I like to paint and so, let me give you a metaphor from art. Imagine you love to paint too and have been given a canvas. And you have been asked to paint a Van Gogh or a Picasso. In another scenario, you are given a canvas and are asked to paint an original — anything you would like to create. Which painting, do you think, gives you greater freedom, responsibility and potential to shine?
In the first case, you already have an established frame, a playground with set boundaries and strict rules. You can play around but you can’t go far, nor can you be too inventive or even imaginative. In the second case, you are your own master. You create your own boundaries. Or extend them. And because of that, you have a greater responsibility to yourself to beat your own standards, to create something exquisite.
Flexible
I find this metaphor applicable to what is happening to many individuals these days, and how they are fast forming a “gig economy”. More and more people — young or old — are taking up their canvases and creating their own masterpieces. Characterised by short-term contracts or freelancing, a gig economy does not compel you to hold on to a permanent job. And so you enjoy greater freedom, flexibility and opportunities to derive satisfaction, though there is a certain degree of unpredictability. As someone who used to be a consultant and freelancer for some years, I can vouch for this.
Sometimes, leaving full-time jobs and turning to freelance work, people tend to not only find more time for what they really love, but they also tend to give more of themselves to their projects. Suddenly you don’t have a ‘manager’ giving you tasks on a routine basis. No office politics. No back-breaking schedules or rationed-out vacations. Though you still have to work with other people, the fact that you are pretty much your own boss makes you sharper and more ambitious, even.
Your own terms
Of course, you do end up sacrificing the benefits of full-time employment, including paid leave, an assured salary, health cover, and so on. But many who move out of this safety net choose independence over any of those and seem happy outside the net. For some, it is even a dream come true, as a former colleague recently put it. “After 20 years of corporate life, I am going to set up something on my own terms,” he said, quite looking forward to the days of freedom ahead of him.
The flipside of this emerging gig economy is that some companies may find this a way to exploit freelancers, as they don’t have to worry about offering the benefits associated with traditional employees. One way to tackle this could be to be clear on your terms, about the hours you would be available, and not to undersell your talent. You would also need to cultivate a reliable circle of advisors who can guide you on matters of law and employment contracts, if required.
If you are someone who is content in your full-time employment, stay there and enjoy it to the fullest. You could still find pride in your version of a Van Gogh. On the other hand, if you think you have the mettle to fly solo and are ready to take off, pick up your canvas and go for it. Your masterpiece is waiting for you.
The writer is a literary journalist. She also heads corporate communications at UST Global. Twitter: @anupamaraju
