Most of us are used to working for others, and love getting a paycheck every two weeks. But for a select few, living "La Vida Freelance" is invigorating and a little bit scary. If you're thinking about making the move to working alone, you have company.
Today, The Promo Code welcomes special guest contributor Kathy Aicher. Kathy's a long-time friend and esteemed award-winning member of the promo community who has left the daily grind to live the sweet life free-lancing in her home state of Vermont. Welcome, Kathy!
My
freelance life began in the late-1990’s following my third “restructuring” of a
television company within a six-year period.
I’m not sure I ever truly decided that this was my new path. Truthfully, I’ve probably referred to myself
more often as a survivor. But it’s been
15 years, and I’m still making a go of it.
When I was
just out of college looking for my first job in television, we used the term
“freelance” to hide the fact we were “between jobs.” I couldn’t imagine actually WANTING to be
freelance. No regular paycheck? No benefits?
No safety net? Nowhere to GO
everyday?
Fast
forward, years later, working for a network on the West Coast, I discovered
that all the cool kids in the sandbox --
the writers, producers, directors, crew -- they were all
freelancers. Here, the term was more
synonymous with “entrepreneur,” “self-employed” and “creative.” It was seductive, working so close to this
culture but not quite being part of it.
I liked my network job, but the adrenaline junkie inside me wanted to be
in production 24/7. So when the
opportunity came, I jumped. It probably
would have been a much faster and more lucrative transition if I had stayed put
in Los Angeles where production is endless.
But I was also making some personal changes, and my new home base was
Vermont, where there are more cows than television viewers. So, in addition to finding, negotiating and
securing work, I also had to be willing to go wherever the work was.
Pros and Cons
For me, the
best part of freelancing is the freedom to say, “Yes!” when a call comes in for
a project. I love the variety of work
that freelancing brings, and the places that work takes me. The worst part? Not knowing when those calls are coming.
Freelancing
is not for the faint of heart. Those of us who freelance are familiar with the
emotional roller coaster that comes between projects. Sometimes it feels like the phone is never
going to ring again. And if you work
from home, it can be extremely isolating.
Keeping Emotional Balance
Everyone
has their own way of coping with the downtime.
I try to stay busy with exercise, hobbies, home improvement projects and
volunteer activities. I actually bought
an antique farmhouse just so I would always have something to do. I golf, ski, hike, garden and otherwise enjoy
the outdoors as much as possible. It
keeps me centered and focused. Downtime
is also a great time to work on professional development, and new business
development.
Putting Your Skills to the Test
As a TV
promotion manager your skills are vast and varied. You are a writer, producer, editor, public
relations professional, media buyer, negotiator, creative strategist and
more. What other industry requires such
a mix of right brain and left brain in a single job description? When someone asks me what I do, I ask them
what they need.
If you like
stability, company benefits, a retirement plan and paid vacations, you should
probably steer clear of freelancing. For me, I love having an entrepreneurial spirit, and skiing on Wednesdays. Maybe
I’ll see you in the sandbox!
Kathy Aicher
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