The Invisible Labour: the giant iceberg hidden beneath the surface
Last week, I read a Substack post called "The Invisible Labour of the freelancer" by @thebrightagency. It really struck a chord with me.
As a freelance illustrator, I know these situations all too well:
At 9 am, I sit down to work on a paid commission with great intention, but soon get sidetracked by tasks like posting on social media, updating my finances, and following up on unpaid invoices.
Admin tasks just seem endless: bookkeeping, copywriting, updating portfolios, managing IT, learning SEO, and content creation. It can feel like we need 14 heads and 14 pairs of hands just to keep our little art business going.
This is the invisible labour of a freelancer—the giant iceberg hidden below the surface.
The Invisible Labour: the giant iceberg hidden beneath the surface by Siya Liu
When a client pays you for a project, they are only paying for the finished, beautiful artwork above the waterline. What they are not paying for, and what you are probably not accounting for, is what happened before, during and after.
The time you spend on the initial enquiry, researching the client and the potential project, back-and-forth liaisons, calculating a fee and writing the quote. If you are lucky, everything gets the green light; then, research a suitable contract term (or you may have an agent to handle this). There is the invoice, the chasing of the invoice, and the chasing of the chasing.
By the time money actually lands in your account, you have spent hours on work that was never billed, and that most clients have no idea even happened.
This is not a complaint about clients. It is simply the reality of freelancer life. The project is the visible part. The administration is the giant iceberg beneath the surface.
Next time, when you calculate your fee or write your quote, don’t be so coy; remember to include the time and effort spent on the invisible labour. Actually valuing this work ensures you are paid fairly for your true value as a freelancer.