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Description

All men got used to success stories. People like ‘happy ends’. But what is at the back of them? Ladies and gentlemen! Let me introduce the ‘hidden rocks of freelancing’!
Lack of money
It is cool to read that somebody earns $10,000 or more per month in the passive mode just drinking the cocktails somewhere on the islands. We believe that it’s easy to achieve this. Just follow the pieces of advice and it’ll be ok! No, indeed!

Let’s suppose that you are newcomer. Your path is just begun. You still had to master your skills until you’re blue in the face. But money is wanted at once, lot of money. You are considerably inspired by the stories when people become rich within a very short period of time. You make your portfolio, spam all social networks by the latter, but have no clients. If only there are some of them they are beggars or free riders (we don’t consider situations when you immediately attracted the cool clients). Such situation with no money may last for several months. You’ll get stuck in the accounts and your relatives will consider you the total loser.
What’s to be done?
Don’t plunge into freelance without skills. Learn and study your specialization so far as you have opportunities and time. It is futureless to work for peanuts. The art may be your hobby but not the key job at the early stages. Don’t fall for quick earning. It’s a myth. You need to know something even to get the passive gains. It’s good if you are the artist. In this case, you won’t face any problems. At the same time, the newcomer will experience difficulties. It often happened to me see how the beginning artists discontinued their work just because it didn’t bring them profit for the first months. They naively believed that it’s very easy to paint or represent. Such people believe in the enormous earnings of the famous artists who may spend practically all their life to achieve the success. To say the truth, it is incredibly difficult to be the artist because this work is far from being available for all. It requires many skills, knowledge, patience, constant development of personal potential. This area has its own professional diseases which are faced by practically all artists with the course of time. Be ready to have no money and clients in the early stages. This period might occur again later on even if you became successful and developed your own base of clients. This is one of the ‘hidden rocks’ of freelance.
Chasing the Chinese
When I studied at different courses in Russia I was often provided the example of how extensively the Chinese work. The students in the group were always surprised by their productivity as well as their little rest and high degree of performance. The trainers recommended to be focused on their way of life just preferring ‘more work and less sleep!’ motto. At that time, it was normal not to sleep for 2-3 days in a row. With the course of time, it became no so cool anymore. Today, I freely speak about HOW they all were mistaken.

The chronic fatigue, insomnia, apathy, depressive syndrome, soreness, antipathy to clients, hate of everything, repetitive stress injury, sight loss… Do I need to continue? That is the very one list you are possible to face if ‘chasing the Chinese’. You will stupidly lose the part of your health. But who invented this ‘Chinese’ at all?! Do you really know how they live in deed?! Are you sure that it’s cool to work 20 hours per day within 40 years?! Why on earth you need to do this work! If you haven’t understood this yet the worst would have been ahead.
What’s to be done?
Please, don’t be in the hot pursuit of anybody! All people are unique! Not all people may master the complex skills for months. We all are very different. We need different time. It’s just necessary to find our individual regime. I will repeat myself; don’t sacrifice your own health! Don’t think that you’ll become rich one day and be treated somewhere in the urgent clinics in old age! It’s better to be always healthy! Therefore, I encourage you not to believe in myth ‘about the Chinese’. The work shouldn’t replace your life!
Double-crossers
They were, are and will be. Work just on a pre-paid basis. 50/50% correlation will be an optimal variant for you and client. Don’t agree to the doubtful scams. Don’t set to work that is promised to be ‘paid later’. These are traps. Today, the cheats are so advanced, cunning and clever that it’s difficult to find a man who has never been deceived by anybody. Practically all people come in contact with the cheats. It’s difficult to figure out such people at once.
Friends and relatives
It is dangerous enough to work with the relatives. They may get peeved at you because of money, as well as break off relations. The friends may turn into foes and begin to take revenge. It is necessary to find very subtle approach to both types. It’s not always pleasant to work for free. In this situation, you may feel the psychological discomfort. The best variant is to prevent such situations. However, remember that just you choose with whom and for whom to work. If the friends and relatives aren’t an albatross around your neck you are possible to freely do something for them within due limits once again.
Creative crisis or no motivation
Undoubtedly, this also happens. Frankly speaking, it’s hard for me to believe those people who haven’t the difficult moments in life. It’s unrealistic for some reason. It’s impossible for all to be always perfect. It’s much more appealing to read how to get managed with such situations.

