Freelance videography may appear to be a very interesting and flexible line of work at first glance. One gets to shoot various projects, make new friends, and work according to their own conditions.
However, as we spend a lot more and time and effort working in freelance videography, the psychological aspect starts to become no less significant than the creative one. It happens due to numerous aspects of freelance videography work that have adverse effects on one’s psychology.
The issue is that it is not easy to identify the negative influence initially since the work itself may be very intriguing for a person.
Unpredictability is one of the main mental challenges in being a freelance videographer. You never know whether you will have lots of shootings and editing jobs this week, or whether this week will be absolutely empty. It results in so-called background anxiety – you are constantly thinking about where the next client is coming from.
At times, even when you have some time to yourself, it becomes impossible to enjoy it, because you are always ready to work, look for clients and so on. It results in the inability to switch off.
Pressure to always perform and stay available
Often freelancers find themselves under immense pressure to always be available to their clients so that there can be more work in the future. It means replying back promptly, adapting one’s schedule, and agreeing on almost everything regardless of how tired one might be.
The end result is that one develops the habit of putting their own requirements behind others’ due to the pressure to “be reliable”. As a result, one starts to ignore any signs of fatigue or stress since they do not wish to jeopardise future opportunities. Such pressure can eventually become emotionally draining.
Videography is an artistic occupation, but being creative does not mean that it is endless. Repeatedly editing videos, taking pictures and trying to solve all kinds of problems can exhaust you. It may just seem like fatigue and a loss of inspiration at first, but if nothing is done about it, eventually it can become creative burnout.
Being a freelance videographer can make one lonely too, since a lot of working hours are typically spent alone doing editing work and planning shoots. With time, constant isolation from other people can impact the way one feels and motivates themselves because people need interaction to manage their stress, and spending the majority of the day by oneself becomes challenging.
It is felt the most while editing for long periods when there will barely be any interaction throughout the whole day. Freelance differs from conventional work in the way that freelancers handle every single step on their own – getting clients, setting prices, preparing for shootings, doing actual work, editing, delivering the product, and revising.
It becomes a source of mental stress since the freelancer plays all these roles at once. Even when they are not working on anything specific, their mind might keep thinking about various tasks or client requirements. As a result, decision fatigue becomes a serious issue, leading to constant clutter.
Emotional highs and lows become normal
Being a freelance videographer means dealing with some extreme emotions. Positive feedback from a client or a good day of filming is great, but having a tough client or a down period can also be similarly intense on the other end of the scale.
All of these emotions can impact one’s ability to have any long-term stability. When you combine the fact that money, praise, and creativity may all come into play at different times, finding any stability becomes more difficult.
In terms of protecting mental well-being as a freelance videographer, one does not necessarily need to do less in terms of working, but instead needs to work better. This involves developing barriers between work and leisure, creating moments of complete detachment, and paying attention to signs of exhaustion rather than dismissing them.
This also involves embracing inconsistency as something that comes with freelance work—although this doesn’t mean that a sense of inconsistency has to permeate everything else in life.
Freelancing as a videoographer can be incredibly rewarding work. However, it is also inherently stressful for one’s mental wellbeing if one does not approach it carefully. Awareness of this can help you preserve your energy levels and creativity as a videographer, ensuring that your chosen profession does not end up taking a toll on you.