Our career paths are influenced by various circumstances, which have varying degrees of impact. Cultural background and geographic location may influence the future of one’s employment decision. In addition to a family, a person’s local community can also affect their future career.
Many circumstances and events that occur in our social and economic life provide us with limited choices and have an impact on them. And this is something that has to be considered. Although we often cannot pick the society we live in, we can always choose our way of living.
This is the way of thinking of Mandie Brice, who felt stressed and insecure doing her job in her state and decided to leave her full-time job and focus on freelancing only. In this short interview, she shares what made her make this decision, what this journey was like for her, and also gives some advice for future freelancers.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your expertise?
A: My name is Mandie Brice, and I’ve pivoted from a full-time employee to a freelancer. I am a full-time freelance makeup artist and model.
Q: Can you please describe your previous work as an employee?
A: Initially, I was a middle school teacher as my full-time employment. During that time, I modeled and did makeup artistry on the side – during nights, weekends, and summer breaks, and sometimes taking a day off school to do higher paying/more prestigious shoots.
Q: What was the point where you decided to become a freelancer?
A: Eventually, I quit teaching and became a full-time freelance makeup artist and model. This was initiated because of political issues in my state that threatened my job security, then realizing how stressed I was as a teacher and how bad it was for my health.
Q: What are the challenges you’re facing as a freelancer?
A: Like most freelancers, having inconsistent income and work is a challenge, as opposed to a steady paycheck. It also comes with an unpredictable schedule, but I actually like that most of the time.
Q: What can you advise a beginner freelancer?
A: I recommend beginner freelancers have multiple streams of income, so if one area is slow, you can work on other areas. For example, I have modeling and makeup artistry, but I also do some ghostwriting and PR work, as well as selling my own books and online courses.
Q: How are you getting new clients?
A: I get clients mainly through social media and word of mouth, but I do have an agent as well.
Q: Name one mistake you made as a freelancer?
A: A mistake I made was looking at part-time jobs along the way as signs of failure – they are just examples of dedication to your dream and a way to invest in your own career. They’re sometimes just a necessary part of entrepreneurship!
Q: How can potential clients get in touch?
A: They can reach me on my phone and through email, and also, I am @MandieBrice and @MakeupByMandieBrice on most social platforms.
Conclusion
Regardless of how diligent, intelligent, or driven we may be, when we don’t work to our inherent abilities, we quickly experience burnout. We strive even harder to maintain the desired level of performance, but this simply makes us feel more worn out and barely able to survive. Then, we experience a loss of confidence and exhaustion. Our innate skills are the things we excel at and are good at. When we don’t use them, we experience the same routine day after day.
Natural strengths help us feel at home and make work more exciting. Mandie decided to give up her career as a teacher, which made her feel stressed out and let her natural strengths in which were expressed by doing something more enjoyable like freelance modeling and makeup artistry. These were her side jobs and doing higher-paying/more prestigious shoots during her days off school. After feeling insecure because of political issues in her state that threatened her job security and realizing that working as a teacher made her feel stressed and how bad it was for her health, she decided to quit teaching. She became a full-time freelance makeup artist and model.
Freelancing is a great opportunity but certainly comes with some disadvantages too. One of the challenges that Mandie has been dealing with since she started working as a freelancer is having an inconsistent income, and work is a challenge, as opposed to a steady paycheck. Another challenge she has, like many other influencers, is the fact that work comes with an unpredictable schedule, but she says that she is OK with that most of the time.
Mandy was able to thrive in many areas and draw in the right possibilities, thanks to her renewed passion and energy. She works as a makeup artist and a model, but she also does some PR, ghostwriting, and selling her own books and online courses. She advises aspiring freelancers to diversify their sources of income so that they can work on other areas if one area is slow.
What we can learn from Mandie’s story is that clarity leads to strength, strength to confidence and confidence inspires others to do what fulfills them the most, regardless of the circumstances.
