“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” – Albert Schweitzer

I love this quote, not because it speaks of life, but because of how accurately it speaks of freelancing as well.

One of the biggest challenges freelancers face is that of isolation and loneliness. Sometimes, I feel that I can barely wait to pounce on Sam every time I see him or speak to him. I can’t wait to tell him all about the assignments I did (or didn’t) get, how an editor behaved or what’s going on with the market. In the absence of freelancer friends, it becomes incredibly easy to become socially dependent on your partner or your family for any kind of work gossip.

I feel exceptionally lucky in that Sam has been a freelancer (and runs a media agency), hence not only intimately understands what I’m talking about, but is one of the people I go to for advice when I’m stuck. But I’m also exceptionally lucky in that I do have freelancer friends I can call upon when I’m feeling down, and who share many of my clients and are happy to talk about their experiences with those publications.

Last week, I spent almost two hours on the phone with a fellow freelancer from Delhi. We both write for a publication that has increasingly changed its policies regarding payment and I called her to tell her that now every time I wrote for this magazine, I felt violated. That two-hour conversation was more valuable to me than weeks I’ve spent on message boards because it really helped us both understand how things were working behind-the-scenes at that publication and how we could join forces to undo the damage we’d done to ourselves by accepting a lousy contract. She also let me whine incessantly (for 1.5 of the two hours), because she understood exactly how I was feeling.

I’ve often been envious of people who live in the US or UK, because of the access they have to extensive networks of writers. In India, I barely know any freelance writers (freelance photographers, I know dozens), and 9 out of the 10 I’ll meet are hobbyists whose bills are paid by their partners, or who’re more interested in seeing their bylines than in being paid decently for their work. Freelancing as a concept is very misunderstood in this part of the world, and finding people who “get it,” so to speak, is a rare experience.

Any serious freelancer in India who is looking to work with international publications (and is achieving success with that goal) is my direct competition, yet the three freelancer friends in India that I trust most and go to for advice and contacts fall exactly in that category. I never have trouble sharing any kind of information with them and they do the same for me. One of my editors called me the other day to discuss a story and said, “Oh, by the way, I’ve hired your friend N as well.” N and I had both applied for the same job, and had both recommended the other!

I’ve realized an important thing: the people who’re doing the same work as you are your competition, but they’re most likely to be your closest work friends as well.

This Wired story, about Delhi-based photojournalists Adam Ferguson and Zackary Canepari inspires me greatly and is testament to the fact that despite the intense competition that exists in our community, friendship comes right along with it if you’re smart enough to recognize it.

One of the best things you can do for yourself as a freelancer is to find a community of (even one or two) people who do what you do, with whom you have a relationship of mutual respect and trust. Those friendships will be more important and helpful for you than any other contacts you’ll make in your entire career.