6 Reasons Why I Absolutely Love My Job As A Freelance Writer

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I’m a freelance lifestyle and marketing writer, and I love my job for so many reasons.  And to everyone who’s reading this who knows me and never had any idea how I make money or what I do for work, now you know! I worked the 9-5 office grind for three years. I was a server and a bartender at a million different restaurants for seven years. I even partnered up with a friend and started a B2B web development, marketing, and branding company back in 2015.  But as good as the money was, and as fun as some of those jobs were, I never truly felt a sense of fulfillment or accomplishment when the clock struck 5 PM or my shift ended.  And that mattered to me more than the paycheck I was earning at the end of every week. Fast forward to right now, ten years after starting my very first job as a cashier at Toys-R-Us during the holiday season (yep, that happened)... I feel happy, I feel fulfilled, and I truly enjoy what I do for a living. The money I make doing it is just a bonus.  

Here are a few of the reasons why I absolutely love my job as a freelance writer:

 

The freedom, the independence, and the level of creative expression I have on a daily basis.

 In this position, I am fully in charge -- including all of the progress I make, the level of success that I reach, and the lessons that I learn along the way. I personally create all of the work that I submit to my clients, and I manage the entire process from start to finish.  Being the only one in control of my career is terrifying at times, but that same fear is also incredibly motivating. It’s what pushes me to open my laptop and get shit done every day, even when I’m too exhausted to answer one more email.  Remote freelancing is exactly what enables me to live my life (and work) on my own terms.  I train Brazilian jiu-jitsu four nights a week. I regularly get lunch with friends or my parents. I can make doctors appointments for any time on any day. I set my alarm for 9 AM every morning, and if I happen to stay up until 4 AM for whatever reason, I can sleep a little bit later without an issue because I don’t have any crazy time constraints. I know all of my deadlines and I make sure that I always complete my assignments ahead of time before they’re due. 

I can do my work from anywhere at any time (as long as I have wifi).

 I’ve written articles on flights.  I’ve sent invoices from my phone while visiting friends in other states.  I’ve answered emails while watching early-morning mountain fog roll in.  I’ve brainstormed pitches while driving to doctors appointments.  I’ve taken client calls in the car while road-tripping the east coast with my best friend.  Typically, I work from local coffee shops throughout the week. I also enjoy working from the comfort of my apartment on my couch. Regardless of where I go or what time I do it, the fact of the matter is that I can work from my bed or the seat of an airplane, at 12 PM or 3 AM, which is pretty damn cool and insanely freeing.  

I work alongside fascinating people and connect with really cool brands.

 Perhaps my favorite part of my job is the people I get to work with and the exciting campaigns I’m a part of.  I mainly work alongside entrepreneurs, content managers, and CEOs -- but every company and each point-of-contact is so drastically different than the next.  My job is extremely creative in nature, and I have so much fun brainstorming with and creating quality content for incredible people and brands.  I’ve produced content for gyms, social media influencers, healthcare products, food and drink companies, fashion brands, popular blogs, tech startups, SEO agencies, and digital marketing firms. What I do is help get brand messages out to the public in fun and engaging ways -- through storytelling, informative how-to guides, and other shareable content forms and topics.  

I drive results for these incredible businesses based on my creative work… and that’s super empowering as a 26-year-old woman.

 I’ve written articles that increased sales for mobile and web-based applications by over 300%.  I’ve shined a light on and spread the word about newer businesses with powerful missions by publishing content for them on popular digital publications.  Articles I’ve written have ranked in the first position on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs), helping to maximize brand awareness and visibility.  The content I’ve published has attracted thousands of readers and kept them on the page long enough to decrease bounce rates and improve analytics and overall website authority.  Did I lose you on the marketing jargon? Oops.  I’m extremely proud of the work I create and how it resonates with readers. Even though my friends don’t understand my job, I feel accomplished at the end of the day knowing I’m driving notable results for my clients and helping good people make more money.  But more importantly… 

I create content that literally changes people’s lives.

 I write and share my insights on topics I enjoy and am passionate about, which directly affects and impacts the readers of my content.  I’ve influenced people to lose weight, get out of toxic relationships, save money, change their diet, become happier, and improve their lives. I contribute my content every week to Betches and Hint Water’s The Quench. I also submit articles to BuzzFeed and The GentleManual. And when I find the spare time, I write on my own blog hawk + pearl (where you are right now, hi).  These publications share a combined total audience of over 1,000,000 monthly readers… I repeat OVER 1,000,000 PEOPLE!  That’s wild. I am SO grateful for the opportunity to write for these platforms on a regular basis because of the potentially positive impact I can make on people’s lives through them. And that’s worth more than any monetary value you can place on writing a 500 or 1,000-word article. The last reason why I love my job as a freelance writer? As if you couldn’t already tell... 

I LOVE what I do.

 When I started my blog back in 2016, I never thought I’d be where I am doing what I’m doing now. I just did it to do it and get my thoughts out on (digital) paper rather than flying around my brain with no better place to go.  I’ve always enjoyed writing. I never did it with the intent of making money.  I am beyond blessed to earn an income from my hobby and passion. This is a dream come true for me, and I am so happy to do what I love every day of my life. When the going gets tough, and I feel swamped, and I don’t feel like coming up with another article pitch, I think back to all of the times I worked a job I hated or felt stuck in an office and looked out the window and dreamt of doing what I’m doing now… then I STFU and remember why I do what I do and continue to do it. And that’s because I love it.  My whole point of writing this post is this:  If you have a dream, chase it. Whatever it is. It’s possible, and it’s worth it. I promise. I did it, and I do it, and so can you. Thanks for reading! What’s your dream job? And is it what you’re doing now? If not, how do you plan to change that? Please feel free to comment your thoughts below or write to me privately at morgan@hawkandpearl.com. I’d love to share my insight with you and chat about how you can start pursuing your dream too.