This comic strip nailed exactly what it’s like to be a freelance creative in just four panels
If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a freelancer and working for yourself, one comic strip nailed exactly what it’s like to be a freelance creative. Long-story short? It’s not as easy as you may think. Being a freelancer requires serious self-discipline, self-motivation, and balancing several responsibilities at once — to name just a few requirements. And then it comes with plenty of awkward complications. Like figuring out how to file your taxes.
Plus, there’s the whole getting-paid-thing, which is a whole other issue — how much money to charge, how quickly your client(s) will pay you, etc. And, let’s say you’re a writer or artist — some places may want you to work for free. Yup, FREE. Think about other jobs, an architect for instance. Can you imagine a client asking them to work for free? Here, design this building for us, but we can’t pay you… Luckily, one comic artist knows our pain.
This comic strip nails those freelance creative annoyances on the head.
THE FUCKIN NEWSPAPER HAD THIS pic.twitter.com/MHl0RMFv1n
— Xeno State (@XenoStateOfMind) October 19, 2017
As funny as this comic is, anyone who’s an artist or writer can likely relate — and the fact that a newspaper had printed it is ironic since some print and online publications ~don’t~ pay and ~do~ believe exposure is payment enough.
Want to know more? The artist is Rick Detorie.
Comic's name is One Big Happy
It was featured in the Thursday edition of the Daily News
and the Artist is Rick Detorie.
I;m still shooketh— Xeno State (@XenoStateOfMind) October 20, 2017
You can find his work online and on Amazon. We’re grateful that @XenoStateOfMind, the Twitter user who shared the strip, went out of their way to give the artist credit. They also explained why they shared it online — and it wasn’t for personal exposure.
I understand the irony of the tweet as a whole but Im still livid that a comic strip had to spell out a common artist issue and it's great
— Xeno State (@XenoStateOfMind) October 21, 2017
So the least that I can say is that please support artists properly and really take to understanding the difficulties we're faced with daily
— Xeno State (@XenoStateOfMind) October 21, 2017
Hear, hear! And the Twitterverse found it just as relatable.
That quote should be hung on a wall. This whole comic needs to be framed.
— Alex Flis (@AlexFlis_) October 20, 2017
It's even better that the art is 10 cents yet they still won't pay
— Zansatsu (@OusatsuZansatsu) October 20, 2017
Hahaha! The lady ASKS if she can use it. She’s one of the good ones!
—
(((Jay Lender)))
(@JayLender1) October 20, 2017
It’s not easy to hack the freelance life. But seeing comics like this from other creatives who get it makes it a little bit easier. When you find an artist or writer you love, support their work. We know we’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for Rick Detorie in the future.
