I’ve been working full time freelance since January and I’m afraid I’m already about to burn out. I’ve delineated two types of writing for myself so as not to lose my marbles over whether or not what I’m writing is good enough for my own taste or if it gets the job done. Some writing is coverage and other times it’s writing—just writing. If it’s the latter it better be good and if it’s the former, I decide that it’s good enough, even if it isn’t a masterpiece. Surviving in the U.S. economy is a skill I’ve been at since 2008 and even before that, when I worked painfully low wages for the church ministries I found myself forced into. I don’t have to tell you this, but the job market is not great, in fact I would say it’s bad and the job reports that the White House puts out gaslight everyone underemployed.
The job market for me, feels like a fun house mirror; every job I’ve landed interviews at has either told me I was overqualified or hired me as a contractor. This week alone, I applied to six different copy writing jobs, despite my experience (all I do is write copy since everything is copy right?) and I don’t anticipate hearing from any of them. Therefore, I continue freelancing—pitching, running people’s social media accounts, writing trend pieces—anything to keep small piles of money coming in. My budget stays tight and my rent is cheap. I support only myself—no children or spouse (just two cats). I live with depression, anxiety, and CPTSD (religious trauma syndrome, baby!). Many days, getting out of bed seems impossible and when I do, it’s a miracle.
Things I’ve noticed:
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