Freelance Life Can Be Isolating: The Lifeline Third Places Offer Us

Since 2019, I’ve been self-employed, working remotely when and where I choose. And in many ways, it’s great. I’ve worked retail jobs and experienced other casual work – I’ve sorted parcels, invigilated exams, and even dabbled in gardening – and none of it has fulfilled me the way writing does. If 15-year-old me knew that I’d be making a living from writing at 25, I’d have been amazed. I can plan my work around my mental health, book appointments in the week when places aren’t as busy, and make more money than I probably would as a staff writer at this point in my career. By and large, it works for me. But when you work alone, it can get lonely. My partner and most of my friends have staff jobs, so they’re in the office at least once or twice a week – and I can’t help but feel sad sometimes when they mention hanging out with a colleague or going for work drinks. In 2020, I graduated and after moving back home for a few months, moved to the next town on my own. While I enjoyed having my own flat for the first time, it was difficult. It was still very much peak pandemic, and most of my friends were scattered across the country. I saw my parents and sister most weekends when I was allowed in their Covid bubble, but that was it. When I was able to go to nearby coffee shops to work, it gave me such a boost – and almost a reason to get up in the morning. The second lockdown felt like a real kick in the teeth, as I was once again spending my weeks working from home without much human connection from Monday to Friday. A year later, I started a master’s degree, and while going back to education and dialling back my freelance work felt like a jolt, I loved seeing people every day, and I made some of my very best friends on the course. As much as I didn’t enjoy some of the early mornings, I missed it when I went back to full-time freelancing. The solitary aspect of my freelance life suits me. Sometimes, I don’t feel like being very sociable, and I’m happy sitting at my desk ...