Less is not always more, and not always enough

A piece for Pelican Magazine.

Less is more. A phrase used by creatives far and wide to highlight the fact that despite the razzle dazzle of complicated, technical design and creation, sometimes simplicity is the most powerful approach for a creative to undertake.

When viewed from that lens, simplicity, minimalising and Marie-Kondo-ing your work and creative life to suit the exact needs of a client or audience, makes ‘less is more’ sound like the battle cry of empowerment for creatives of all industries.

However, when it comes to the economics of freelancing, and life as a freelance creative, less is in fact, not more.

Less is the frustration of first figuring out how to monetise your skill.

Less is being paid in exposure.

Less is needing to justify every dollar you charge.

Less is needing to constantly hustle to find work.

Less is the challenge of constant intra-industry comparisons, by yourself and others.

I have had the great pleasure of freelance writing and creating for a few years now, and in that time, I have been stressed, challenged, frustrated, doubtful, questioned, and contested.

I have also had the brilliant freedom of writing independently, on topics – people, places, stories, artworks, productions, issues, and feelings – of my choosing, that bring me tremendous amounts of joy and fulfilment.

Writing – journalism, copywriting, academic and creative writing – appeals to me regardless of the medium, because I like telling stories. Where writing quality fiction has always been challenging for me, writing non-fiction – the untold stories of the world we live in and underestimate every day – has always been a welcome challenge I gladly undertake.

There is a great power and empowerment

to being a freelance creative. You can choose your clients, choose your style, your working hours, your workload, your creative brand and image. But with that, also comes the self-responsibility to make decisions on how you monetise, advertise, market, and manage the economics required to make this creative pathway a sustainable one.

And with that, here are five things I wish I knew when I first started freelancing:

1. Don’t be afraid to set your rates

I have spent countless nights stressing over two things – that I wasn’t being paid enough (and in many cases, at all) for how hard I was working, and equally, that if I increased my rates, people would think, “why should I pay you that?”

Fact of the matter is, I am yet to have a client turn me down because of my rates. So why is that the cause of such stress?

I think this is not a phenomenon, and in fact an experience common to many creatives, especially the young or the novice. You work hard, you refine your skills, and you are delivering a service – and as a writer especially, you’re selling your intellectual property – and you deserve to be adequately paid for your time and efforts. If you set your rate too low, you’ll feel it and you need to adjust accordingly.

And if you get rejected by a client for it? Take a sign from the universe that it wasn’t meant to be, and invest time and energy into finding a client or project that will pay you that, or better yet, more. Imposter syndrome comes at all levels, in all industries, and at every age. It’s about not letting it stop you reaching far and wide to do what you want in your career. So much of the process of monetising time, energy and IP as a creative is in understanding that it is as much about confidence, selfrespect and valuing your self-worth as it is about experience, skill, image, and reputation.

2. Trust yourself, but also trust others – mentorship and feedback

Mentorship is truly the biggest blessing. Whether it be in your personal or professional life, finding your Mr. Miyagi is one of the best pillars for success. I have a mentor for effectively every part of my life, and whilst they’re not there to make decisions for you, mentorship is a fantastic opportunity to learn from the experience and wisdom of others, and to make better-informed decisions for yourself.

Alongside your mentors, who are likely highly skilled, well-renowned, experienced professionals, also don’t be afraid to put trust in your friends and family.

It took me a long time to start openly asking for feedback on my written work. When you invest so much time and energy into something, it’s very easy to become emotionally attached, and to feel an immense vulnerability to putting your work up for review – the vibe is very much: negative feedback = negative reflection of self, positive feedback = positive reflection of self.

This attachment is firstly detrimental to your growth, but also secondly to the delivery of your work. When you think – and feel – in this way, you’re creating for you and your ego, rather than the client, brief, and target audience.

Feedback will sometimes feel incredible, and

other times it will really hurt. It’s what you do with it that will make you a better writer.

3. Set boundaries. Do it.

This is a lesson that feels particularly important to the general populace, and one many would have learnt on their own by working from home (the acronym is WFH but the experience is WTH). Choosing to set your own work hours sounds like a dream, until you realise you’re working 12-14 hours a day across various professional and academic commitments and are regularly on the brink of burnout.

Trust me, not a good mindset to be writing anything in, for anyone.

As much as you may love your work, love yourself and your wellbeing too. If you’re not prioritising that, you soon won’t be able to prioritise anything on your to-do list. So be mindful to shut down your computer at the end of a night, to take on only as much as you can and not more, to be pragmatic with timelines, and to take a break.

The hustle and grind culture will still be there when you start your laptop back up.

4. Your edits are still your time

Strongly correlated to the notes on self-respect and monetisation is the fact that your edits are still your time. Just because you send a piece through to a client, does not mean they’ll love it as much as you do.

Account for this when quoting, be diligent in your timekeeping (I recommend Toggl Tracker for this – I love it) and be fair to yourself: clearly communicate your expectations with clients in the same way they will communicate theirs.

How many changes to your writing or designs are you willing to make? Are they included in your original quote or are they an added fee? How long are you willing to do the back and forth of finalising a project? And do edits really need to be made, or are you – or they – just being perfectionists?

If you don’t ask and answer these questions, clients will fill in the gaps themselves, and it can be very difficult to have those discussions after-the-fact.

5. Be authentic

And finally, the authenticity of your experience will make you the best writer regardless of whether it’s a social media copy, a wellresearched journalistic piece, or an article on something that brings you joy.

Receiving praise for something that feels like your heart on a page is one of the most profoundly rewarding parts of my career, and I hope to be able to continue in a professional pathway where I get to choose what I create with that same conviction, passion, and autonomy.

Write what you know, and you will do well. And if you don’t know, learn.