Doing It For The Kids

“How are we all coping without any family to help nearby?? I’m in this situation — and also a single parent — and it’s hard. What are we all doing to avoid burnout and stress? Anything?”

“How do I stop feeling guilty about not working during 'working hours'? I've been freelancing for over 15 years, but until last year it was always alongside a part time 9-5. So this is the first time I've been fully freelancing and I'm noticing a lot of guilt around when I'm not working. If it's a weekday and within 'normal' working hours, I feel like I should be doing client work, marketing or something. But as a creative, sometimes I'm just not in the right mood. Someone suggested recently that this might be a hangover of working in a 9-5. One of the main drives to go freelance was the flexibility it would bring. So I guess my question is, how can I get better at giving myself permission to do things like, go to Bristol for the day, visit an art gallery or just watch a film, when my head isn't in the right place to work? Do you ever have the same feeling?”

“I'm unapologetically anti-AI for a whole load of reasons — ethical, against the ‘big bro tech boys’, and the way they steal information to train it etc. But how do you work and promote yourself in a world that seems so pro-AI without sounding like a Luddite?”

“Is it just me that is finding it really hard to get going again this new year? Normally I’m all for diving into the planning / organising / new year-ing but this year I just want to curl up under the duvet! There’s a few reasons behind it (potential big family stuff on the horizon, a bit burnt out from last year, not entirely sure where I want to go with my business this year) but with a to-do list the length of my arm, I’d really like to find some motivation soon! Anyone else feeling like this? Any words of wisdom?”

I’ve been working freelance for an agency for a while now and have a good relationship with them. They’ve asked me to consider them buying me out of my company and coming on board as a director of their company instead, as effectively a partner. How should I consider this? Should I consider this?! What should I include in my thinking? How do I value my company?”