Thus, let’s consider the typical scenario: the client awfully got under your skin and you don’t want to work for him even for a price. At the same time, you began to work prolonging the deadlines being already paid. Let’s complicate the situation: you cannot return money to the client as you spent them. Moreover, you still can’t fulfill the order because you have no motivation. I personally observed such situations with freelancers. They are horrible in very deed. There is the only one way out. You need just to overcome and give the missing work. However, the psychology of creative people is a subtle thing. It may take several weeks or even months until freelancer begins to work. It is natural that client may not only begin to wail but also raise a stink for such period. Undoubtedly, you may say that you experienced difficulties but it will get by only with the understanding client and expanding deadline.
Why it happens?
It may be simply explained. This happens because of performer inexperience. Moreover, the lack of discipline that is another terrible problem of freelancers may be added to the list. If the person isn’t taught to discipline from the childhood it is difficult at a later age. Don’t take the mickey out of such people. It’s very serious problem. The incredible will and drive are required to win it. Truly speaking, the strong motivation is usually enough to do this. Such motivation is most often represented by the money equivalent, exact deadlines and fixed penalty. For example, I got the plenty good enough money motivating me to daily work for 15-16 hours per day for several months when cooperating with the Asian game company. Today, I won’t settle for such schedule for sure.
Hate for everything
If you began to feel the hate for all flesh and not only after years of working on clients, it would be a cause to stop and give up all. We are often massively fed with the success stories of rich people, artists and actors. That’s a likely story! It would be easy to speak about success if you didn’t achieve it. But if not? What if freelancing disappointed you so much that you simply want to create sending all clients away with a flea in the ear? It’s logical that you need to somehow provide yourself with money and somehow live. It’s a variant to change the work but it’s better to master the passive earning. However, don’t hurry up to rush! It may be even more difficult than freelance. I’ll tell about it in the separate item.
Nuances
If you are a freelancer it will be worth to become the individual entrepreneur, work exclusively by contract and pay all taxes officially. Moreover, they are to be considered on labels exposed to the clients. The latter, in their turn, must pay all bank commissions including those for currency conversion. Don’t do a favour and don’t certainly work to your disadvantage. Actually, you solve their problems even if the work consists in the ‘simple picture painting’ or ‘company game figuring’.
Dumping
As justly noted in comments, the fantastically low prices are old established on the market. The artists and even studios work not just at cheap rate and food but even for simple ‘thank you’. Guys, what the hell?! The present client is so spoiled that many artists are simply forced to reduce their prices. This is a global challenge. Moreover, I’ll admit that it’s not uncommon to meet the clients who aren’t able to set apart the qualitative work from that one ‘made on the napkin’. Such clients will be satisfied by the ‘pupil level’, so afterwards we surprisingly observe the spotted billboards, eye-wrestling graphics of videos, games and films, as well as ‘jaw-dropping’ sites etc. So, the hypothesis for ‘world degradation of mankind’ seems to be not so fantastic.
Unexpected circumstances
As was already mentioned, the diseases, wars, natural calamities, equipment damage and more also may turn the life of freelancers into the hell. It’s simply impossible to be insured from some of them. You may be ready for them just morally and materially; one way or the other. It’s important to always consider this point and document it in the contract when working with the clients.

[RU version]

Contents:
Resources + ContentsIn this journal entry I wanna collect all my articles for your comfort . Also I will update it from time to time.
For artists and freelancers:

How to Earn Money - Part 3 [EN] by ERA-7Artist's Killers: Fears and phobias - Part 1 [EN] by ERA-7Artist's Killers: Fears and phobias - Part 2 [RU] by ERA-7Infernal freelancing - [EN] by ERA-7
For beginners:
Where to begin? Where to go? [EN] by ERA-7Why is it important to learn the basics? by ERA-7
Only RU (some of them will be in EN soon):
Popularity VS. Quality [RU] by ERA-7ART VS MONEY [RU] by ERA-7Space cheat or freelancer's weekdays [RU] by ERA-7Dedicated to Trolls [RU] by ERA-7''Infernal freelancing'' [RU] by ERA-7
How to Earn Money - Part 3 [RU, EN soon] by ERA-7Artist's Killers: Fears and phobias - Part 1 [RU] by ERA-7Artist's Killers: Fears and phobias - Part 2 [RU] by ERA-7The Power of Social Networks [RU, EN soon] by ERA-710 reasons not to work for client [RU, EN soon] by ERA-7
''I wish you all the bad''(c) - Part I by ERA-7Why I'm not working with Russian Clients [RU] by ERA-7How to become a popular [RU, EN] by ERA-7

Join to official page "Spiritus The Universe " and my new art-page "Art for Soul " !

