Image Description: The purpose of this project was to develop a global database of the views, experiences, skills, and attitudes of both successful freelancers and those motivated to succeed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the project manager, I had to ensure that the research was running smoothly by communicating with 75 partnering platforms about the data collection process. My cat Goldie’s calm presence kept me focused and productive for this project as I was adjusting to remote work. Nowadays, my supervisor, Dr. Cupchik, and I like to joke that our true boss is Goldie, who “pulls out her claws if we don’t meet her standards for work”.
On my laptop screen, you can see the design of the project’s official logo in progress. This dynamic logo was inspired by the tangram puzzle, which consists of seven different polygons that are put together to form shapes. From my perspective, freelance work is like a tangram pattern. A freelancer enters the competitive freelance job market with a unique set of skill sets that they combine to build a distinct service. I chose a tangram bird because birds symbolize autonomy, self-direction, and independence, which are qualities that are typically found in thriving freelancers.
Why did you do this research? The Global Freelancing team and I began this research initiative out of a collective passion for learning about the freelancing experience and how it can be improved and supported. With the help of our wonderful research partners, we gathered the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of almost 2000 freelancers across all continents and areas of expertise. We aimed to build a strong and international understanding of the freelancer’s experience, then use our findings to help freelancers prosper and grow in the freelance revolution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Technique: An iPhone was used to capture this photo. A glare appeared on the laptop screen, so I took a desktop screenshot of the logo design in progress on Photoshop, then placed it within the laptop borders in the photo. The brightness and contrast of this image were slightly modified.
Acknowledgements: I would like to acknowledge the main investigators who I was privileged to work with: Dr. Gerald Cupchik (Professor of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough) and Dr. Jon Younger (Forbes Blog Writer and Founder of the Agile Talent Collaborative). I want to also acknowledge Andrew Egan, Jennifer Lo, and Sam Xu for all their technical support.