To be clear, I am not talking about dashboard creating tools like Tableau (which doesn't take much skill) but more of d3 style, unique ways of telling a data story.
There are in media, finance, and science. You just have to look.
> Are there freelance projects?
There are companies who are looking for freelancers.
> Is it possible to make a decent living (5k+ per month, USD) doing data visualization?
Good luck.
> To be clear, I am not talking about dashboard creating tools like Tableau (which doesn't take much skill) but more of d3 style, unique ways of telling a data story.
Then it sounds like you might be interested in data journalism. The field is rife with people working in data viz. Though, you need several skill set beyond just putting lines on a screen: pulling a story out of data, reporting it out, understanding journalism ethics and processes, interviewing, etc.