The additional planning required now is the same as the additional planning any person in lockdown might have – where to work, the new logistics of a work-day, when to buy groceries, where to go and not to go, that sort of thing.

Work-wise, to my surprise, not a lot has changed. Sure, some clients are contacting me less, but other clients still need their work proofread or translated, or even more so. So all in all, my workflow has been steady. A bit slower than usual, but still, steady.

And yet, my anxiety level is just about the same as it was before. I still have to worry about my clients and whether I need to acquire more or not. I still have to make sure clients pay on time. So, basically, the unsure feeling that everyone has now and that has been floating around on social media is the feeling the self-employed have—all the time.

Independence rules
On the positive side, quarantine has had almost no repercussions on me. With a flexible time table, I have always had longer bouts of time at home between jobs. Also, being childless, staying home is not as big an issue as some people working from home make it out to be. Working with ideas and language and not real products, I am only dependent on my clients, not on any producer or supply chain.

Having to deal with potential income loss and possible funding from the government has made me realize that I can’t stand being dependent on institutions or governments to make a living. In part, I guess, this is why I am self-employed: I do not want to be dependent on just one employer, one client, or even one skill. Realizing I probably won’t be eligible for any help from the government has really freed me to get back into the saddle, as it were, and ride this beast we call corona.

Together apart
I guess what the novel corona virus has taught me most is this: we are all connected, and no one is in this alone. Although I may have a good set-up at home and in my office, and by default be an introvert, if I don’t have clients, I don’t have work. It all of course also comes down to how much work my clients are doing that needs proofing or translating. The same applies to teaching: even regular students, if they are no longer able to take the exam they were studying for, no longer feel the need to study.

So, whether you are lucky enough to be able to work from home during quarantine or not, whether you are still working or just working part of your regular work schedule—it all also depends on what those around you are doing. As a freelancer, this is almost always the case anyways, but now, I think, people are beginning to realize how much this applies to all of society. Even though you might not see them, the connections between professions, fields of work and people are there.

The Dip
A couple weeks ago, I read Seth Godin’s “The Dip”, a short book which is basically about knowing when to quit. When you’re self-employed, you constantly ask yourself whether the things you are working on will pan out and are worth your time or whether you should concentrate on other things.
True, the job might not pay well, but maybe the client is very easy-going and great to work with, something you would like to keep going in the future. Or maybe your client is new and you don’t yet know whether they are on your wavelength, but the project sounds exciting. Or maybe it would be necessary to invest some money in a project to get it off its feet and you don’t yet know at all whether it will pan out. Maybe the project is well-paid but it bores you, or your clients are difficult.
Unlike in a job, where you have simpler factors that let you know when to quit (like not getting enough salary, your boss is an ass etc.), when you run your own business, there are numerous factors that usually influence each other, making the decision to either pursue or drop a line of work or a client that much harder.

Quit
The short book takes entrepreneurs into account, and without really going into too much detail and writing an actual review on it, let me just say it is full of wisdom concerning these difficult decisions. Basically, Godin says you should quit if you can’t see yourself getting out of the Dip that inevitably will come in a project. But you should quit before you invest too much—quitting while in the Dip is the worst decision you can make. Those who stick it out are usually those who succeed, not necessarily because they made it out of the Dip, but simply due to the fact that not a lot of people do—and scarcity creates value.

Focus
All in all, the book is very inspiring and insightful, especially for entrepreneurs who may have more than one area of focus, like me. Sooner or later you ask yourself the question of what to focus on, and this book can help with that. It soon becomes clear that if you decide to focus on something and stick to the projects that matter to you, you will make it through the most difficult Dips and be successful. I’d like to leave you with some of the most powerful words in the book: ‘You’re astonishing. How dare you waste it. […] How dare you settle for mediocre just because you’re busy coping with too many things on your agenda, racing against the clock to get it all done.’

freelance logic
“To be happy, do what you like.” This may sound logical to you or even like a tautology, but believe me, it took me a while to get to this epiphany. Back then, when I was working at a publishing company, my work life turned sour when I was no longer working on manuscripts but rather coordinating publishing projects. One might think this is the logical next step on the career ladder— which may even be true—but it simply did not make me happy.

