“I’m not a businesman. I’m a business, man.” —Jay-Z
Most people, when I tell them I’m a freelancer, react with some degree of confusion. They don’t know what it means. Am I between jobs? Looking for work? A handyman?
The truth is, I am none of those things. I am a one-man digital studio specializing in custom NationBuilder themes for political and nonprofit organizations. And I am freelancing on purpose, for a bunch of reasons.
- I want to be near my family. In past jobs, I’ve commuted as much as two hours per day. No more. Now, I work from home — and my wife and kids are just footsteps away.
- I believe that life is about focus, and as a freelancer I get to choose what I spend my time focusing on.
- I get to meet new people and work on a diverse range projects that I might otherwise never get to experience.
- I can be honest and direct with my clients. I can be myself. I can have an opinion. After years of working as someone else’s spokesman, I treasure this.
- I can live wherever I choose. In the past two months, I’ve worked with clients in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and Scotland — all from my home in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. That is priceless.
- I can create my own processes (or lack thereof), set my own goals (or no goals at all), and decide for myself whether I’ve had a successful week / month / quarter.
Now, there are times when I find myself daydreaming about working on a close-knit team on a big, exciting project. I miss the office chatter and the comaraderie. Some days, I even miss the commute. (At least it was a reason to spend time outside.) But then I remember why I’m freelancing and the benefits this lifestyle affords me.
I am freelancing on purpose, and I plan to continue doing so for the forseeable future.
