"So it's 3am on a Monday in early January, 201-something, and I'm refreshing my email for the 17th time. Nothing. Not even spam. My last invoice was paid just before Christmas, and since then? Radio silence. The heating's on, the rent's due in three weeks, and I'm starting to wonder if I've somehow been blacklisted from the creative industry overnight. Does any of this sound familiar?"
"One year, I was heavily reliant on three major clients. They'd been my bread and butter for nearly eight months, commissioning work like clockwork. Then, three days after Boxing Day, they emailed to say they were "pausing all external projects indefinitely". I spent the next fortnight convinced I'd have to pack it all in and apply for jobs at Tesco."
"The point is, January is almost universally awful for freelancers, and it's probably got nothing to do with your talent or your work ethic. Here's what's actually happening. Budget cycles are resetting. Most companies operate on financial years that don't align with the calendar. They've either spent their entire budget by December or they're waiting for new budgets to be approved. Either way, you're in limbo."
January frequently delivers an acute work drought for freelancers. Many freelancers experience sudden post-Christmas silence even after regular invoices and steady clients. One freelancer who relied on three major clients saw those projects paused right after Boxing Day, leaving them convinced they might need to change careers; new clients arrived by mid-February and demand returned by March. Primary causes include company budget cycles resetting, decision-makers being on holiday or buried in emails, and businesses entering post-Christmas hibernation while assessing and planning. An empty diary is a common, temporary feature of freelance life and often unrelated to talent or work ethic.
Read at Creative Boom
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