It’s been a strange year for me so far, but I can’t say it’s really bad. Well, except for the stomach flu, that was all bad.

I’m having a slow, frustrating divorce from one of my oldest and best clients — they have less and less money for spending on a designer, and I find myself less and less interested in the things they need from me. Unfortunately, we’re both stuck in a cycle of dependence. I need them to pay my rent. They need me to keep their site updated. But we both, in our own ways, want out.

So, how do you break up with a client and have it end well for everyone?

I’ll start with the caveat that each situation is different. In this case, I don’t think cold turkey would be the way to go for either of us. They don’t have anyone on staff who could do what I do, and when they looked into replacing me they found out that I’m actually very reasonably priced for what they get out of me.

The problem is, it’s just not what either of us wants anymore, so this is what I’ve begun and will continue to do:

• Aggressively explore other avenues of income that are more in line with what I really want to do, rather than the work I’ve fallen into doing — art and Design versus back-end coding and endless forms.
• Take more fine art and illustration commissions, which I’ve already begun to do.
• Really work on getting better at my technique and improve my skill and speed, so that making art is a good value for my time for both myself and my new clients.
• Create some stock vector art and niche websites for passive income streams.
• Find other ways to be creative that I will enjoy and make money off of, like selling small handmade items at Etsy.com.
• Finish that novella and see if I can’t find an e-Pub to sell to.
• Learn as much about Marketing my own work as I can.
• Make an effort to hook into the local art community and surround myself with people who are encouraging, creative, or both.
• Keep supporting the client for as long as they need me, and try to find ways to make the work I have for them less time-consuming and more efficient for both of us.

That last is, in a lot of ways, the most important — I don’t want either of us to build up a lot of resentment. In the end, I know that they don’t want to have to figure out a new designer any more than I want to figure out how to replace the income, but I get (oh how do I get) that money is tight and it’s hard for them to see the benefits of such an abstract investment.

Still, they’ve been a loyal client for so long it’s hard to imagine being freelance without them, so I want to make sure that the relationship ends amicably. When the time comes, I’ll make sure to give them their files, and let them know I’m here if they need me. I won’t be the ex-girlfriend who put your guitar in a blender, but the one who mailed back your childhood ornaments when she found them in with her Christmas stuff.

Or at least, that’s what I’ll try for!