Nod — Description

All men got used to success stories. People like ‘happy ends’. But what is at the back of them? Ladies and gentlemen! Let me introduce the ‘hidden rocks of freelancing’!
Lack of money
It is cool to read that somebody earns $10,000 or more per month in the passive mode just drinking the cocktails somewhere on the islands. We believe that it’s easy to achieve this. Just follow the pieces of advice and it’ll be ok! No, indeed!

Let’s suppose that you are newcomer. Your path is just begun. You still had to master your skills until you’re blue in the face. But money is wanted at once, lot of money. You are considerably inspired by the stories when people become rich within a very short period of time. You make your portfolio, spam all social networks by the latter, but have no clients. If only there are some of them they are beggars or free riders (we don’t consider situations when you immediately attracted the cool clients). Such situation with no money may last for several months. You’ll get stuck in the accounts and your relatives will consider you the total loser.
What’s to be done?
Don’t plunge into freelance without skills. Learn and study your specialization so far as you have opportunities and time. It is futureless to work for peanuts. The art may be your hobby but not the key job at the early stages. Don’t fall for quick earning. It’s a myth. You need to know something even to get the passive gains. It’s good if you are the artist. In this case, you won’t face any problems. At the same time, the newcomer will experience difficulties. It often happened to me see how the beginning artists discontinued their work just because it didn’t bring them profit for the first months. They naively believed that it’s very easy to paint or represent. Such people believe in the enormous earnings of the famous artists who may spend practically all their life to achieve the success. To say the truth, it is incredibly difficult to be the artist because this work is far from being available for all. It requires many skills, knowledge, patience, constant development of personal potential. This area has its own professional diseases which are faced by practically all artists with the course of time. Be ready to have no money and clients in the early stages. This period might occur again later on even if you became successful and developed your own base of clients. This is one of the ‘hidden rocks’ of freelance.
Chasing the Chinese
When I studied at different courses in Russia I was often provided the example of how extensively the Chinese work. The students in the group were always surprised by their productivity as well as their little rest and high degree of performance. The trainers recommended to be focused on their way of life just preferring ‘more work and less sleep!’ motto. At that time, it was normal not to sleep for 2-3 days in a row. With the course of time, it became no so cool anymore. Today, I freely speak about HOW they all were mistaken.

The chronic fatigue, insomnia, apathy, depressive syndrome, soreness, antipathy to clients, hate of everything, repetitive stress injury, sight loss… Do I need to continue? That is the very one list you are possible to face if ‘chasing the Chinese’. You will stupidly lose the part of your health. But who invented this ‘Chinese’ at all?! Do you really know how they live in deed?! Are you sure that it’s cool to work 20 hours per day within 40 years?! Why on earth you need to do this work! If you haven’t understood this yet the worst would have been ahead.
What’s to be done?
Please, don’t be in the hot pursuit of anybody! All people are unique! Not all people may master the complex skills for months. We all are very different. We need different time. It’s just necessary to find our individual regime. I will repeat myself; don’t sacrifice your own health! Don’t think that you’ll become rich one day and be treated somewhere in the urgent clinics in old age! It’s better to be always healthy! Therefore, I encourage you not to believe in myth ‘about the Chinese’. The work shouldn’t replace your life!
Double-crossers
They were, are and will be. Work just on a pre-paid basis. 50/50% correlation will be an optimal variant for you and client. Don’t agree to the doubtful scams. Don’t set to work that is promised to be ‘paid later’. These are traps. Today, the cheats are so advanced, cunning and clever that it’s difficult to find a man who has never been deceived by anybody. Practically all people come in contact with the cheats. It’s difficult to figure out such people at once.
Friends and relatives
It is dangerous enough to work with the relatives. They may get peeved at you because of money, as well as break off relations. The friends may turn into foes and begin to take revenge. It is necessary to find very subtle approach to both types. It’s not always pleasant to work for free. In this situation, you may feel the psychological discomfort. The best variant is to prevent such situations. However, remember that just you choose with whom and for whom to work. If the friends and relatives aren’t an albatross around your neck you are possible to freely do something for them within due limits once again.
Creative crisis or no motivation
Undoubtedly, this also happens. Frankly speaking, it’s hard for me to believe those people who haven’t the difficult moments in life. It’s unrealistic for some reason. It’s impossible for all to be always perfect. It’s much more appealing to read how to get managed with such situations.

