My God– it's full of stars: When do I hate being freelance?

chirart:

joannaestep:

  • When I can never turn down jobs, no matter how shitty, because I get stuck in the mentality of “I can’t turn down any work or I’ll die”.
  • When I end up grossly overworked because of that mentality.
  • When I want to bite the head off of anyone or anything that even comes close to suggesting that I sit around eating bonbons all day instead of working a REAL JOB like they do.
  • When one client takes gross advantage of me, and makes me paranoid that they’re all out to take me for everything I’m worth.
  • When I’m dealing with a male client, and I’m suddenly hypersensitive to whether or not I sound tough enough or savvy enough.
  • When I can’t ever feel free, because my only choices are to work, or feel guilty for not working.
  • When a client cites the contract saying, “you knew it was only this much money when you signed” after they’ve asked you do a bunch more work you weren’t expecting.
  • When I realize that there’s no one to stick up for me except me.  Because I have no boss, and no lawyer, and I’m my first and only line of defense.
  • When sticking up for myself makes me feel like a bitch.
  • When I feel guilty for feeling like a bitch, because I’m not supposed to fall prey to that whole “men are bosses, women are bitches” thing, because I want to be a better feminist than that.
  • …..Taxes.

I relate to this way too much. All of it.