Freelance freedom or finicky fluctuation?

Digital nomad, freelancer, location-flexible, self-employed, independent, contractor, a little deluded…

There are many possible labels that come with a less traditional work style. I find it interesting that some are perceived as more negative, while others come across as brave or fearless. Instagram and influencers have fully staked their claim in the term digital nomad even if it is the most accurate name for what I am now doing.

I began freelancing a bit on the side in my early twenties when I was working for DJI, a drone company in Shenzhen China. It stemmed from a phase of financial anxiety and the (misinformed) idea that as a young adult, I needed to work and grind and sweat and squirrel away as much money as possible. Now that I’m dangerously close to my thirties, I have a (slightly) improved outlook on a balanced life and what happiness looks like for me personally.

This year, I dove in headfirst by walking away from a stable 9-5. Now, I juggle different clients and different projects while moving around and exploring new places. On paper, it sounds quite idyllic. There’s a different flavor to life when you fully control the hours of your day. When you wake and when you sleep, when you work and when you take a coffee break, when you want to go offline to explore a new city or catch up with a good friend.

Of course, there’s a lot more to it; the nuance of calling your own shots. Deadlines and commitments still exist, and without the normal confines of a traditional job, I am free to work through the night if I decide to.

Throw in the ups and downs of fluctuating workload, not knowing if a client will work with me again, and the sudden pangs of self-doubt that inevitably creep up when you’re having a rough day. Plus balancing the time I spend completely alone…

But even with all that, it’s a risk I am happy to take, purely to try and see how I fare and how far I can go.

The enormous amount of energy I receive from working with different people on new and interesting projects is addicting, and it matches that small feeling of assuredness that hangs out in my midsection, subtly reminding me that this decision was worth it.

There’s also a weird underside to all this positive change and contentment, an odd prickly feeling of guilt for the privilege and bits of luck that helped along the way. That being said, I’ve worked hard to create this situation I now find myself in and I hope I get to experience this lifestyle for as long as it makes sense for me.

Follow along as I figure things out, and I hope it inspires you to walk off the main road in your adventure as well!