Master of All Jacks

"Flogging the Freelancer" is a blog post a day about freelancing in the gig economy. Browse the archives here.

My LinkedIn profile is sort of a complicated beast. To me, it makes sense: everything is words. To others, it may look all over the place. Am I a journalist? A blogger? An editor? A copywriter? A pundit? A photographer? A comics maker? An author? Am I a jack of all trades or a master of none?

On the one hand, it probably would've been better to have picked a niche and stuck with it. Say, journalism. And just done that. Improve those skills, sell those tools, climb up that ladder.

On the other hand, it was my ability to diversify and apply my tools across multiple categories that enabled me to survive as a freelancer. To be a marketer and a reporter. To write copy and to create fiction. 

In, say, 2000, my income was approximately $50,000. Half of it was from freelance writing and half of it was from TV appearances.

In, I believe, 2012, my income was approximately $100,000. Half of it was from freelance journalism and half of it was from freelance copy writing.

Looking back, I can't say I'm sure what's the best path. Why should I limit my abilities? Or did I create a kind of ceiling for myself? Perhaps I followed where things led me, to this place.

You can connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and you can email me here.