My WFH Art Studio-Turned-Office

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What You Never Knew About The Freelance Life

Justin Heap

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Read This Before Going Solo

I currently run my own Independent Creative Agency focusing on ideation, art, and design. I’ve been full time for a few years, now. As with most freelance-turned-sole-prop folks, the journey has been lonely, incredible, difficult, and exhilarating.

Over the course of nearly twenty years balancing freelance with both FT and PT employment, I’ve made a lot of notes about lessons learned. I’ve also eaten a lot of donuts, but that’s not the point.

These are the three most common, real, stark, and long-lasting challenges you should be aware of before jumping into the hardest work of your life.

At the end of the article I share a few practical and helpful ways to avoid getting lost in the very lonely world of Freelance or Independent work.

1. No one really cares for you.

This was, perhaps, the biggest lesson I learned in 2019 as it relates to owning my own business. In the midst of a global pandemic where the US currently leads in total cases and deaths (per 100k), it became very clear no one really cares for you.

You may have a friend or family member that cares about you, but you are your own HR representative, your own manager, your own colleague.

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