Editor’s note: Suzanne is a dedicated Freelancers Union member and a recurring guest blogger. Check out her post from the kick-off of Contract Creator, our free resource that helps prevent client nonpayment by allowing you to create and customize your own contract using our easy template. I recently rode home on the subway with a woman who had started freelancing after losing her job when her company closed.  Although she was excited about her freelance prospects, she was still mourning the loss of her position of more than ten years and particularly missed her coworkers. As I was chatting with her, I couldn’t help but think of the Bob Dylan song, “Like a Rolling Stone”: How does it feel To be without a home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone? People often feel like rolling stones when they first start freelancing, especially if they have turned to it after losing full-time jobs. Many of you have gone from having daily office camaraderie and a set routine to working in solitary home offices or camping out in Starbucks with your laptops, drinking endless lattes as you prepare your latest proposals. But at Freelancers Union, we’ve learned that freelancing doesn’t have to be lonely and it doesn’t mean you have to figure it all out on your own. This group of independent workers has created a real community for freelancers, driven by the energy, optimism, and commitment of members across the country to work together to better the lives of all freelancers. Those of you who worked to the point of exhaustion at mind-numbing jobs can now pursue being writers, painters, or computer programmers with the knowledge that you can also get health insurance, attend a networking party, or discuss all the latest freelancing issues at Freelancers Union’s Monthly Member Meetings.  Pursuing your life’s dream is no longer just a dream- when we join together we can make it a reality. From me to you, welcome to our freelancer community. As Bob Dylan also sang: Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon… For the times they are a-changin' The times are indeed changing, and the freelancer movement is leading the way. Suzanne Surbeck is a freelance writer living in New York City. She has been published by Google News_,_ Allvoices.com_, the_ American Society of Mechanical Engineers and The Christian Science Monitor_, among others._ (Photo via Paul Townsend on Flickr)