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Sam Neill on tackling depression and imposter syndrome when you’re between jobs.

“Separate yourself from your profession. That’s what I do, that’s not what I am” – he was talking about acting, but it’s absolutely the same in any freelance job. This idea of being on 24/7 is exceedingly unhealthy.

A better approach summed up neatly in @austinkleon.bsky.social‘s Keep Going.

I think this is why imposter syndrome goes hand in hand with freelancing. Every gap between jobs turns into an existential crisis.

… only exacerbated when clients don’t pay on time (kind of a tangent, but to hell with it). If your job involves hiring freelancers, PAY THEM. Every single day that invoice is overdue is another little chip at their financial AND mental well-being.

Trying to connect Neill’s video and that tangent – the fact is that there’s now more freelancers than ever, and no mental health support framework to support them. Like, AT ALL. Stepping out of the workplace shouldn’t have to mean abandoning all safety nets.

Sorry, turned into a bit of a rant, but I think about that Neill video a lot.

In summary: pay freelancers on time and reward yourself by watching Jurassic Park.