pick and choose
As a freelancer, in my capacity as a translator, editor, teacher of adult education and yes, entrepreneur, I have been lucky enough to be quite happy. Why? Because I’ve been blessed to pick and choose not only my clients but also my tasks. And while it is true that as a freelancer I have profited greatly from the superior position of project coordinator I fulfilled in the publishing company, it’s the tasks that focus on language and optimizing language that keep me motivated and happy. Solving a language issue, translating a text, correcting mistakes in existing texts—all these tasks are things I do well, and most importantly, I enjoy doing them.

empowerment
Teaching has also given me a great amount of joy. Not only am I working with language and—especially on higher linguistic levels—optimizing someone’s understanding of it, but I am empowering others. This social aspect of my work emerged during the process of going freelance, when I was forced to ask myself which role in society I want to occupy, which problems my company should solve. So not only do I empower others or make the world a better place by improving language use and understanding, I only do so for clients I don’t have to be ashamed to work for. And when teaching adults, you almost always teach those who are eager to learn and improve themselves.

appreciation
When I first became self-employed, I thought it would be important which type of text I would be working on. In the past five years, I have translated and edited touristic texts, medical texts, technical texts, novel abstracts, websites for other freelancers, legal texts, restaurant menus, marketing texts, PR texts, and others. I have come to learn that the type of text makes no difference at all, but rather what counts is the amount of work I am permitted to put into a manuscript. When clients appreciate my input or comments and become sparring partners, I do my best work. Work is most unsatisfactory when a client does not really care about the quality of their text but simply ‘needs’ a translation or an edit. The type of text makes no difference, similar to the language level in teaching. What really makes me happy is working with language. German or English, I love the fine-tuning that language offers, whether it’s in translation, when correcting texts, or when teaching an aspect of grammar that will propel a student’s overall understanding of language use.

balance
As a freelancer, you also have to make sure to achieve “work-life-balance”, just like employees. At times, this can be difficult. As most freelancers know, the saying ‘When it rains, it pours’ holds true. Taking on work in a low workflow can result in 60-hour work weeks the following month. But here too, I have gotten smarter. Balance is not so much based on time as it is on tasks. I have found that when I balance out my tasks, I am much more content. A bit of translation, some editing, and a bit of teaching was my balance for a long time. Over the past two years, I have added the creative task of lettering and the holistic task of Pilates training to the mix, which are both tasks that I do more for myself than for clients, to be completely honest. Nevertheless, this balance is what has kept this freelancer happy and motivated these past five years.

unhappy or happy
When I look back at how unhappy I was after five years as a full-time employee and how happy I am now as a self-employed entrepreneur, I realize it’s not the job or the client that defines your happiness—it’s the task. Whether you work for yourself, a start-up, or as an employee of a large company; with the right tasks, a bit of appreciation and some balance, you’ll be happy. It took me five years to figure it out, but I think I’ve got it.

personal issues
The problem is: everyone organizes their time differently. From to-do lists to post-its, from offline bullet journals to online calendars, from project-tracking software to time-tracking apps, everyone has their own personal preference.
So why write a blog entry about something this subjective? Well, because I learned something about myself and freelancing in my search for a way to organize my working life.
It’s not like I hadn’t heard any of this before. When I set out on my freelancing journey, I read books like “Manage your Day-to-Day” and “Maximize your Potential” in order to find a working system for my self-employed self. I settled in on using Apple’s default calendar for appointments and deadlines (simply for the seamless synchronization not a lot of applications offered 5 years ago) and todoist for my to-dos. But this combination is no longer sufficient for my working needs. Why? Read on if you’re curious.

