods lasted forever. If weather didn’t cave your roof in. If you never needed to engage with insurers, government bodies, banks, or any kind of bureaucratic organisation that kept you listening to brain-numbing muzak on hold. If you never required very necessary help from real estate agents, strata managers, solicitors, accountants, doctors… If all kinds of human relationships were uncomplicated. If you didn’t love your family or friends or colleagues or neighbours. If you didn’t need to exercise or eat or sleep or garden or clean or wash or wax or earn a living or stay well and sane in a crazy world. You know the whole (western world) story.
But yes – apologies again – for my apparent disgruntlement – all part of the rich fabric… and SO much to be grateful for. SO many blessings. So much luck. Such 1st World issues – the management of Actual Life. I love all that I do and the wonderfully interesting variety of fabulous people I work and engage with! Thank you for existing in my virtual and actual world! Thank you for your patience between Blogs.