Being a freelance photojournalist

I am a photographer. That you should know. I like to call myself a photojournalist. But more precisely, I am a freelance photojournalist. That does not mean I am working for free. That means I am not an employee. I am my own boss. I am my own company and the product I am selling is me.

A link I found on Twitter today made me think about what I am, why I love what I do so much and to recall how I made the switch from a bored employee in the IT business to a full time freelancer: There’s More to Freelancing Than Working from Home

For other freelancers, part of the adventure is working in your home office one day and in a coffee shop the next. Or, working while traveling the world. Our lives are like a create-your-own-adventure book

This quote sums up very well the mindset I am now.

That did not happened overnight though.

Not having a fixed income every month, for example, is part of the risk. The risk may scare us, but it doesn’t stop us. It’s also part of the adventure.

From that second quote is linked a second article, The Fear of Freelancing: Why You Could Be Hurting Yourself. That fear is something I had to overcome before I could leave my job. It gave me so much anxiety that I almost went into depression – having to take weeks of sick days from my job – before I could finally make the jump and take the leap of faith, quitting my day jobs just weeks before my girlfriend gave birth to my son Edward.

I never looked back. And so should you.