The Facts of Freelance Life
Last year, a national survey commissioned by Freelancers Union and freelance platform Upwork found that one in three Americans — about 54 million workers — are now freelancers. They’re motivated by the flexibility that freelancing affords, and 60 percent are even earning more money than when they were engaged in traditional employment.
But freelancing can also mean working with multiple employers on myriad projects, juggling many different personalities and processes. That makes for an endless supply of horror stories; as Clients From Hell approaches 800,000 followers, the site is receiving new submissions at a rate of 20 to 50 per day.
What is it about freelance creatives that attracts ludicrous requests? According to Bladon, companies often engage creatives without really knowing what they want. A freelance writer and photographer himself, he also believes a lack of communication can be to blame.
“Particularly in fields where deliverables are founded on the ethereal bedrock of creativity, it’s what leads to most client-from-hell scenarios. Freelancers try to be too nice, clients don’t know how to articulate their needs, and neither is willing to talk about the problems they’re having,” Bladon says. In his experience, every freelancer is bound to encounter a troublesome client early in their career. “In fact, I think every one of them should. It’s a great learning experience, albeit one that often leaves mental or emotional scar tissue.”