Hard to believe fifty Freelance Freedom comics have come and gone.

Seems like I just started the comic last month and I’m still tweaking how I want it to look, but I guess it’s been almost a year. ‘Freelance Guy’, as he has come to be known in my head, is now fully fleshed out complete with shaggy unkempt hair and a suspicious lack of pupils.

Our cat has made it into the comic as well, and my wife Ginger is also there as the supportive but usually frustrated girlfriend/wife. I tried to keep the look simple for both ease of design and for Photoshop coloring, once the comic gets transferred to digital. Yes, I’m old school and still ink by hand and scan in. Yes, I can get a tablet and do it all digitally, but I prefer working by candlelight and staying warm by my wood-burning stove. Time consuming and old-fashioned? You bet, but that’s how I roll.

With Freelance Freedom, I get to blend both the freedom and aggravation of working as a freelancer in a creative way, and I get paid for it. It’s hard to overstate how enjoyable that is. As a freelancer, I come across many funny moments, both pleasant and irritating. I love the fact that I have the opportunity to share those moments with an audience who can appreciate the humor in them. Usually the jokes are skewed to my strange view of the world, but more often than not, fellow freelancers are on board for the ride.

So many times I’ve come up with a situation I thought no one else would understand, or that only I would find funny, and I’m pleasantly surprised by the number of my fellow freelancing troops who have had the same experience. Of course, some gags aren’t as well received, but I’m learning to trust my instincts about what people will relate to. When the humor is too dry or the sarcasm is missed, I try and learn from those misfires to become a better storyteller.

Some of the most satisfying moments over the last 50 weeks have been the responses (and debates) I see from those who share in my frustrations and observations. It’s a good reminder that many aspects of freelancing are universal. Here are a few of my favorite observations from readers of Freelance Freedom:

Timothy Diokno, March 10th, 2008 (FF #43) writes:

Why does he want to get a tattoo anyway? I’m gonna tell his mom!

Freelancer Dude, you’ve got some splainin’ ta do!

What’s the job of Freelancer Dude anyway?

Warbo, February 25th, 2008 (FF #41) writes:

I’ve been watching this strip for a while and this designer main character is the weirdest guy I’ve ever seen. lol.

Michelle, January 8th, 2008 (FF #34) writes:

I just really wish this guy had some pupils - he freaks me out

Christopher Hawkins, December 18th, 2007 (FF #31) writes:

Client: “Can you just build it so that we can program the rest of it ourselves when we know more about how it should work?”

Me: “Oh, so you have developers on staff?”

Client: “No.”

Me: *seethes*

brian, November 5th, 2007 (FF #25) writes:

his girl seems like a real nag. (My wife loved this!)

Jason McIntosh, October 1st, 2007 (FF #20) writes:

(in response to talking on a cell phone in a coffee shop)

Gross, dude. Go outside if you wanna gab on your cell! Some of us are trying to work in here.

Jörn, August 13th, 2007 (FF #13) writes:

Always brings me right to the edge of killing my customer with a stapler.

Craig Mason, June 4th, 2007 (FF #3) writes:

Freelancers are supposed to get dressed?!

A very special thank you to Cyan and Collis for taking a look at my old college Voice of Doom comics and being able to see the potential for a comic strip better drawn, less cynical (slightly) and related to freelancing. Both are great people and I look forward to the working on the next 50 comics with pride.

Freelance Freedom is indeed a pretty sweet gig.

N.C. Winters
www.ncwinters.com