Hop on the Carousel of Freelance Life - You'll Love it. Credit: Flickr: Link576
Today I am speaking at a breakfast event held at the Publicists Guild in partnership with the Entertainment Publicists Professional Society (EPPS). The topic of the panel is freelance public relations. And as such, the point that I hope that I am able to convey to those in attendance is the great need for them to allow themselves to work and think in entirely new ways about their work and their individual lives.
I do think that the statement “out of the box thinking” is over-used, but its meaning is spot on and not trite, trendy nor part of yesterday’s news. It’s relevant for today, in fact, its mandatory. For if you haven’t noticed…things are not the same (job-wise or economy-wise) as it was say three years ago. Things have changed and we, as PR professionals, must hop on that merry go around and learn how to enjoy the ride.
Facebook. twitter. Foursquare. Groupon. Blogs. They’re here. They are real. And they are here to stay. And they are a major component of our communication tools.
Not only is social media a reality, but so are the manners in which we work. With reductions of full-time positions, PR executives who were downsized are forced to become freelancers/consultants until something permanent does come around again. And this can be an exhilarating experience and not one to be dreaded if you allow yourself to dream, think differently, and diligently break from traditional work practices.
As a freelancer, you finally are not shackled with promoting one company or touting a company line – you have FREEDOM to explore deep within yourself what would make you happy and finally Do what you’ve always wanted to do….like work for a non-profit that you are passionate about or take culinary classes and start your own cupcake business or open up your shingle and promote a wide range of services. You can do anything that you want…you are the boss of your own company. So who do you want to be?
Don’t let panic or desperation seep in. Allow yourself the ability to dream. Don’t stop working on landing a full time gig, but do that six hours in the day. Spend a couple hours each day to work on the job you would love to have and develop it. You can create anything that you want. Drop down the sides of your box and stand in the middle of it with your head raised skyward and your hands held high…and enjoy your new found freedom.
I allowed myself to lead a job search work team and created a website.
Who am I to write such statements?
Well, I’m living this at the moment. And I’m lovin’ it. My hands are no longer held tightly onto the carousel horses, but I’m hanging from the outside of the merry go round. I’m smiling as it goes round and round and I’m letting the wind and sun shine on my face. My clients and directions make no sense in the traditional world and I’m glad. I’m living in the social media world where we can create the things that make a difference in the world and matter. And you know as you make a difference in the world, you are making a difference in your own life. It’s a win-win for all involved. Let yourself serve wherever you can.
So, what am I doing? I have a couple clients that are from my career experience, but now I’ve expanded my box to include teaching job search skills to those who are living in transitional housing facilities. I’m showing seniors how to use Facebook. I’m speaking at colleges and churches. I’m learning how to code CSS and I have my own voice now on several platforms. I could have never invented this crazy path, traditionally, but I allowed it to take its course and I’m working with nature and not against it anymore.
My box does not have walls…my office is virtual…and I’m free to create.
Freelance-Fear=Freedom
I love this quote that I stumbled upon on twitter from the eschelon2010 conference and I wish I could credit the writer. I hope it inspires you as it did me. “If you want to make a successful start up, you need a huge vision, not something small.”
Let yourself think. As Seth Godin always reminds us – we are all artists…so allow yourself to create. Grab a paintbrush and put some paint on it.
If you need a little more inspiration….I’m including my favorite clip of all time regarding transitions…The Lemonade Movie. Please watch it below and become inspired.
Here to serve,
Cindy
So now my question for you is…what would you write on your lemon? If you could what would want to do? Be sure to let me know, I’d love to hear.
Oh boy, aren’t those the age-old questions!? I think I need to do one of those brainstorming sessions where you put thoughts into bubbles and then try to make sense of it. Like my bubbles would have “outdoors” “PR” and “fun.” So yeah, let’s make lemonade outta that! Thanks for the post, Cindy! I am forwarding to all my best friends in the industry.
As a freelancer in PR, you have the right to either accept work at less than half what you were making and be gracious about it, or collect your measly unemployment. Freelancing in PR is about competing for work that’s wholly misunderstood and therefore unappreciated and underpaid, with expectations that are normally completely out of whack: (“Yes, we’re a new website that sells XXXX and no one’s ever heard of us, but if you can’t get us a feature in Time or Newsweek, why would we hire you?”). Until our work is quantifiable in dollars, we’ll always be expendable. Working for non-profits and friends is great, but my mortgage company isn’t interested in being paid with goodwill. When your spouse and kids are looking at you and wondering where your next paycheck is coming from, it’s not pretty. We all want to be making lemonade from those lemons we’ve been handed, but sometimes, you’ve got lemonade and no one’s thirsty.
This post really hits home Cindy. Especially As I am just beginning a new journey with the startup and continue yet phasing out slow my old current career. The quote especially “If you want to make a successful start up, you need a huge vision, not something small.” Reminded how can paint our own path, and not let life define it for us:)
you are always an inspiration.