LIFESTYLE Toddler wars – children and clients battle it out

Toddler wars: Children and Clients battle it out

By Charlie Drinkwater

Who knew it would be such a learning curve? The last month has proven (if proof was needed) that juggling full time parenting and a freelance business isn't easy - the two aren’t exactly compatible.

I run an independent art direction practice, specialising in the music and cultural sector and am used to working intensively with clients to deliver campaigns on tight turnarounds with shifting goals and exhaustive client feedback. My workflow is usually variable and reliant on the strength of my previous projects to attract new clients. A sense of ‘perpetual motion’ is often present, with new pitches and prospective jobs lined up for months in advance, but the lockdown changed all that.

As the restrictions came into place, I had to pretty drastically recalibrate how my business operated. I’m no longer going on video shoots, attending styling sessions or visiting print houses; not only due to the lockdown but because I have taken on the role of primary caregiver to my 22 month-old son. Whilst still running my business it has fallen to me to be the 'weekday parent' instead of my wife who is on a full-time contract and brings in a more reliable income.

As my days are now filled with nappy changes, singing nursery rhymes and playing in the sandpit (and then cleaning sand off everything) I’ve had to be more direct and rigid with clients about the hours and timescales I can work within. I am very lucky that I still have outstanding projects to complete, and some new jobs coming in, to keep my business turning over. Previously I’d be on call at all times, delivering campaigns and being extremely flexible with deliverables. With increased childcare responsibilities I’ve had to try and set some firmer boundaries for when I can complete briefs and respond to questions. Speaking candidly, this often does mean working during my son's nap time, in the evenings and on weekends to keep ahead of work. It feels like a constantly evolving set of rules, changing from day to day and week to week.

The downside of this juggling act is the pervading sense of guilt - that I can’t always dedicate adequate time to either my work or my child, that I’m somehow not quite fulfilling either my role as a professional or a parent to the best of my ability due to the newly imposed schedule. Trying to navigate a video conference call with a senior client whilst your toddler shouts at you to play Thomas the Tank Engine on the laptop isn’t particularly conducive to a sense of professional pride. However, when this feeling hits I try to take a step back and remind myself that this is not a set of circumstances anyone chose. Things aren't ‘business as usual’ at the moment, and I’m getting better at establishing when a client is being unreasonable in their demands despite the circumstances. I am learning to navigate this with a more open and honest approach and manage clients' expectations whilst also being realistic. I’m aware some clients might find this difficult, but I try not to let this get me down because I am doing the very best that I can in these very strange and challenging times.

I think, over the last month, the thing I've learnt to appreciate the most about being a freelancer is the flexibility it offers me in the current situation. For the first time in a long time I can spend dedicated and important amounts of time with my son, not only on the weekend. It’s tricky to know how, or if, my business and the entertainment industry I work within will weather the storm but, for now, I’m trying to take each day as it comes, remaining flexible and counting my blessings that I have a healthy happy child who thankfully knows nothing of the challenges facing the world. However difficult it is to juggle work and childcare I am grateful for this time that I have with my son.