A lot of people have asked us how they can support The Friendly Freelancer. If you like what weāre doing, the best way to support us at the moment is to tell your friends about us. We donāt have a marketing ā or other ā budget, and we get most of our new readers through word-of-mouth recommendations. See you in two weeks!
In one of our previous Friendly Freelancer newsletters, we discussed how important it is that freelancers talk to each other about money questions and shouted out a couple of freelancers who have shared what they make on Twitter. Because transparency is the way to go! And knowledge is power!
But just a week later we received another reminded why talking about money remains such a taboo.
One of the freelancers that we mentioned in that previous newsletter found herself at the centre of a Twitter storm after tweeting that she wanted to make $10,000 that month. Impossible for a freelance journalist and copywriter, some tweeted in response. Others replied that it was unhealthy to work that much.
I had expected companies to not appreciate that freelancers openly shared information about their rates. But I didnāt imagine that freelancers would attack other freelancers because they were reaching their financial goals. Boy was I wrong.
While a group of freelancers bickered over her target amount amongst themselves, the freelancer in question managed to reach her income goal. And that was partly because she asked for and got new assignments via Twitter.
Iāll leave aside how I feel about making $10,000 a month. I do have an opinion about freelancers attacking other freelancers because theyāre successful. It can sometimes feel like freelancing is a pie and that youāll be left with a smaller piece if others manage to get a big slice.
That might be the case in highly specialised, small niches, but it doesnāt ring true for many other industries ā to cite copywriters and journalists who work in English as just one example. Itās a sector full of pies and there are many ways to get a bigger slice. Itās not easy but you can get better at it ā¦ by looking at other freelancers do it. That becomes a lot harder to do if they immediately get attacked when discussing their success.
How do we let go of the idea that we are each otherās competitors first and foremost? The best advice Iāve read on this topic came from an opinion piece by journalist Ann Friedman, one in which she posited something about friendship that is just as applicable to freelancing. āWhen we meet other women who seem happier, more successful, and more confident than we are, itās all too easy to hate them for it. It means thereās less for us,ā she wrote. āHereās my solution: When you meet a woman who is intimidatingly witty, stylish, beautiful, and professionally accomplished, befriend her. Surrounding yourself with the best people doesnāt make you look worse by comparison. It makes you look better.ā
For Friedman, you shouldnāt just choose friendship over jealousy out of a solidarity-based, girl-power notion when you meet a successful, self-assured woman. You should also do so purely for your own good. Confident friends can help you build your own confidence and make your life better.
Replace āwomenā and āfriendsā with freelancers and voilĆ . Instead of tearing down other successful freelancers on Twitter, we would do better to click the follow-button. Because that allows us to ask them the following questions: Are you able to make that $10,000 every month? How do you manage this kind of workload? Do you take a ton of assignments or did you manage to increase your rates? Being open about money means not only warning each other about clients who pay very low rates, but also cheering each other on when we do make good money. š
At least, thatās my two cents - because Iām nowhere near $10,000 a month at the moment.
Speak soon,
Selma
What Iām watching, reading, listening to this week:
Journalist Ann Friedman and her bestie and digital strategist Aminatou Sow often talk about jealousy and other friend stuff on Call Your Girlfriend, the podcast they host together. Linda and I are both fans š§
In November Iāll be presenting a new series of Brussels Explained on Facebook. Four experts will deliver a 10 minute presentation on a different aspect of city life - followed by plenty of opportunity for questions and answers.
I was going to spend the month of May on the Orkney Islands, but as with most 2020 plans, it didnāt happen. I decided to go on an imaginary voyage instead and interview musician Erland Cooper and photographer Frances Scott, both Orcadian artists whose work explores the essence of the archipelago. I loved writing this!
This newsletter was written by Selma Franssen. Selma is a Dutch freelance journalist living in Brussels. She is the author of Vriendschap in tijden van eenzaamheid and has written for Charlie Magazine, OneWorld, De Morgen, De Standaard, The New Statesman, Bustle, Knack, VPRO and Newsweek.
Youāll hear from Linda A. Thompson in two weeks, a Belgian freelance journalist who writers about all things law and social justice. Sheās written for Bloomberg Law, Law.com, Deutsche Welle, OZY, International Politics & Society, USA Today, IJNet, Underpinned and Equal Times.