The Freelance Downturn, Part 1: Is this the worst time ever to be self-employed?

For independent spirits who are navigating a dry spell

This post was inspired by my 3-year anniversary as a freelancer (which I am yet to celebrate because I am my own boss—someone call HR). And boy, is it an interesting time to be a freelancer. I know the landscape feels pretty rough right now, especially if you’re in the creative industries. So fellow self-employed people, this is a two-part series just for you ❤️

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If you work for yourself and you’re wondering wtf is happening right now, you are not alone.

Whether at my coworking space, in my coaching sessions, or on LinkedIn (where we’re all nervously posting about our “upcoming availability”) what I’m hearing is that self-employment (and indeed, unemployment) is quite possibly the worst it’s ever been—especially for those in the creative industries.

I still do freelance copywriting and consulting alongside my coaching work, so I’m right there in the trenches with you. Here’s what I’m seeing:

• The work is simply drying up: even seasoned freelancers who have been booked and busy for decades have suddenly found themselves twiddling their thumbs.

• Retainer clients are reducing hours/scope of work: brands are trying to squeeze more value out of less time, prioritising strategic projects over BAU.

• Lower pay: freelancers are getting lowballed and some of the rates I’ve seen in job ads have caused me to spit out my tea.

• Increased ghosting: not just the pitches you never hear back from, but actual clients we’ve built relationships with.

• Late payments (or worse, no payment): unfortunately, I know several freelancers who haven’t been compensated for work they’ve delivered.

• “Bittier” projects or vaguer agreements: the work that is out there seems to be one-off projects or “putting out feelers”, with clients reluctant to sign on the dotted line for longstanding contracts.

Me reading freelance JDs that pay the equivalent of the train fare to their randomly located office, which you’ll be required to commute to 5 days a week

What’s driving the freelance downturn?

Well, no one seems to know exactly. But it’s likely one, or a combination, of the following factors:

• The broader economic climate: amid so much global instability, businesses are being cautious with their spending. And creative and marketing are always the first to take a hit.

• Tougher competition: a lot more workers entered the freelance market during and post-pandemic, when business was booming, many of us had more disposable income, and we were dramatically rethinking our relationship to work. More recently, there’s been a big influx as a result of layoffs. While I’m always singing the praises of self-employment, it does get tougher when more of us are choosing (whether voluntarily or out of necessity) this path.

• AI: while I think it’s too soon to say how AI will reshape the creative industries, a lot of us are worried. And the freelance downturn has undeniably coincided with brands getting trigger-happy with ChatGPT.

What shifts are you seeing in self-employment, particularly in the creative industries?
What do you think is driving it?

What it feels like to be in a big, fat ebb

In times like these, it’s tempting to pass around glib advice about the natural ebbs and flows of self-employment. But this feels like less of a lull and more of a whirlpool.

Having a portfolio career with different income streams, plus a safety net, puts me in a more stable position than many. So while I’m not immune from worrying about where my next pay check is coming from, I don’t think it’s my place to speak to the very real financial stress that others are experiencing.

What I can speak to is the emotional and existential challenges of our livelihoods being pulled out (if only temporarily) from under us.

Now, my intention isn’t to catastrophise—I know plenty of self-employed people who are thriving right now, so I’m not saying the downturn is universal. But if you’re spiralling around in that whirlpool, you might relate to what I’ve termed the four Cs (partly because: alliteration).

Conflict

Adjusting from a stacked calendar to the blank space of empty days feels weird.

One voice is telling you to make the most of it—to languish in coffee shops reading your favourite books, to spend quality time with family and friends, to work on that creative project you’re always putting off.

Another voice is telling you to be productive—to stop wasting time on fruitless pursuits when you could be updating your portfolio, learning new skills, or pitching for work.

Caught between these two parts, we can end up doing a whole lot of neither. Grappling with guilt, indecision and listlessness that casts a foggy haze over our days.

And then when a piece of work does come along? Getting your brain into gear again feels sluggish and slow. You may even resent the fact that someone has had the audacity to interrupt your day with their silly little brief, when you’d planned to sit around updating your LinkedIn profile for the 27th time that week.

Comparison

Then there’s the rest of them—the other freelancers. With their nice, shiny websites and professional-looking headshots. Clamouring in the comments of a lone LinkedIn post asking for freelancer recommendations (might I suggest myself?). Posting about how busy they’ve been recently.

You loathe them. You want to be them. You ask yourself: how are they doing it? You berate yourself: they must be more experienced/more talented/more connected/better than me. You feel really very sorry for yourself: it’s so unfair!!!

Chaos

At this point, a frenzy can take hold. That stern voice, the one that’s telling you to productivise every minute of the day, kicks in. Right, she says. It’s time to take action. It’s time to show this ebb what we’re made of.

While the kids fritter away their attention spans on silly little TikToks, you now don’t know where LinkedIn ends and you begin.

You scroll through job ads, many of which seem to involve a) training AI or b) “volunteering” for what is clearly a pyramid scheme. You create 18 different versions of your CV to hit the right keywords. And yes, you usually work in wellness. But you apply for the role that asks for 5+ years of experience in tax law comms anyway. You do your self-assessment every year—how hard can it be?

(Existential) Crisis

In your darkest moments, you wonder whether it’s time to give it all up and apply for what your friends and family refer to as a “real” job (as if the professional success you have achieved across many years is simply a figment of your imagination).

In your more whimsical moments, you wonder if it’s time to become a Vinted super-seller/set up an Etsy shop/start an OnlyFans.

You are trying to wrap your head around the idea that your entire career—decades of striving—could be made obsolete by a bot that uses the word “elevate” in every other sentence. You are being forced to look at the answers to some big questions: to what extent is our identity tied to our work? And who are we without it?

It’s a strange, unsteady feeling, that could prove to be futile or premonitory. And that’s the worst part—the not knowing. If, indeed, you will still have a career on the other side of this, or if it’s time to retrain in one of the 10 professions that Google tells you are most protected from AI (which, ironically, includes “Creative Fields”).

How to ride it out

In case you can’t tell, I am very familiar with the four Cs. So as I wrestle with my own existential crises/coach others wrestling theirs, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what helps us get through these ebbs (because we will get through them!).

I’ll be sharing these perspectives in my next post (part two of my freelance-iversary), along with something I’m doing to give back to the self-employed community in these strange times. Stay tuned.

In the meantime…

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the freelance downturn. And if you enjoyed this post, you might like…

• On navigating transitional times

• Should I go freelance?

• An anti-girlboss approach to working for yourself

• Can you break free from hustle culture and stay ambitious?

• Is it normal to change your mind about your career?

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About me + Messy Work

I’m Lucia, a writer and coach based in Bristol, UK. I work with independent spirits, recovering high achievers, deep thinkers, and big feelers who can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to life. And write about the messy (but beautiful!) work of figuring it all out.

Drop me a message if you’d like to learn more.