to-do lists, apps and software
My main issue was in working with a digital to-do list, I constantly postponed non-pressing tasks. This led me to feel like I had a constant looming workload. Also, I felt like I wasn’t getting anything done. At all.
I have also found the list character of a to-do list to be problematic. On a list, each item takes up the same amount of space; the only difference is the order of the list. However, as a freelancer, there are items on a to-do list that take numerous steps before they can be crossed off. If these steps can be anticipated, yes, the tasks can be broken down. However, more often than not, things pop up unexpectedly, causing work on a task to be segmented between days or weeks. Progress is being made, but in a simple to-do list, this is not reflected until the final checking off of the list. All in all, a simple list—however effective, or useful as an app it may be—simply does not do a freelancer’s schedule justice. At least not this freelancer’s.
Now, you might think most freelancers work with tracking apps and software. This may even be true. However, tracking apps—much like their name suggests—offer solutions for things that have already happened. Though useful, my main concern is planning tasks rather than tracking them after they’ve happened.

projects vs. work
So what I was really looking for was a system in which I could make my long-term projects clear—most notably, to myself. The main goal here was to find a system of documentation that would help me to understand the various steps that would need to be taken for each project, not just the timeline of one, which is often quite clear due to a deadline or alternative projects keeping you from working on one singular one.
Planning “regular work” is not nearly as challenging. Usually, clients provide a timeframe for milestones, or a deadline. This results in quite a straightforward plan for day-to-day work. The difficulty lies in planning both: long-term projects without hard deadlines and those with deadlines or foreseeable milestones.

journal, calendar or list?
A very knowledgeable friend of mine reached out after my swarm request via e-mail, recommending a journal rather than a calendar. She claimed the focus on positive and negative events resulted in more clarity for future projects.
I found this prospect quite interesting, although it was clear to me I wanted to focus on planning rather than revisiting past events. Also, I have been down the road to bullet journals once before. Don’t get me wrong, they’re super creative ways to organize your time. I just don’t have the time to come up with a system and apply it to each week. Also, as a hand-lettering artist, I would get lost in all the lettering possibilities such an empty journal offers. This, however, is not the point: I’m not looking to flex my creative muscles; I want to find a system in which to organize my time.
Nevertheless, the slower aspect of noting down goals and deadlines offline intrigued me. Once it’s on the page, there it is; there’s no key combination that allows you to move a whole project months into the future because you’re ‘just not motivated right now’. After perusing the internet for what seemed to be days, I stumbled across an offline business planner. It’s like a calendar, but it also includes project lists and timelines, empty pages for notes, a weekly calendar, a monthly calendar, and most importantly quarterly planning pages for week-by-week project planning. I find these few pages most useful, as they aren’t as vague as a yearly project plan but they’re more long-term than a monthly plan.

overthinking over
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably thinking, ‘Great, so she found her system of planning. How does that help ME?’ Well, it probably doesn’t, to be honest. This particular system works for me, but it might not work for you. And it also might not have worked for me 5 years ago.
I’m sure this sounds like a lot of unnecessary thinking, maybe even overthinking, to some. But to me as a freelancer, these thoughts are on my mind. All. The. Time. Putting these thoughts on paper has silenced the buzzing in my mind quite a bit.
And that is the most significant takeaway I have from all this: Having catalogued the long-term goals and projects where they should be, in lists and project timelines, it has become clear that I have quite a bit of free time, if I plan my projects accordingly. The last thing I want is to waste this time thinking about work without getting any work done. Life is too short for that.

writing to change the world
I still find myself caught between languages—I should also be writing in German, especially if I hope to get published one day, as I live in a German-speaking country. And yet, I have the feeling that I have something to say and I should hone my communication skills in this area, so I have decided to work more in this direction. Currently, I am reading Mary Pipher’s book Writing to Change the World, since the state of the world has left me feeling like there is a lot not being said that needs to be.
So let me begin by writing about something that has not been talked about much in Austrian media: the situation of adult educators in Austria at the moment. Coincidently, this is the reason for my need for an alternative mainstay.

