Not quite the midlands but in Brighton I've done this and know people who do it regularly. A kind of middle ground is a co-working space, these are sort of like

Not quite the midlands but in Brighton I've done this and know people who do it regularly. A kind of middle ground is a co-working space, these are sort of like offices that are available for freelancer user, you sign up for a anything from a couple of days a month to full time then you just show up with your laptop. I find it a really great way of working, being independent but still having lots of others around who also create stuff. <plug>The co-working space I work from in Brighton, The Skiff, is expanding. Anyone from around Brighton in the UK interested in co-working should definitely check it out: http://theskiff.org http://theskiff.org </plug>