Freelancing is a real full time job.
If you are freelance, you have to commit to being a freelance : having a website, developping relationships, having strong work ethic, make your name known…
It's very different than doing some freelance at night.
To me it seems a lot more "stable" to be self-sufficient actually, and working for a lot of different clients, than being in one company which can close tomorrow and then you'll have to start everything over and maybe never find another job. We saw so many studios closing these years, it's terrifying, I don't understand how it can be considered "stable" whereas as freelance you can't drown if you're good. A very few companies need pixel art every day, but a lot of companies need pixel art just sometimes, that's why they hire freelance artists when they need, and that's how freelance artists jump from a client to another where they're needed.
Of course your revenue will not be as steady, but it stabilizes over time and you will also have incredible months that will help to not be worry during the bad ones. I'm not even mentionning free time, liberty, ability to work at home, having the time to learn & improve yourself, and all the other benefits of being freelance. Of course if you already have a family it may be too late to start freelancing right now and take that kind of risk, but actually my father did it with 3 children, became a well known freelance photographer in Paris now and everything's ok : he's a lot happier and more free than when he was DJ before, working at night in unhealthy conditions.
It's just possible. "No risk, no reward" I would say.
You have to think big if you want real changes in your life.