Reflections on a year of freelancing

I’m now just over a year into my new freelance life, and I’ve had the pleasure of working with lots of brilliant organisations. I’ve learned so much across the year, about myself and about work more generally. Here are a few key reflections:

People value honesty. It can be really daunting when working with a client to say the thing you’re honestly thinking, and sometimes finding the right way to say it takes a while, but that’s why you’re there. I’ve always found that people are grateful for hearing what you truly think, even if it’s tricky.

Communication is key. Getting into the right groove with people takes time and everyone likes to work in different ways. One thing is consistent - if you’re stuck on something, or a task is taking longer than you thought, just tell them – hearing anything is much better than hearing nothing, and a work-in-progress document is also fine to share!

There’s a lot to learn. I learn from the people I work with every day, and that’s a huge part of what keeps me going. Sometimes I can feel a bit like I’m not progressing, but that’s not at all true and I just need to build in time to take stock of all the ways I am being stretched every day.

What’s obvious to you isn’t always obvious to everyone, so say it anyway. We all have different experiences and strengths, and our perspectives on any situation will be different. Air the little things and share the assumptions – it might unlock something.

Teamwork really does make the dream work. I love collaborating, surrounding myself with brilliant people, and am far more motivated when I get to work in a team. As much as possible I want to build this in to every part of my work – riding solo just isn’t my style.

If working with me sounds like it would be of interest, just get in touch.