Yesterday I went to a freelancer convention. Yes, a convention of, um, two. Megasoul and I had an afternoon of lunch and note comparing. Some of the issues on the table at what I hope will be the first of several such conventions:

  • Style/Hygiene. Typically, freelancer couture includes sweats, a t-shirt, some sort of hooded sleeved warmth, and unbrushed teeth. “Hey,” Megasoul protested, “I put on a bra and jeans today because I knew you were coming over!” I, meanwhile, had truly gone all out by putting on shoes and mascara. However, at 1:30, Megasoul admitted she had not yet brushed her teeth. This matches with my habit of brushing my teeth after I’m done with my morning tea, which is usually sometime in the early afternoon. For a freelancer, everyday is casual Friday…minus the khakis, shoes, and dental care.
  • Housekeeping. Understood easily and quickly through the phrase, “always at home, always a mess.” They say home is where the heart is, but when home is also where the office is, things tend to get a bit slovenly. That is unless you’re one of those freelancers who would rather clean house than deal with that new project. If you are, then you have the admiration of both myself and my unfolded laundry.
  • Justifications. Megasoul showed me a deadline-driven project that kept her up until all hours last week. It was a lovely, impeccably designed photography book. Of toilets. Page after page of toilet pictures. She recounted finding herself at 4 am working away on a retouching job for the book, thinking, “Oh my god: it’s 4 am and I’m retouching the inside of a PORTA-POTTY!” I’ve experienced similar moments, and have established a helpful freelance creative-worker mantra: “I’m making money doing what I love.” Granted, you might be (in Megasoul’s case) retouching pictures of toilets or (in my case) writing about mortgages, but if you are paying your rent using a creative skill that makes you happy, you must focus on the means to an end, not the toilet or mortgages in front of you.