~ Field Notes ~

Learning to fly: What it’s like to enter ‘the gig economy’.
Going freelance, no performance bonus, no medical care, no holiday entitlement, no more paid sick days, no more guaranteed monthly income, Oxford Circus, Philosopher, Martial Artist, Actor, Bruce Lee, skydiving, wingsuit, London, organisational politics, freelancer, full-time job, handcuffs, golden handcuffs, freelance community, Learning to fly, freelance, the gig economy, Gig economy, digital nomad, professional resilience Chris Shirley MA FRGS Going freelance, no performance bonus, no medical care, no holiday entitlement, no more paid sick days, no more guaranteed monthly income, Oxford Circus, Philosopher, Martial Artist, Actor, Bruce Lee, skydiving, wingsuit, London, organisational politics, freelancer, full-time job, handcuffs, golden handcuffs, freelance community, Learning to fly, freelance, the gig economy, Gig economy, digital nomad, professional resilience Chris Shirley MA FRGS

Learning to fly: What it’s like to enter ‘the gig economy’.

Around 4 months ago, I decided to join the freelance community. I wanted control of everything in my life.

Earlier this year, I had decided to leave a career in the military and start a new path in a London-based global media organisation. Life was simple – you just turn up, do your job, don’t rock the boat too much, go home, get paid, buy nice things. It’s that straightforward. But simple isn’t always the best and by now, I’d had enough of my life being defined by a safe career path that led to an unknown horizon.

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What it's like to take on the Devizes-to-Westminster canoe race.
Adventure in the UK, London, Wiltshire, adventure, personal development, self-development, fortitude, endeavour, resilience, canoe, amphibious adventure, Devizes to Westminster endeavour, kayak, Devizes to Westminster canoe race, Devizes to Westminster, DW, D2W Chris Shirley MA FRGS Adventure in the UK, London, Wiltshire, adventure, personal development, self-development, fortitude, endeavour, resilience, canoe, amphibious adventure, Devizes to Westminster endeavour, kayak, Devizes to Westminster canoe race, Devizes to Westminster, DW, D2W Chris Shirley MA FRGS

What it's like to take on the Devizes-to-Westminster canoe race.

It’s 3am and a voice calls my name from the darkness. It’s quiet at first, muffled by a scarf wrapped tightly around my head to keep me warm because I’m still soaking wet and bitterly cold.

“Chris – you’re steering us towards the bank”.

I groan, and think to myself “I’ve just fallen asleep again – how does this keep happening? The quiet voice is right, I have just knocked the steering handle of our 2-man kayak towards the mud bank. And if I don’t do something about it, we’ll collide and potentially put a hole in the hull, meaning we’d be out of the race.

On second thoughts, maybe that’s not such a bad thing..

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