"The question of self-labeling as an independent is strangely vulnerable"...
Those aren't my words - Carson Mobley said them in response to my latest blog post but they really sum up the position well. How do you self-label as an independent? And why do the choices you make matter so much inside your own head?
Of course making up labels and language to describe yourself and the work you do matters to others - and it matters for clients and positioning etc. Of course. But it's in the inner game that is the strange one.
The headspace of trying to "live-up" to the labels that you yourself invented. The process of trying to "justify' their existence. It's an odd game. And sometimes a lonely one as an independent.
But there's hope - for one, once you realize that it's all poetry you can have fun with it! And you can invent multiple labels and identities for a variety of situations. Or you can choose a label only to shed it like a snake skin 12 months later. It's up to you.
All of that said - this inner game of labels matters! In particular, I've found in my own work that using a label like "consultant" or making a "consulting practice" helps relieve the pressure of invoicing and charging for my work (still to this day - every time I send an invoice I want to throw up).
Anyway - this piece is slightly dense and... I'm sorry-ish(?) for that but also I enjoy the depth and variety of rabbit holes that you might choose to follow:
I, consultant? - The struggle to define who you are as an independent and the promise of charging more for your work
Thank-you of course to Toby Shorin of
Subpixel Space who helped edit and write this piece and provides some in-line commentary on the post. (and if you're not familiar with Toby's writing please you should dive in immediately).
What labels do you use? What struggles have you found in using them? Would love to hear your stories! Reply to the email or leave a comment on the disqus.
Thanks!
Tom xoxo
