Wandering minstrels, that’s what we are.  Indie filmmaking has done that to us.  We move from job to job, working wherever work rears its pretty little head.  We love the glamor and glitz of The Business, but the best of us grows weary of the road, never knowing where the next road will lead or when we’re due to pack up this one and leave for the next.

Freelance survival ain’t easy.  But it sure is a whole lot better than anything else I’ve found.

From time to time I’ve wandered into a full time job with a stable salary.  I marvel at the easiness of the work.  Suddenly my nights are free.  Weekends, too.  There’s a real vacation with pay.  And a check at the end of every week. No job hunting, no butterflies at the end of every month.  It’s amazing.  Does everyone know about this…?

Terribly boring, alas, but amazing still.

No matter the hiatus, I always return to freelancing, love struck and happy to be home.  Over too many years, the highs and lows have leveled into familiar patterns, waves I’ve learned to ride.  Even at its worst, I miss it when it’s gone.

So what’s my secrets for survival?  Here’s the top dozen things I’ve learned.

1. Being freelance is not the same as being unemployed, no matter what your mother tells you.  This is a full-time job, 24/7.  Head up, shoulders back.
2. Save some money.  Not easy when next week’s funds are uncertain.  But even a  buck or two stashed away every day can add up quite nicely after 20 years or so.
3. No matter how good (or slick) your accountant may be, pay your taxes.  And when you’re hired, you’re an employee no matter what the producers may tell you.  Don’t let them get away with avoiding their share of your taxes.  That’s YOUR money they’re trying to steal.
4. Take a vacation.  Go on, you’ve earned it.  Take 10% of whatever you’ve saved this year and blow it.  (Sorry, I meant to say, INVEST it in a business trip…. ) Bad year?  Spend two weeks eating Hagan Daaz and watching matinees, but take a break.
5. Take copious notes.  Your career depends on their accuracy.  Organize meticulously; it’s the only way you can reach the people you need when you really need to reach them.
6. Know the things you need to know, whatever your field.  Stay atop every new wave.  Budget for seminars and expos, too.  Like I said, this job is 24/7.
7. Learn the things you don’t need to know.  No one needs to know someone who only knows the bare essentials of the craft.  There’s bread; and then there’s cake.  Learn to savor them both.
8. Never get sloppy.  Dress for work.  Sit up in your chair.  Everyone you call can feel your mood; everyone knows what you’re wearing.  No, really, they do.  Hey, YOU, sit up….
9. Follow through.  Your leads are your lifeblood and they deserve a “please” and a “thank you.”  Want real impact? Send a real handwritten letter.  With real spelling.  CUL8R may be cute to your friends, but it’s a PITA to all your business associates.  Think business, not BS.
10. Spend your spare time teaching whatever you know.  Sharing your smarts is easy without any loss to you.  Even better, that’s how you become known as an expert.
11. Fill your personal toolkit with business essentials.  And personal frivolities, too.  A framed pictures of someone you love.  (No true love…?  You’ve been on the road way too long.)  Speakers for sound.  WiFi for the world and a mini-printer to get it all down.  Whatever.  Just stay connected to your universe.
12. Everyone has quite enough problems already.  Don’t add your own.  If you want to work again, be the one who brings in the solutions.

Are there another dozen?  Probably that and many more.  So now that you’ve seen mine, why not show me yours? 

Hurry.  I’ve got a plane to catch….