Adult Education in Austria: the system
Adult educators in Austria must be certified. For me, this meant traveling to other cities for weekend workshops—about 10 times over two semesters. As a freelance adult educator, of course you have to pay for traveling expenses and hotels yourself. In addition, adult educators in Basic Education are required to complete a weekend of further training once a year. Depending on what is being offered that year, that might also include travelling.
(I don’t have a problem with traveling, and I also appreciate further training. I also don’t mind giving up weekends that could be spent with family members or friends or simply relaxing, as I’m used to working weekends for clients and sometimes preparing for classes. I gladly took part in these certification programs and further training. However, I assumed I would be able to stay in Adult Education—in whichever form—for the foreseeable future; read on for more details.)

Who are adult educators?
Most of the adult educators I have come across are mothers whose children are out of the house and who found their calling in teaching. Only a very small fraction of adult educators actually make a living off of doing just that. This situation is caused by the fact that Adult Education organizations in Austria do not employ their educators, with very few exceptions.
Some people, like me, have freelance commission work to fall back on when courses fall through. Most, though, simply lose work if a course does not come about. Who else, then, could (or even would) take on the demanding job of teaching without the security of employment, but people (a.k.a. women) who are not totally dependent on income and have time on their hands?

change of pace
In 2015, the demand for courses in Adult Education rose drastically, due to the increase of asylum seekers in Europe, and as much, in Austria. Suddenly, there was an abundance of courses being offered—mainly German language courses, and Adult Education organizations desperately needed teachers. So, many people without previous experience got certified and taught courses. Some were better educated than others, as certification programs also suddenly came into being that hadn’t existed before. After the first “wave” of students was sent through the required language classes, demand decreased again and many colleagues moved on to other career opportunities with more security.
Some, however, still teach to this day. Like me. I caught the teaching bug and have widened my teaching horizon to various target groups since I began teaching literacy courses: from teenagers to asylum seekers, from students of university to adults seeking work-life balance. The diversity of audiences, language levels, and course topics is one of the most fulfilling aspects of being a freelance educator.

hit the brakes
This year, the newly elected right-wing government drastically cut funding for courses in Adult and Basic Education. This means that almost all of my colleagues—all of whom are women, with only one exception—no longer have a single course to teach. And I won’t either, come January 2019.
Seemingly unconnected political decisions have impacted lives in manifold ways: there’s still a demand for courses (at least in Basic Education) and yet this demand is simply not met because our government is no longer willing to fund them. There are teachers who would love to teach and are no longer able to. And there are people like me, who have invested their time and money in building a career in Adult Education and are now forced to turn away and work in a different field.

into thin air
It is absolutely infuriating to me that the public is not informed of these budget cuts and their ramifications. If this were to happen in an insurance company, or to public officials, there would be a public outcry. However, because it’s “just” women that are affected, and mainly freelancers (who do not have a labor union), not a word is lost. What is most devastating: the know-how, competencies and social skills that have been built up and shared by adult educators over the past years are simply vanishing into thin air.

vote to fund education
Governments that economize education are bad enough. But governments that use women when they are needed most and leave them with nothing to fall back on—not a word lost—those governments are the worst. They are the ones without foresight or empathy.
So the next time you get a chance to vote and the parties at stake are discussing the importance of education, I urge you to think about all aspects of what “funding education” or “cutting funding” might entail. What it really means for the students and the teachers; for the adults and the teenagers; for those looking for a better job or those in dire need of one; for those who might be the ones to pay for your pension in a few years—or not, if they aren’t educated enough or didn’t get a chance to re-train to keep themselves out of poverty.

life-long learning is key
As a teacher of Basic Education, there is one thing I have seen time and again: Life-long learning is the only way adults can reach their full potential, and truly the only way future generations will survive this ever-changing economy. Take it from me, a freelancer with multiple university degrees, training courses and certifications, who once again is forced to go into a new direction: Education is key. Cutting funding for education is the worst thing a country can do for its future, and for its present.

