Hello fellow creative consultants. In an otherwise upbeat post, I have been experiencing the sometimes dreaded downtime freelancers discuss in quiet mutters as they hope for a brighter tomorrow. However, I post about the “dread” that is the downtime in hopes to offer the brighter tomorrow we tend to welcome when the time between clients seems far and in between.

What to Do?

So when the time comes, and let’s face the fact that it will come, you may wonder what to do to get by with few to zero clients. First off, it’s not an easy time, but it does offer many wonderful plusses to a slow period.

Hooray for the one true client!

The good thing is that one and prosperous client that always stands by your side. He or she calls or emails you just when that final notice bill hits your mailbox. I have had such luck recently with such a client. It seems that after you finish one project, that client is waiting with oodles more for you to take on. I’m not sure where this client comes from, or where the projects come from, but the whole package is a great way to brighten your day of bills.

Now, I know there will be times when said client is far away in a world not consumed of ways to brighten your day, and in this dark time, I can only offer the courage to keep trying. Don’t get discouraged about the slow streak. And most of all research with the time you have. I never stop learning about the area I am in, mostly because I have yet to know everything there is. So with the time that you have acquired, read a book about an area you have yet to learn about. Practice a skill you need to polish, and most of all, create, create, create!

Time to play catch up

With the all the free time you now have thanks to the slow period, you might consider this a good opportunity to tackle some much needed catch ups. Do you have a list of clients you need to get off the sticky note and into your computer program of choice? Do you have papers scattered about that could use a home? This time can be used to organize the crazy from you last wave all the while allowing you to prepare for the next. One of the biggest assets is an organization method that works for you. This will save the hassle later on, and also give you a day project to keep you busy while you wait for those clients to request your much needed creative services.

Take a vacation

While you may be in panic mode over the fact that your client list and projects have dwindled into an empty calendar, this may be the time to take a little break. We all know how hard it is to take a vacation in the middle of a boom in projects, so perhaps this would be a good time. Get away, take a breather, relax, and get rested for the next big project. Now of course if you have bills piling and a low cash flow, the vacation you should take is much less than the vacation you want to take. But even a day trip to a place you have yet to see or a trip to the park can be a rejuvenating way to enjoy your break from work.

So don’t worry about a little bump in the road. It may seem like a long one, but if you keep improving your skills, market yourself, and ambitiously go after those clients; work will find its way into your schedule soon.