I Work Hard For The Money

Ahuh ahuh...

There seems to be a lot of debate about whether or not money is an objective when writing on Substack. It doesn’t mean that it’s a prerequisite or says anything about who “belongs here” or not. But there is also nothing wrong with taking writing here as a (soon to be) paid job. Popular posts and notes offer advice on how to monetize Substack. I notice them but rarely read them. Other posts do the opposite and advocate the value of sharing thoughts and perspectives, free of charge, and simply enjoying it as a no strings attached creative outlet.

I have been paid to write my entire working life ever since the age of eighteen when I joined an Amsterdam based newspaper as an intern. It’s never made me rich or famous, often it barely paid the bills. But, write I did. From journalism to PR, from academia to commercial copywriting, from SEO optimization to writing a poem in chocolate on a fancy, four-tiered wedding cake, there has not been a time when I didn’t write.

A previous cancer experience in 2011 took me through the wringer and left me with permanent damage that impacts me on a daily basis (chronic nerve pain and lymphedema, brain fog and unpredictable energy drops). Creating something of a career was put on the back burner. My professional life was not a priority. My passion for writing never left me so I wrote. Ambition came back, hand in hand with my curiosity. I gave lectures on sustainability and gave design thinking workshops. I taught arts and crafts to teenagers. I helped friends and family with CVs and cover letters, gave feedback on websites or edited theses. I did all of this for free.

It changed in time and writing for money became an objective again. A few paid projects came along but nowhere near enough to call that “making a living”. Most well paid jobs are full time positions, often semi-remotely only. I won’t turn this into a “woe is me” story by excusing my lack of success to date to my physical limitations. It has been my reality though, that with limited time and energy available to dedicate to work, options also sometimes feel limited. My world became a lot smaller, from living in the middle of a city to rural life in the countryside. I went from going out every single night to staying at home. My network and connections dwindled. I am still convinced I will find a way. I just haven’t found it yet.

After two months of turmoil in which I went from being on my death bed to being given another decade, give or take, I am in free fall. Right before this cancer crash I had just started researching courses to obtain my psycho social counselling license. To be able to pay for this, I was applying for (and being ignored or rejected) jobs as a carer in local nursing homes and with home care facilitators. The two invitations to come in for an interview I had to decline from my hospital bed. Recovering from my recent hospital adventure I pulled the plug on the last paid job I had (nothing fancy and my last invoice was 40 euros -laugh or cry).

I choose to dedicate myself to my own work. I chose Substack as my platform or medium. And I want to get paid for it. I am here to make money. Not because I think I can make a quick buck. I am in it for the long haul. And I genuinely believe I have something of value to offer readers. The best thing to me is getting paid for my own thoughts, ideas, research, perspective, style and approach.

As my active brain power is still failry limited these days I give this priority now. Yes I will continue to pitch, submit, apply for (part time) jobs to see where I can get a foot through the door again. I still want to be able to pay for and take the course for psycho social counselling. But in the meantime this is it. I want to regain financial independence not just doing what I love, but doing what I do best. I genuinely believe that the best use of my time in this life, the most value I have to offer to contribute, is through my writing.

Ironically I don’t apply SEO strategy here. I also suck at social media, self promotion and am not approaching any of this in a strategic way. I don’t write clickbait headlines, I don’t hijack conversations, I don’t regurgitate popular opinions or cliches. I don’t sensationalise or provoke.

There is nothing “intentional” about what I write and the way I write it. Except that it comes from a lifetime of looking at the world with awe and wonder, driven by curiosity and an inquisitive mind. Above all, it comes from the heart.