My father, being the Southern Black man he is, has zero qualms commenting on people’s weight. I’ve been horrified on multiple instances to hear him gleefully exclaim that someone was “gettin’ fat”…something that seems to be perfectly normal and acceptable conversation for his generation (they put less value on the amount of space bodies […]
Why Every Black Freelancer Should Be On LinkedIn (And How To Get Started)
Updated 5/15/2018 This post will help you with Phase 3 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! LinkedIn catches so much unfair shade. I take that back…it was 99% deserved until the platform started to understand that it doesn’t need to be Facebook with fewer memes. Basically, LinkedIn […]
9 Ways To Educate Yourself On Your Freelance Niche
Updated 6/9/18 This post will help you with Phase 2 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! If you’re not specializing in a niche, you’re probably making your freelance life harder than it has to be. Since some tweaks I made during website month, I’ve had a lot […]
I’m Missing My Cousin’s Wedding Because I’m A Freelancer
Everyone knows that freelancing means an end to that predictable paycheck, but it’s easy to forget how many parts of your life really hinge on having a steady flow of income. My closest cousin is getting married soon and I’m not going to be attending her wedding. It was a decision I had to make […]
Why I Just Turned Down A Full-Time Job
This post will help you with Phase 1 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! One of the greatest things about freelancing is that it gets you in close, long-term contact with people who hire. I’m always hearing stories from other freelancers about being offered full-time work or great […]
Sleep And The Independent Worker…How I Found My Peace
My relationship with sleep is probably best described as “difficult”. As a freelancer with fewer external forces shaping my schedule, I’ve been forced to make peace with it. I don’t have any formal disorders (as far as I know), it’s just not an activity I enjoy. I prefer staying up until 2 and hate sleeping […]
Quick Thoughts: Freelance Your Way To Full-time Work
One of my clients just asked me to interview for a full-time position with them. While I’m not personally looking to go back to that kind of employment, the conversations I’ve had around the job have reminded me how important an open mind is around the concept of work in the “new economy.” The work […]
From Writer To Content Marketer: Finding The Money In Writing
This post will help you with Phase 1 and 2 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! What’s the best way for a Black writer to make a living writing? That can be a difficult question to answer since there are so many types of writers — poets, […]
How You Know You’re Not Meant To Work For Other People
This post will help you with Phase 1 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! I waited too long to start making money for myself. Honestly, I should have known way earlier that I was a poor fit as an office employee. (You may have a similar story.) […]
Quick Thoughts: The De-punking Of Afropunk…It’s Not Just The Music
“Black people with a lot of piercings always throw me off.” This statement came from a heavily tattooed, bi-racial, White-acculturated friend of mine whose visual presence meshes easily with an Afropunk aesthetic. In response I mentioned the eponymous festival and my plans to go. He had no clue what it was. See I’d wanted to […]