The Freelance Chronicles #4

If month four of freelancing has taught me anything, it’s to trust. Trust that I’ll get things done on time (because I love a good deadline). Trust that when one door closes, another WILL open, even if I stress myself out worrying about it. Trust that people will accept that you need a break and will still be there when you’ve cleared your mind.

This month has been the most tumultuous month of my freelancing experience so far. Not only did I have the most amount of work on my plate, I also went through a bit of an emotional ringer. My beautiful nana, Iris, passed away this month. My nana was one half of my second set of parents. She helped raise me to become the strong person I am today, and thanks to her love and support, I have very high expectations of myself. Nana was proud of everything I ever did, and I know she would be super proud of me for venturing out on my own, being my own boss, and getting that work-life balance I have always craved. She was the one who taught me how to knit, so really, nana helped set me up to create Yarns what it is today.

There’s no bereavement leave in the freelance world, but, luckily, all my clients are absolutely fantastic. I have managed to formulate a wonderful pool of clients who are so understanding, encouraging, and passionate about their work, and when I explained that my turnaround may be a little bit slower than usual, there were no issues whatsoever. I’m incredibly grateful for this. 

I did have to take a step back from the social side of things this month, though. Even before nana passed away, I was quite stressed about a big contract coming to an end. To keep calm I had to stop replying to messages from friends, turn down invitations to evening events in favour of knitting on the couch (which is technically still working these days). However, it turns out I didn’t need to be so worried. Although the big contract is coming to an end (such is the life of a freelancer), I’m pleased to say I’ll still be doing a wee bit of work for this client, and another big contract door opened for me, which will start the week after this one finishes. Everything turned out alright!