I’m not an expert but I am experienced, and that has to count for something.
I often wonder if self-employed writers create a plan and become freelancers with intention. Like most people, my curiosity stems from personal experience.
I have an unwavering interest in how others start from the ground and work their way up, up, up… Until they are sky-high and living amid their wildest imaginations.
See, I didn’t intend to become a writer or an editor.
I knew I adored words, and I had an affinity for language that would not evaporate.
And gosh, I hope it never does.
But…
I hadn’t a single clue as to how I would take my love for the art of content creation and transform it into a reality that could also sustain my lifestyle.
And if I’m being entirely honest—which, for the record, I always strive to be —I do not think a profitable freelancing endeavor would have unfolded for me had I not acted in the manner that I did.
Why? you might ask.
Well, you see… I’m a former neuroscience major.
This phrasing is a way of awarding an accolade to myself.
Is it well-deserved? I’ll let you decide. But anyway…
In laymen terms, I dropped out of college.
Withdrew, if you will.
But the point is… I don’t have a slightly-thicker-than-printer-paper piece of papier that lets other people know I attended four years’ worth of undergraduate courses.
Instead, I have a bill of twenty-thousand dollars reminding me that I never should have attended any ounce of college in the-middle-of-literally-nowhere Wooster, Ohio.
And like my attempts at college, I used to hold ever-so-tightly onto this seemingly unshakeable tendency of sticking things out until I’d be on the verge of exploding… And sometimes, even after that point.
Circling back a little bit, I was on the verge of exploding a mere three weeks before somehow becoming a freelance writer and editor. I was working as a barista for various Seattle-based coffee shops, and my head-in-the-clouds self grappled with how mundane my everyday experience felt.
I couldn’t stand clocking in, and while I internally squealed with glee every time I clocked out, I couldn’t help but fixate on the fact that I’d be back at my I-feel-like-I’m-going-nowhere job in twelve hours, give or take three.
So…
I invoked an attitude that mimics the only piece of advice I can recall verbatim from memory.
What is that? you may ask.
It is a little — actually, big — piece of advice known as fake it til you make it.
And before I continue onward, please allow me to elaborate that I do not at all mean that you should fake your writing or editing abilities by any means.
No, no, no… Don’t do that!
What I intend to encourage by telling aspiring freelance writers and editors to fake it ’til you make it is the art of self-confidence.
I have never once lied about my lack of a Bachelor’s Degree.
Somewhere down the line, I may or may not have whispered, “Hahah, a BS degree… How fitting, am I right? Lmaoooo.”
But I digress.
The Point Is…
…that I’ve never ever told a fib regarding my educational history because at the root of it all, I hold a truth deeper than deep within me.
The truth is… I have the ability to write in a manner that comes naturally. And I landed on this earth with an eerily innate talent for spotting any error in the English language.
None of them escape me, but I applaud those that try.
Likewise, I have a mastery of language that I cannot explain, but I do not take it for granted either.
My First Freelance Position as a Writer
My first freelance position as a writer felt like it arrived on my doorstep in a puff of smoke… Except, I didn’t have a doorstep at the time, and the offer actually arrived virtually in the form of an email rather than physically like the letters with which Hagrid presented Harry.
But my lack of a college degree did not present itself as an issue because I did not focus anyone’s attention of my lack of a college degree.
They say that what you focus on is what you manifest, and I was not in the business of manifesting further scrutiny simply because I lacked a college degree. Instead, I zeroed in on what I could offer rather than something I lacked.
And here I am, three years later, not only freelancing but also on the brink of working solely for myself.
And Here We Are…
You and I have arrived at the part of the article where I directly address the title of the post.
My #1 tip for aspiring freelancers, particularly writers and editors, is to believe that you can successfully complete the projects at hand.
It’s an effect that trickles down from you to your clients. Even if you have never written for anyone ever before, trust that you know how to begin from a place of no experience and learn as you go.
When clients and brands recognize that you know you’re capable of success, they will entrust you with the projects at hand. But if you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to have confidence in you?
If you have what it takes to write and edit for others, embrace your abilities and express the extent of what you can do.
It all comes down to how you view yourself.
Others will reflect that back to you.
So, Do You Have What It Takes?
If you already believe that you have what it takes, give it all you’ve got and apply my #1 tip for aspiring freelancers. And if you don’t already believe in yourself, send me a DM on Instagram. Let me know you’re struggling with establishing that core inner belief. I’ll hype you up, be there to chat, and help you feel more confident in your abilities.
You’ve got this ♡