Thus, let’s consider the typical scenario: the client awfully got under your skin and you don’t want to work for him even for a price. At the same time, you began to work prolonging the deadlines being already paid. Let’s complicate the situation: you cannot return money to the client as you spent them. Moreover, you still can’t fulfill the order because you have no motivation. I personally observed such situations with freelancers. They are horrible in very deed. There is the only one way out. You need just to overcome and give the missing work. However, the psychology of creative people is a subtle thing. It may take several weeks or even months until freelancer begins to work. It is natural that client may not only begin to wail but also raise a stink for such period. Undoubtedly, you may say that you experienced difficulties but it will get by only with the understanding client and expanding deadline.
Why it happens?
It may be simply explained. This happens because of performer inexperience. Moreover, the lack of discipline that is another terrible problem of freelancers may be added to the list. If the person isn’t taught to discipline from the childhood it is difficult at a later age. Don’t take the mickey out of such people. It’s very serious problem. The incredible will and drive are required to win it. Truly speaking, the strong motivation is usually enough to do this. Such motivation is most often represented by the money equivalent, exact deadlines and fixed penalty. For example, I got the plenty good enough money motivating me to daily work for 15-16 hours per day for several months when cooperating with the Asian game company. Today, I won’t settle for such schedule for sure.
Hate for everything
If you began to feel the hate for all flesh and not only after years of working on clients, it would be a cause to stop and give up all. We are often massively fed with the success stories of rich people, artists and actors. That’s a likely story! It would be easy to speak about success if you didn’t achieve it. But if not? What if freelancing disappointed you so much that you simply want to create sending all clients away with a flea in the ear? It’s logical that you need to somehow provide yourself with money and somehow live. It’s a variant to change the work but it’s better to master the passive earning. However, don’t hurry up to rush! It may be even more difficult than freelance. I’ll tell about it in the separate item.
Nuances
If you are a freelancer it will be worth to become the individual entrepreneur, work exclusively by contract and pay all taxes officially. Moreover, they are to be considered on labels exposed to the clients. The latter, in their turn, must pay all bank commissions including those for currency conversion. Don’t do a favour and don’t certainly work to your disadvantage. Actually, you solve their problems even if the work consists in the ‘simple picture painting’ or ‘company game figuring’.
Dumping
As justly noted in comments, the fantastically low prices are old established on the market. The artists and even studios work not just at cheap rate and food but even for simple ‘thank you’. Guys, what the hell?! The present client is so spoiled that many artists are simply forced to reduce their prices. This is a global challenge. Moreover, I’ll admit that it’s not uncommon to meet the clients who aren’t able to set apart the qualitative work from that one ‘made on the napkin’. Such clients will be satisfied by the ‘pupil level’, so afterwards we surprisingly observe the spotted billboards, eye-wrestling graphics of videos, games and films, as well as ‘jaw-dropping’ sites etc. So, the hypothesis for ‘world degradation of mankind’ seems to be not so fantastic.
Unexpected circumstances
As was already mentioned, the diseases, wars, natural calamities, equipment damage and more also may turn the life of freelancers into the hell. It’s simply impossible to be insured from some of them. You may be ready for them just morally and materially; one way or the other. It’s important to always consider this point and document it in the contract when working with the clients.

[RU version]

Contents:
Resources + ContentsIn this journal entry I wanna collect all my articles for your comfort . Also I will update it from time to time.
For artists and freelancers:

How to Earn Money - Part 3 [EN] by ERA-7Artist's Killers: Fears and phobias - Part 1 [EN] by ERA-7Artist's Killers: Fears and phobias - Part 2 [RU] by ERA-7Infernal freelancing - [EN] by ERA-7
For beginners:
Where to begin? Where to go? [EN] by ERA-7Why is it important to learn the basics? by ERA-7
Only RU (some of them will be in EN soon):
Popularity VS. Quality [RU] by ERA-7ART VS MONEY [RU] by ERA-7Space cheat or freelancer's weekdays [RU] by ERA-7Dedicated to Trolls [RU] by ERA-7''Infernal freelancing'' [RU] by ERA-7
How to Earn Money - Part 3 [RU, EN soon] by ERA-7Artist's Killers: Fears and phobias - Part 1 [RU] by ERA-7Artist's Killers: Fears and phobias - Part 2 [RU] by ERA-7The Power of Social Networks [RU, EN soon] by ERA-710 reasons not to work for client [RU, EN soon] by ERA-7
''I wish you all the bad''(c) - Part I by ERA-7Why I'm not working with Russian Clients [RU] by ERA-7How to become a popular [RU, EN] by ERA-7

Join to official page "Spiritus The Universe " and my new art-page "Art for Soul " !