on freelance writing and the jobs i take

freelance writing has been a part of my life since i left the seminary and took on a few writing jobs for tuition money and allowance. at 19, i began writing, first for a local magazine and a few classmates lazier than i with their theses and reports. it was an easy and expedient way to make money -- i had learned early on never to make the same report in the same tone and voice. from there, it became a matter of survival, a dance of counting out what was left in my pocket against the next freelance project that came along.

i remember my first writing job. it was for sun.star weekend. it was a poem about writing at the late hours of the night, of light and darkness, and of stepping away from the life of merely being a student, to a new life of being responsible for myself. it was revelatory and refreshing. and erma cuizon, literally, opened a whole new world to me. she was my genie in graying hair and reading glasses that dipped down to the tip of her refined nose. and eventually, my friendship and association with fellow writers pointed me to bigger, more lucrative freelance projects.

the thing about freelance writing is that it's always better to do when you don't have anything steady to bank on. for someone whose main source of income was a steady job, doing freelance takes more resources and time management. i am not, i confess, adept at managing my time between work, doing freelance projects and attending to household details. always, there will be one thing that will be left behind. so, when i entered the world of online writing, it was an easy and expedient for me to concentrate on my regular work, and choose my freelance tasks when my time was available and if the project was practicable.

my last two projects were serendipitous -- as half of all freelance writing projects are -- and truly enjoyable writing experiences. (i value enjoyment in freelance writing, because if it's not something i enjoy doing, i'd rather not).

the first is dimension architects. it is a young architectural firm, but it was full of vibrance, enthusiasm and dynamism. they had vibrant and realistic plans and ideas for transforming the cosmopolitan's skyline. so, when they came to me through sean lapus, and explained their need, there was no hesitation. i knew i just had to do their marketing collaterals. i like working with young, emerging companies / individuals because they are open and welcoming, not set in their ways and are forward-thinking. they will not compromise anything in their pursuit of their vision and i find that very refreshing. it's always a good idea for a writer to be in the company of people who are active and dynamic, because it adds to their own experience and breaks down preconceived notions, not just about writing, but of what to write about.

niel quisaba is a joy to work with, i've always said. he is brimming with ideas and new insights that early on, i've decided not to put a price tag on our working relationship. his insights about his art and about life, in general, just adds loads of new ideas and perpectives to how i can approach writing. it's always great to work with him.

as i continue my writing career, i've realized that freelance writing should never be about worrying about where you'd get your next meal, or getting on from paycheck to paycheck. a full-time job should take care of those necessecities. freelance work should be enjoyable, and you must take on projects that you will take pleasure in doing, and derive personal satisfaction from.





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on job security and following your dream

never in a hundred years would i have thought that i would end up doing what i love as my career and my passion: writing.

okay, forget that hyperbole for a moment and ask yourself: are you happy doing what you do at your job? in all honesty, i am. i love what i do. i can deal with the occasional boredom or mind-numbing hours staring at my pc monitor, because i love what i do.

the key to self-fulfillment is the mental masturbation you do in the things you love doing best. for me, writing never gets old. it never gets boring in long stretches. writer's block -- and admittedly, burnout -- is an occupational hazard, but an extended slump doing nothing, is never an issue.

because i love to write.

what i can get into trouble with is multi-tasking. i can't blog when i am in the thick of figuring out a productivity analysis report, or an ad campaign. i can't do freelance work if the process documentation and the the policies my fellow manager requested hasn't been put to bed -- i'm one-tracked in that sense. they say a writer is only as good as his last feature article, and i'm like that: i can't attend to my personal and freelance needs if work calls sweetly and longingly.

you can even say, i'm living my dream career.

working at an office for nearly five years changes you. it makes you build friendships and bridges (and makes you realize that the bridges you've burned before can be mended with a healthy dose of humility and a lot of foot-in-mouth apologies). it enlivens you.

and when that ends, it becomes a nightmare. on a professional level, you're stumped at what to do and where to take the next step in your career. on a social level, it is a painful process of seeing friends that have become old friends, too precious to let go, and too depressing a realization that you'll never see them again to share that pre-work coffee and cigarette.

on a personal level, it is a potential quagmire -- the dread of writer's block, or worse, an extended slump of doing no writing is fast becoming a reality i may have to deal with.

my dear friend said it best when she said that she'd rather write than be promoted to a position that gives her no opportunity to write. like i, celeste is living her dream, and we will both be leaving behind fond memories of brain-wracking ad copy and countlessly-edited process documentation and operational policies. and most importantly, treasured friendships.

i've always wondered why they called it a career -- the holding of jobs in the corporate world, in the call center, in business process, or even in politics. is it because there is no guarantee of job security, only "steps to building your career?"

in closing, doing what you love is important to building your career. what counts is that wherever your feet land, wherever your career calls you to, you are living your dream.





(now, click on the "Next Blog>>" tab so i can think up what i would write about next...)