Get Your Hopes Up
I haven’t had steady freelancing work since last September. I’ve had lots of one-time jobs, but no steady clients–that is, until this past week. In the last seven days, I’ve gotten four steady freelance writing clients. I’ve spent the week trying to learn how to use three online platforms and sitting in phone meeting after phone meeting and taking notes on the invoice format that each client wants. It started out as exhilarating and descended into just overwhelmingly stressful. (The only reason I have a spare fifteen minutes to write this blog post is because one of the online platforms is having technical issues this morning, so I can’t upload my post.) I was still working hard every day and applying to tons of jobs during those six months, so what’s the difference between six months of not much and then this sudden explosion of steady clients that just keep calling me? At first I was baffled. But now I think I know.
I can’t tell you how many times I used to say the phrase “I don’t want to get my hopes up” every day. It was a lot. I was talking with a friend about faith a couple of weeks ago, and also thinking about another friend of mine who has so much faith. I wrote in my journal last week, “I never want to get my hopes up. But because of Who God is, am I free to get my hopes up? Hope will not put me to shame.” I wrote the specific name of a website that I had applied for a position with, but had heard absolutely nothing from them for two weeks, which seemed unusual. Right after writing that in my journal, I opened my email and I had an email from them. The next day I got that job.
Then things just kept flooding in. I began writing for the running website this week. I began writing about fitness for a content company (I technically got this job back in Dec/Jan, they just didn’t have any work for me until this week). I had a few meetings with a marketing company, and I’m in a trial phase working for them. Then last night–when I was already figuring out how many of my weekend plans I could cancel in order to stay home and work–I got a phone call from a company that helps musicians market themselves (something that I’m very passionate about–the whole reason I started The Hardworking Creative–and wanted to do, but didn’t know how to get started), and I’m in a trial phase writing for them.
Like I said, it started out really exciting this week–Wow! I’m going to be writing 40+ hours a week and making an adult salary!–and descended into insanely stressful–Wow, I’m going to be writing 40+ hours a week. I keep shortening my time at the nonprofit I work for (even though I love it there and I feel like I’m meant to be there) because I have so much writing work, and I haven’t worked on my new novel all week. This is what I wanted–to be a full-time freelance writer. The money is great, most of the work is fun, and it’s validation for my decision to skip the college degree (at least for now) and stay home and work this year. So I shouldn’t complain. But there’s definitely going to be a learning curve. The problem isn’t the writing itself–it’s figuring out how each company works (daily meetings? Oh. Okay), when invoices are due (introducing my three daily planners and my phone reminder app), and how to use the dang online platforms (all I have to say about this is ughhhhh).
Hopefully things will settle into a rhythm soon. (Unless any more clients call? I wouldn’t be surprised.) A few people have asked me lately what my day to day actually looks like. It’s always different, but I hope to get into more of a set schedule soon. Ideally, I’ll start waking up at 8 (it’s a struggle #chronicfatigueproblems); do freelance writing work from 9-11; work out/eat lunch/do chores or VO or something away the computer from 11-1; do freelance writing work from 1-4; hopefully still have the energy from 4-6 to work at my nonprofit or work on my own projects (like writing my novel); and then read or coach softball after dinner. If that’s even feasible? More and more clients keep getting added to my planners–definitely more than six hours’ worth of work per day. I work on Saturdays and I wanted to knock out some tasks from my new jobs today, but no one is around to help me out. So I’m off to watch my brother’s baseball game (my 8U team had their first game last night and lost 23-0…) and see Black Panther.
Anyway. This was just a stream of consciousness type thing to say that I’m officially a full-time freelance writer making big money, but it is not all rainbows and unicorns, and that I don’t think it’s a coincidence that all these clients came flooding in right after I got my hopes up, because hope won’t put me to shame.
[image error]
Do you struggle with having faith and getting your hopes up?
