Freelancing, Is it all worth it…

Well… it’s me again, back with another little insight into my life.

Freelancing in general, is shit.

Whether you’re a freelance videographer (I fucking hate that term), photographer or a freelancer in general, it sucks.

No one ever talks about it, its like this funny little game. Whether you’re busy or not, if someone ask’s how’s things, it’s always “ohh yeah I’m rammed, absolutely back to back.

When in reality you’re next job is so far in the future, you don’t actually know when it is. Not like that matters as it’ll get cancelled the day before anyways.

On top of that you’ve got a bunch of super expensive kit you thought would get you more work but it hasn’t and now you have to figure out how you’re going to pay for it all.

Part of me wouldn’t change a thing but there’s times when I fuckingggg hate it.

---

I’ve been on and off freelancing since I was about 19, It’s tough to put a date on it as I genuinely did struggle to find my feet. So saying “I started freelancing at 19” feels like a lie.

When I started I kinda thought people would see your work, say “ohh thats’s nice” and off you’d go, getting booked back to back and shooting all day long. But no.

No one really prepares you for it. Freelancing is lonely as fuck, and sometimes soul crushing.

Getting into the industry is one thing but lasting in it is another. I’ve seen it all too much, people attempting it and failing and attempting it again after failing, and then failing again. I’ve heard stories of people in the industry picking up part time work on the side or completely leaving to work as window salesmen.

I’d say I‘ve been ‘full-time freelance’ twice. Once back in like 2012-2017, and then again from 2021- the present.

The first time round I got to the point where I essentially failed as a freelancer to become established, it just wasn’t working. The work was inconsistent, so I just thought fuck it and made a company. I completely rebranded myself, leant hard into creating a company in the hope that I’d actually see myself get to where I wanted to be. And it worked, kinda. I landed some big clients, travelled. Spent years shooting some incredible things but it was still inconsistent and on top of that it still felt like something was missing.

I was spending more time hunting for work, speaking with potential clients and not actually doing what I’d set out to do, I wanted to be a photographer, I wanted to shoot stills & video and just generally be creative with a camera.

So that’s what I did, I closed the company, and I went back to being a simple freelancer. This was after a lengthy court claim against a client as they decided to just straight up not pay me.

---

The reality is I love what I do. The work has taken me all over the world, not to mention all of the incredible people I have worked, and built friendships with.

I rag on freelancing but ultimately I’m lucky enough to do what I enjoy with people I like working with. I really can’t complain. Its just a funny way to work when you think about it. No office, no clock in time, no one to tell you what to do.

It's just all on you.

The funny thing is, I have time to write this is because I literally don’t have any work.