Am I a freelancer?

Happy Tuesday and hello to new readers 👋 If you’re here via Alyssa Towns’ freelance writer resource list, welcome and thank you for subscribing!

Quick about me: I’ve been a full-time freelance writer since 2019 and Rough Draft is a bi-weekly space where I share my tips, thoughts, and resources about creating a freelance career from scratch. If you have a specific question about freelancing (or just want someone to commiserate with), you can ask me anything via this form.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what “freelancing” really means. The occupation has evolved as business needs have, and I think the terms we use have changed, too.

What is a freelancer, anyway?

Apparently, freelancers make up 28% of the US workforce. That’s about 20 million people who consider themselves freelancers, or do freelance work in some capacity — which, according to this report from Upwork, is classified as anything outside of the conventional 9-5 career path.

Freelancing is nothing new, but there’s definitely been a surge of interest for this line of work in the last couple of years (whether by choice or as a result of mass layoffs, the unpredictable job market, AI, the state of the world, etc., etc.).

As more people join the freelance side of LinkedIn, I’ve noticed a lot of different terms being used in lieu of “freelancer.” The ones I see most are:

• fractional

• portfolio career

• creator

• generalist

In 2025, I think the title of “freelancer” is more fluid than ever. Being a freelancer can mean you pursue it as a side hustle while job searching, you’re a creator, or you do contract/retainer work for a handful of clients. Basically, freelancing has become an umbrella term for any form of independent work.

I also think that as a freelancer, you can be multi-faceted and take on several roles at once.

Here’s my scribbled diagram to illustrate:

For example, I’d fall into the categories of:

• Individual contributor: Most of my client work involves working with marketing teams to write content for their blogs and websites. It’s very independent work, which makes me an individual contributor.

• Collaborator: I also partner with other freelancers and agencies for larger projects.

• Creator: I create this newsletter!

Being a freelancer can be as structured or flexible as you want it to be. Personally, I like the idea of being able to pursue multiple types of work at once.

For example, my main source of income is writing long-form content for B2B/SaaS companies. But do I introduce myself as a “freelance B2B SaaS writer” when meeting someone new? Absolutely not!!

I keep it open-ended by simply saying I’m a freelance writer, or even just “writer” when I’m feeling mysterious.

All of that rambling to say, call yourself whatever you want — I think our titles can be just as fluid as the type of work we pursue, and that’s the beauty of freelancing.

Enjoying this issue? Share it with a friend or subscribe below if you aren’t already subscribed.

• Recent piece I’m proud of: I wrote this quick guide for Hootsuite about how to set up and optimize your Google Business Profile. I love writing content that can directly help out small businesses 🤝

• Newsletter I love: This one is relevant to today’s theme — Anna Mack’s Stack is where I first learned what a portfolio career is and she continues to have great tips and insights for anyone interested in a multi-faceted career.

• Book I’m reading: Still reading Isola!

• Life stuff: We’re getting ready to visit Tokyo for the first time next month!! I feel like I’ve been prepping for this trip all year and can’t wait for it all to come to fruition. Any last minute tips from anyone who’s been??

I’ll be back in your inboxes on October 7th 💌 In the meantime, let me know what you’re working on and how I can help!

Rough Draft is a bi-weekly newsletter where I share tips and musings on creating a freelance career from scratch. Subscribe here. You can also find me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Threads, or my website. 👋 Have a question about freelancing? Submit it here!