// my talents //

word play
When I set out, I knew I was good at being precise and playing with language, which is a skill much-needed in editing, proof-reading and translation. However, this skill is not so much needed when it comes to teaching a language, as those being taught cannot yet appreciate much word play or the beauty of language. They are struggling to even understand basic vocabulary, and couldn’t care less, for instance that “somnambulism” is a fancy and beautiful word for sleepwalking.

misanthropy
In general, I don’t like people. At the outset, I thought this would be a big impediment to being the face and CEO of one’s own company. But it hasn’t, really, quite the opposite actually. I choose my clients wisely and do not spend my spare time at networking events that reap any benefits unless I’m genuinely interested in the cause. I think that’s also a part of what makes me liked as a freelancer: clients appreciate my genuineness (or maybe not, but then again, this blog doesn’t have a comment function, so we’ll just leave it at that).
Throughout the course of my freelance career, I also came to find that I love to teach. I never would have thought this possible, seeing as I don’t like people much, or kids especially (yeah, sorry to all of my millennial friends cranking out the babies and plastering social media full with their photos—I really don’t care!). How does this go together? I have no idea. I guess I don’t like the general idea of humanity and people as a conglomerate, but when you look at each individual, everyone has something to offer. I love sparking the thirst for knowledge in students—or satisfying it, if it was already there. What I do not appreciate, on the other hand, is disciplining students. Which is why I came to find my place in adult education, teaching those who are intrinsically motivated and driven, rather than children who have no motivation, are forced to sit in school, and need extrinsic motivation like grades, discipline, and computer games/nights out/what have you.

feminism
I have known this about myself for very long: I am a feminist. I never thought I could create a corporate culture where I can live out my feminism, but lo and behold, here I am, a successful, childless, cat-owning woman in her mid-thirties who does not depend on anyone other than herself to make her living. Scary, huh?
The best part about this is that I actually get to make the world a better place for other women through language, if the client lets me. If not, I have at least educated the client on sexist language issues.

humanism
When I first set out as a freelancer, I had no idea what kind of clients I would be working for. What I did know is that I no longer wanted to support a system that didn’t care about the consumers as much as the producers or bosses behind the products. Yes, I work for big companies too, but I am proud to say the main bulk of my client base is focused on people: customers, guests, CEOs, and readers.
Alongside that, my client base in teaching in adult education includes socially marginalized groups. Being face to face with people who are at a social disadvantage on a daily basis has opened my heart even more to tolerance, respect for others, fairness, and fighting for the underdog.

self-doubt
Yes, this is one of my talents. It’s like stage fright: having it means you are humble, performing means something to you, it’s important what your audience thinks. I still get nervous before teaching a new course or workshop. It’s very important to me what my ‘audience’—students, workshop participants, clients—think of the work I do.
I struggled with this fact when I started out, but have come to accept that doubting my work, listening to my inner critic, keeps me on my toes. (In healthy doses, of course. Too much self-doubt is poisonous.) It’s kind of like having a boss who is interested in seeing you succeed and looks over your work to ensure its quality.

I am an artist
In 2015, I started hand lettering on a semi-professional level and will finally (!) launch my more-than-semi-professional website for my lettering brand this year (www.letterissima.com). Yes, it took me three years to come to terms with art as a professional aspect of my freelance life. For one, bringing my love for detail together with the freedom of artistic expression proved difficult. However, the longer I draw letters, the more I come to understand the meaning of the word artist, at least for me. It’s true that I am in no way as good at designing letters as a graphic designer, and I’m no illustrator, that’s for sure. But still: I love arranging letters, combining letterforms, thinking of fun quotes or words to letter, practicing the craft of the brush, and trying out new things. And that is what I am good at. But more importantly: it doesn’t matter if I’m good at it or not. What matters is that I do it regularly, because I enjoy it, and to hone my skills. That is what makes me an artist.

