Thank you for sharing your experience. It is very beneficial indeed to get satisfaction from what you do, no matter how unusual (or common) your way of doing it is.

Unfortunately ... the freelance economy creates quite a bit of a mess for people's future, no med and dental insurance, no 401K. It is very beneficial for employers, though, cutting on the costs and not caring for their labor force. Also, it is an excellent way of starting your career in your 20s or even early 30s. Not so much when you got responsibilities of a family person ... kids' college tuition to plan for, mortgages and car payments. Unless your earnings so high that you can pay out of pocket for all of that.