There’s no such thing as a free(lance) lunch: Christopher Turner

There’s no such thing as a free(lance) lunch is a series that asks professional freelancers the questions you want to ask them.  Think of it as having coffee with everyone at the same time. This week: Christopher Turner

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Who are you, what do you do? What’s your specialty?
I’m Christopher Turner. I’m a Toronto-based writer, editor & day dreamer whose focus is fashion and lifestyle.

How long have you been freelancing?
I’ve been freelancing not so seriously and seriously for about ten years.

How did you/What made you start freelancing?
To be honest, it was a bit of a journey. Slowly small gigs turned into bigger gigs and opportunities began to present themselves. I had always wanted to freelance full time and one day I woke up and looked at everything happening with my day job and I realized that day had come. I’m a big believer in the “everything happens for a reason’ mantra so I seized the opportunity. I’ve since returned to a more traditional job, but my years as a full-time freelance writer were pretty incredible.

How did you sell your first piece/pitch your first job?
For me… freelancing began after a piece of my published poetry sparked a conversation with a fairly well known editor at a friend’s party. Our lengthy, casual conversation about creative writing led to my on-the-spot, off the top of my head pitch, which scored my first paid assignment.

What are the pros?
The freedom to design your own day, be your own boss and work away on your laptop from anywhere you choose.

What are the cons?
If you are a serious freelancer, you will probably find that you are always working – evenings, weekends, and holidays. Taxes and the uncertainty of arriving paychecks can also be added to the list of cons.

Let’s talk networking. Some people think of it as a dirty word. What do you think about networking and how do you do it?
To be honest, networking and relationship building is arguably one of the most important parts of any successful freelance career.

Is it really who you know when you freelance?
Absolutely.

What do you think about the ‘pick your brain over coffee’ invite? Do you do it?
I have accepted coffee chat invitations and I think that they are a great idea for anyone seriously looking for an inside look. My advice to anyone considering reaching out to a mentor in any field: Don’t be late for your coffee date and know what you actually want to learn.

Do you think you have to have a certain personality to freelance?
Freelancing is definitely not for everyone. Discipline is an absolute must.

What are your tips?
Meet deadlines, be proactive, practices your craft and most importantly be a nice person. Trust me. I say this as a former full-time freelancer and as someone who now works with freelance writers every day.

Do you think freelancing is a viable way of making a full-time living?
It definitely can be done. I recently made the jump back to the 9-5 world by taking on a role as the Editor-in-Chief of Maple Media’s men’s lifestyle site, AmongMen.com.
However, previous to this new gig I had a very successful (and dare I say lucrative) career as a full-time freelance writer. It can be done, but not without a little hard work.

Free(lance) lunch is a series published exploring freelancers’ experiences. If you are a freelancer and want to be featured on Free(lance) lunch, please email [email protected].