Articles on: freelancing

[caption id="attachment_10669" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo via Kate Hisock via Flickr[/caption] Self-employed people and freelancers know: The holiday season is both a blessing and a curse. With no real PTO, the dreaded approach of tax season, and, often, clients who don't really care if you have to work through the weekend or holiday if it means the work gets done, this time of cheer and joy can actually turn into an exercise in white-knuckled will-power.

[caption id="attachment_10575" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via Flickr[/caption] If the Freelancers Union's World's Longest Invoice is any indicator (and it is), late payment is an epidemic among freelance writers, designers, photographers, and other self-employed individuals. Whether it's just a few articles or the kind of project that makes the difference between paying rent and not, getting your clients to pony up can be difficult, especially during Q4 when budgets are tight.

[caption id="attachment_10285" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo via Flickr.

[caption id="attachment_9998" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via Flickr[/caption] In you're a freelancer, chances are your friends are jealous.  After all, there are tons of perks to the job, including (but not limited to): more time at home with your BFF the couch, the ability to spend part of your day in yoga pants without people judging you, and the fact that you're basically your own boss.

[caption id="attachment_9926" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo by Ian Sane via Flickr[/caption] In a recently-published paper written in 1959, author Isaac Asimov hit on an idea that now, seems fairly ahead of its time: That, while the act of creating is something most artists and thinkers and makers prefer to do alone,  new ideas and concepts aren't born in a vacuum. "My feeling is that as far as creativity is concerned, isolation is required," he explained.

[caption id="attachment_9477" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo via Flickr[/caption] Freelancing doesn't mean working for free. Of course, there are times when doing work for free can be justified, especially if you have a personal attachment to the project (designer Jessica Hische advises you always do work for your mother), or if you really do believe it's the best way to gain exposure that could lead to paying work later.

[caption id="attachment_9288" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo: Karen Dalzien via Flickr[/caption] With the most recent U. S.

[caption id="attachment_8647" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo by Blake Patterson via Flickr[/caption]   As more and more Americans (and individuals around the globe) switch to jobs that allow them to eschew cubicle life, working from home has become not only more popular for freelances, but also a coveted perk for those which more traditional gigs. In fact, in one survey, 70% of employees said that they wanted to be allowed to work from home.

Though the monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report woefully neglects the new class of freelancers, part-timers, and gig workers, plenty of other organizations have a vested interest in knowing exactly how many Americans are making a living, or even just contributing to their income, by freelancing, working for themselves, or taking on work in addition to their full-time employment. A new report from the Freelancers Union and Elance-oDesk, though, shows that the U.