Congratulations!  You've landed a fabulous job working for a company called Hotmail, or better yet – Gmail. They send mail to anyone with a g in their name and you are their top dog! 

Many times your email address is the first thing people see from you.  When it shows up in their inbox, or is presented on a business card at a meeting, or listed in a membership directory, that first glance tells them more about you than you know.

How many times have you received a solicitation from someone and when you ask for a card it may say, "Highland Landscaping Company  
Joe Schlomotica, Landscape Architect, Master Gardener
503-555-1212
joeyboy121@hotmail.com"

Tell me what you think about this Master Gardner now?
Would you be happy paying him at his "Master Gardner" rate or does his email scream, "AMATEUR"?
Joe has the education, the truck, the team, but lacks the branding and great first impression.

Now many folks are independent contractors. You work for companies and then move on to the next project. Perhaps you don't want to use the company email for most of your freelance or "on-the-side" endeavors, but you want to still encourage people to hire you and trust you.

Get a real email address.
My dog can have maxfinch@gmail.com.

There are so many inexpensive domain options that would speak more to what you are offering.  Spend some time on godaddy.com or other domain hosting companies to find some creative and professional solutions.

I have to admit, susan@susanfinch.com isn't very exciting or imaginative, but I have the domain and the other Susan Finches out there don't.  There's the Susan Finch that is soon to be retiring from the Times Picayune in Louisiana; and the other Susan Finch – Susan E. Finch – she's a voice coach and voiceover talent.  There's another Susan Finch who is an artist.  I've gotten to know them all because some of their leads and personal emails come to me. But that's another story.

Take the time.  Know that you and your talents are worth branding.  Show the world, at first glance, that you are a professional and are worth an initial test of integrity.