here’s to the next four
In Austria, being a freelancer or small business owner is not a very attractive set-up. You do not reap any of the benefits that employees do: there are no unions, no sick days, no vacation days. If a client doesn’t show up or financing for a project falls through, you simply don’t earn any money that day. Plus, you have to take care of everything yourself: from taxes to insurance to office rent etc.
And yet there are so many benefits to being an employee, from choosing your own clients to choosing which other freelancers or small business you want to collaborate with; from choosing your own job type and load to choosing your preferred working time. But anyone who has talked to the self-employed knows all that.
The biggest advantage for me is the freedom to (constantly) reflect on my talents and to decide in which direction to take my business next. I’m on a multi-dimensional corporate ladder that not only rises, but also zig zags, swoops, and dips, taking me places I wouldn’t have imagined before. That is truly gratifying and I wouldn’t ever trade it—not for job security, benefits, or less responsibility. So here’s to the next four—let’s see where they take me.

model citizens, seeking citizenship
In the past year and a half, I have watched these young boys grow into men. They not only learned a foreign language in the process, they also went from not being able to write the Latin alphabet to speaking and writing German at CEFR level B1 – in one and a half years. (For reference: B2 is the level required in foreign languages for Austrian high school diplomas, or “Matura”.)
That is an amazing feat for anyone to accomplish. In addition, however, these young men and women are alone in a foreign country, far from their loved ones (if they have any left at all); some have even had to go through unspeakable things before or during their arrival. And yet: they show up to class every day, whether they slept—well or at all—or not. They do their homework, even though they live in noisy refugee homes with up to seven other inhabitants in their rooms. They are eager to learn and even more eager to contribute to society.
However, Austrian law prohibits them from starting an apprenticeship or working at a job until their decision on asylum is positive. So, they do what they can: they help out in the community free of charge, go to school, learn about the country they would like to stay in. In short, they become model citizens. And yet: in a recent sweep of negative asylum decisions, many of my students are now faced with a return to Afghanistan; for some, a country they have never even seen in their lives.

effort schmeffort
As German speakers, we come up with lovely compound nouns to describe the things around us. Much like a new term coined a few years ago, called “Integrationsbemühungen”, which roughly translates to “integration effort”. It means that those who try to integrate into Austrian society—by learning the language, starting an apprenticeship, helping out in their community for free, what have you—will be rewarded with positive asylum.
Well, that might have been the case under a social government. Now, none of this seems to matter.
Along with this, after months of uncertainty about the fiscal budget, it has now become clear that the new government in power will cut funding for adult education. Most notably for those trying to (re)integrate into the job market—and for asylum seekers.
So here we are. After one and a half years of steady learning and a potential future in this country on the horizon— which they have to work harder for than anyone else—, my students are now faced with a whole different outlook. One without an apprenticeship or a school routine. Even worse: one of possible deportation by the police in the middle of the night. Because that’s how we do things here in Austria.

no one can take this away from us
I am a true believer in lifelong learning. It is the basis for all the work I do—be it teaching, editing, or even lettering. And yet I feel like the past years are being nullified. Like they don’t count for anything. How, then, must my students feel?
I can’t even begin to comprehend or convey my students’ emotions, and it is not my place to speak for them. So, I will simply leave here what I—as the teacher—am taking away from this awesome experience.

I have seen shy students blossom into class clowns.
I have been given a piece of fruit as a gift—daily.
I have had the pleasure of instilling wonder for the German language through grammar (yes, you heard me: grammar rocks).
I have been respected and listened to, from day one.
I have helped students find methods to learn for themselves by trying out various learning strategies.
I have been invited to dinner numerous times.
I have been immersed in a multi-lingual environment in which Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish, Dari, Pashto, English, French, German, and Tyrolean dialect have been spoken—and played with.
I have learned of the significance of soccer and team sports for young men.
I have gained an understanding of the workings of government.
I have seen teenagers grow into adults.
I have profited from my colleagues’ wisdom.
I have prepared students for exams and seen them conquer exam anxiety.
I have helped students to continue on to further education.
I have worked for a well-led institution whose team ensured funding in an underfunded field—again and again.
I have benefited from said institution’s work ethic, which kept motivation levels high and resulted in a practically non-existent student dropout rate (of just 1%!).
I have learned about other cultures.
I have seen a people said to be lazy and criminal in nature be nothing but motivated, hard working and giving.
I have learned about myself.
I have been asked for advice in vital matters.
I have become a role model and a friend.
I have become a teacher.

share your work
Fast-forward a few months; suddenly, I find myself in the lucky position of being able to accompany others on their personal creative journeys and their quests for beautifully arranged hand-drawn letters. I absolutely love workshops, whether I’m hosting them or participating in them. With the exposure in the workshops came the automatic need for a platform on which future students can see my previous work, reach me, and find out more about what I offer. Of course I had thought about a website (which is currently in the making and will be online soon!), but seeing as that takes time and putting things on a website feels very professional, I decided to take what seemed like the short-cut, and got myself an Instagram account.

