And so it begins.

After working for years as Jim MacQuarrie, freelance graphic designer, I’ve decided that it’s time to make the transition from occasional employee/independent contractor to actual business entity. There are a lot of reasons for it, and as it turns out there’s a lot that goes into it. This blog will be an ongoing chronicle of what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and why.

The process began with an article in TIME magazine. As I read about how companies are refusing to even interview the unemployed,  I realized that I had to do something. I’ve been saying for a while now that we are in a post-industrial revolution; the world is changing and those who don’t keep up are going to be in trouble. The old days when loyalty to “the company” was rewarded are gone. The Company will not take care of you. If the stock price can be boosted by firing people, shipping their jobs to Outsourcestan, or turning everything over to independent contractors, freelancers and interns, that’s what they will do. The only people who will prosper are those who work for themselves. After reading the piece in TIME, I realized that I was right, and that the door was slamming quickly. I have to embrace the new reality now, because the old one is gone.

So here we are. I can’t scrape by as “Jim MacQuarrie, Freelancer” any more. As a freelancer, I’m a temporary employee; as a graphic design studio, I’m a business of my own.

And so it begins.