First Year of Freelancing: What I’ve Learned

Arabba, Dolomites, Italy

Sitting in the Marco Polo airport in Venice, Italy – I find myself reflecting on what has been a solid eight months of full-time self-employment.

I can't help but chuckle because I quite literally went to the wrong airport this morning and ended up with a $100 cab to get to the correct one. It was an honest mistake made by someone who should "know better." Yet, it wasn't a cause for panic. It was yet another lesson travel continues to teach you – and a humbling reminder

When I was younger, I always thought my career was going to be in the performing arts. I had internships in opera that kick-started my career in nonprofit arts marketing. I absolutely loved it. My master's degree is even in Nonprofit Management. Never did I ever expect to walk away from that career path, especially while still in my 20s.

Sometimes I worry that I'm going to do that with travel. Will I get sick of it? Will it become unsustainable? Will I start to resent it like I did theatre?

Arabba, Dolomites, Italy

I don't think so – this feels different. Of course, maybe I'll be re-reading this blog post in five years and have an entirely different career path!

I really, really enjoy working for myself. I love creating my own schedule, managing my own contracts, and having the opportunity to say "no." 

I'll never make as much money as my friends in the corporate world, but having this freedom to work from anywhere has indeed been magical. 

I've been thinking a lot about what my "five-year plan" looks like. To be honest, I don't have one anymore. All I know is that I still want to be traveling, have love in my life, and be happy five years from now. 

Freelancing has taught me to slow down and enjoy life. Life is short and precious, and it's too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind. 

Maybe some people will see that as apathy, but I see it as the opportunity to enjoy the "sweetness of doing nothing," as the Italians say.

If you had asked me a year ago if I would be taking weekend trips around Italy or galavanting around Greece for a month, I wouldn't have seen that as part of the "long-term plan." 

However, I think that is really beautiful – that my life didn't follow the plan, and I've ended up happier than I thought possible. Freelancing taught me that I could depend entirely on myself and not on another person. For the first time in my life, I've realized just how happy you can be with just yourself.

I hope you found a little insight into what's been going on here in my little corner of the world.