Instagram? Big deal, right? Right!
Now, this might not sound like a big deal to those of you who use Instagram like I use facebook—to just read up on what other people are thinking and doing. But if you’re a #designerd like I am, and you use Instagram as a source of beauty, inspiration, and as a place to share beautiful or at least somewhat expressive images, then having your own active account is a big deal. And the even bigger deal about it: showing your work. This is something that I wasn’t able to get over for a very very long time and only recently have begun to conquer—in part, thanks to my online presence.
I honestly have to say: I think the fact that I created an Instagram account and announced myself to the world took care of the first hurdle. After that, posting became (and continues to be) somewhat of a hobby I look forward to. Why? Not because I’m on the hunt for the double-tap, although I must admit it feels good to be recognized even—or maybe especially—by complete strangers. But because the design community I found on Instagram is amazingly supportive. They are nothing but positive. Let me say that again, so it can sink in: people I have never met are supportive and positive. ONLINE. This stands in stark contrast to all the negativity you encounter in other social media nowadays. Posting my work has not been at all difficult; on the contrary. It has opened up a conversation with artists I look up to. Which is pretty great.

just a process
Apart from that, I have begun to challenge myself by taking part in creative challenges some designers and artists host, such as GoodType’s #GoodTypeTuesday or Lauren Hom’s #HOMwork. So not only do I get feedback on my art from people who really know their stuff, I also get pushed to try new things, and most importantly, TO JUST GET THE ART OUT THERE.
I cannot begin to describe what this has done for my practice ethic or my personal progress. Finally, after four years, I can begin to imagine what being a professional lettering artist might entail. And it is no longer something that seems like a mountain, or even a hurdle—it’s just a process.

everyone is on their own journey
And so, I guess what I’m trying to say is this: everyone is on their own personal journey. And even if you sometimes think that the stuff you see on the unfiltered web (or maybe slightly filtered by algorithms) is no good, or you could do it better, or you might even be jealous of artists for making money with “that”—be grateful that those people share their work, making this a better, more beautiful world and pushing you further in the process. Of course you can take it or leave it (no one is forcing you to join the Instagram game, after all), but you can also profit from others.
Every lettered piece I see is either a source of inspiration, a reference point to where I might have already been on my own lettering journey, a style I want to pick up, or even a style I personally might not like that much. No matter which, I can draw something from it (ha, do you see what I did there?). So show some love for your fellow artists and most importantly: show your work!

inspiration
If I’ve captured your interest, check out my top ten favorite and most inspiring Instagram lettering artists: @inkandlise, @mdemilan, @homsweethom, @argoos.letters, @stefankunz, @mrseaves101, @seblester, @minortismay, @nickmisani, @neilsecretario.
If you feel inspired by my journey and my work, find my lettering journey on my new website (www.letterissima.com) that will be online shortly, and of course on Instagram (@letterissima_ibk)!

values
Lately, politics have really sucked. In these trying times of far-right fear-mongers, outspoken racists, and silent resisters, it’s more important than ever to know your values and what you stand for.
And like our ‘voice of reason’ president said when swearing in the new far-right government yesterday (oh what a proud moment for Austria), the way we treat the weakest among us is what reveals our true values and what they’re worth.
Animals we choose to eat belong to those that are weaker than we are, as does Mother Nature (granted: only in certain aspects. In others, she’s far stronger than we have yet to accept).

give a damn
So if you feel—like I’ve been feeling—that there’s not much you can do to stop the madness, don’t. Every little thing you do in this world counts: bring your own bags to the supermarket instead of buying plastic ones. Walk short distances instead of taking your car. Smile to a stranger instead of walking sternly past them. Listen to your parents when they talk on the phone instead of saying ‘Mmhmm’. Go to that demonstration if what is being demonstrated for (or against) is important to you instead of staying home and complaining. Support small businesses. Fight for net neutrality. Stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. Care about where the food you buy and eat comes from. Give a damn. Even if it feels like nobody else does.

Here are some things I learned about running a small business, clients, and myself in the past three years.

general realizations
I guess the most important realization I had was that I’m good at what I do. This sounds unbelievably pretentious, which is not my intention in the least. But the past years have really shown me that all the effort I put in my work pays off – my clients are happy and I receive lots of word-of-mouth-recommendations, which is just about the nicest thing that you can have as a freelancer.
Language is my life. Everything I do professionally has to do with language.
I still love workshops. I don’t think my hunger to learn will ever subside, which makes for a busy schedule and a long resumé, but also for lots of knowledge and resources I utilize for my clients.
My mom still has no idea what I do all day.
After three years, choosing my clients comes quite naturally; my gut instinct is spot-on. The challenge that still persists, however, is coping with the loss or gain of clients or commissions from one day to the next and planning your schedule around this without ending up working nights and weekends.
Whoever tells you you can’t make money off of what you love: don’t listen. I love teaching basic and adult education, just like I love editing and translating. None of these professional endeavors are well-paid or even appreciated in society, and yet—my freelance business is thriving. Taking the risk and jumping into freelancing really paid off.

disciplined procrastinator
If there’s a couch in the room, I’m still going to sit on it. Even more so, now that I spend parts of my day standing in classrooms.
I’ve started reading some of the books I previously just bought and never got around to reading on the commute to my office. I find reading soothes my ever-working brain.
I’m still a lover of deadlines. I procrastinate much less, though, now that my work space is separated from my living space. When I work, I’m at the office; when I’m done, I’m somewhere else (at home, eating ice cream, in the forest, etc.)
One thing I have come to notice that I didn’t use to think was important: I love weekends. Simply because where I live, everything slows down on the weekend. People stay home if the weather is bad, or they go out hiking/swimming/whatever healthy people with regular schedules do if the weather is good. It’s twice as much of a challenge to go to the office on those days, and I try to avoid it as much as I possibly can.

freelancing also means becoming one with your work—at least some of the time
Apart from being an editor and a translator, I am a teacher—whether I like it or not. Teaching makes me happy, even though it is a constant source of concern: for my students, whether or not the material will be well-received, how long my class will run for, etc.
Time flies, and I never seem to get around to doing the things I want to do – be they creative, personal, or just writing on this blog. (Maybe I’m just getting old; my grandpa always used to say he never had time for anything, now I’m starting to get what he meant.)
I’m still working on getting around my perfectionism. It’s very helpful in editing and translation (I want to find just the right word), but it’s not so great for teaching or creative work.
I no longer feel like I’m not ready to take on jobs. I receive constant positive feedback that gives me enough confidence to try new things and also to know what I’m really good at.
I’ve learned to take on a laissez-faire attitude: if I get the commission, I get it; if I don’t, I don’t. What I do know is that I won’t accept it unless I’m positive I can get my best work done.

outlook
Freelancing is real, full-time work. It can be time-consuming, relationship-consuming, it can cause insomnia and if you’re not disciplined, you might fall out of any routine that previously came easily to you (like eating breakfast, working out, sleeping the same amount each night). But being able to do what you love, getting direct appreciation for it, and being able to freely choose your schedule and your clients makes it all worthwhile. For me, the mixture of teaching, where I’m in direct contact with my ‘clients’, and editing and translating, which is more solitary work on texts, is just right—one that I will never find as an employee.
To sum it all up: freelancing is freedom, and I’m looking forward to the next years and decades of it.

close up of the lettering for this blog post’s cover. done by me with Sakura ZIG Brushables.