Scarcity Mindset Has No Room in Your Freelance Career
By: Brynn Mahnke
Tags: Relationships, Life Lessons, Community, Writing, Freelance Writing

Scarcity Mindset Has No Room in Your Freelance Career

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

When you’re just starting your writing journey, it’s easy to feel like the world is working against you. Thousands of creators are vying for the same piece of the pie you’re after. If they get it? Well, that leaves less for you, which means you’ll need to work even harder to get what’s yours.

Or does it?

I started writing professionally about a year ago. Over the past twelve months, besides just writing, I’ve spent a lot of time reading what others have to say about writing and marketing. I’ve met numerous people who have been more than willing to share their knowledge, and I’ve benefited from writers and other professionals who have been willing to share what they’ve learned with me. In turn, I’ve been able to encourage others along their writing journeys, whether they’re writing a book or just getting started freelancing or blogging.

I wanted to give a shout-out to some of the people who have helped me along the way. These people have been selfless and offered advice and encouragement which helped me grow in the past year.

Freelancers sharing callouts

If you’ve been around Medium for a while, you’ve probably at least spotted something written by Roz Warren. First, Roz is hilarious. If you don’t already follow her then you definitely should!

Roz has been featured in several Chicken Soup for the Soul publications and she’s written about her success. But in addition to that, she regularly reminds her readers when there is a new call out for stories.

I had heard of Chicken Soup for the Soul but didn’t realize that they pay their writers. I also didn’t realize they were still publishing books; in fact, they publish several collections each year!

My story was accepted and published in their book!

Thanks to Roz and her timely article, I spent a few days writing and polishing a story, sneaking it in just a few days before the deadline. They receive thousands of submissions for each book, so I thought my chances of getting into a collection were slim. Still, it was good practice to write a little bit outside of my usual niche.

I was wrong! My story was selected and is part of their book “Making ‘Me Time’”, which became available in bookstores on February 16.

Photo by Author

I received 10 free copies of the book a few weeks before it became available in stores, and a $200 check followed a few weeks later. None of this would have been possible without Roz!

Insider knowledge about contracts

When I had a question about republishing work that had been previously published by an online magazine, I reached out to Roz too, knowing she had some experience in that area. She was incredibly helpful in talking me through my options and my contract. She doesn’t offer legal advice, but her wisdom and experience helped me think clearly about my choices.

What did she get from it? Nada, zip, zilch. She helped me out of the kindness of her heart.

Photography tips and help

This fall, I realized that I probably needed a better profile picture than the grey-toned selfie that I anxiously snapped of myself standing against the backdrop of my living room wall. Naturally, I turned to Google to help me figure out how the heck to get a decent picture of myself, and I stumbled across Britney Clause’s website.

Britney, a wedding photographer by trade, penned a blog in April of 2020 giving tips about how to take a selfie and make it look professional. In addition to all the great tips on lighting, background, angle, etc., she offered to edit these photos FOR FREE.

I set up a little photo shoot in my backyard, and my 11-year-old son agreed to be my photographer. I’m incredibly anxious about having my picture taken, but Britney’s tips and candid thoughts about her own anxiety made me feel like I wasn’t alone and that I was definitely capable of taking a decent picture. We got a whole lot of bad photos and a handful of good ones, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well they turned out!

Photo editing and a website feature — icing on the cake!

Since I found Britney’s blog in September and it had been written in April, I assumed she was probably a bit busier with work and might not have time to edit photos for some stranger on the internet. I emailed her anyway, offering to pay for the editing if she could help me pick the best of my photos. As a fellow artist, I didn’t want to take advantage of her kindness.

I told her that I needed to update my photo here, on my website, and on my LinkedIn profile because I was a freelance writer looking to build a website and shine up my online presence.

Guys. Not only did she agree to go ahead and edit my photos, but she also offered to feature me on a great website she runs called BAM Co-Create. She and her cofounder Marlayna promote local small businesses and artisans by featuring individual businesses on their website. They also set up events and offer fantastic products such as monthly boxes featuring items from different makers.

Britney was so gracious and encouraging to me about my pictures and about the projects I have going on right now. Her support of local businesses is inspiring, and I love her willingness to encourage others. And her selfie tips were on point, as you can see from my photo! I generally despise any picture with me in it, so I’m thrilled to have a picture of myself that I’m proud of.

Photo by the Author — See, doesn’t it look great?

Others who have helped me include a random guy on Reddit who volunteered to look over my profile on a freelancing website and offered me a few tips, just about every article in The Writing Cooperative, and various Facebook groups I’m part of.

Other people’s success doesn’t diminish your own

As freelancers, we often work alone. That can be a positive thing for those of us who identify as introverts but it can also be frustrating when you have the mindset of “Me vs. Them”. Truth is, we’re all in this together. No matter what you write, we can benefit from sharing ideas, sources, and communities where we can share knowledge. We each bring a unique perspective, style, and background to our work and don’t have anything to fear from other freelancers.

So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite resources:

The Writing Cooperative — Even the articles about publishing books and writing fiction are interesting to me, offering a new perspective on the work I’m doing. You never know where you’re going to find something that will be helpful in your line of work!

The Write Life — Subscribe to their newsletter, you won’t regret it!

The Copywriter Club Podcast — I’m just getting into copywriting, and this podcast has been so encouraging. I love the unique backgrounds that their guests have and I learn a lot with every podcast.

The Writing Coach Podcast — Rebecca is a travel blogger, and I am not. But her podcast is engaging, a quick listen, and she always has something useful to share. I’ve especially been encouraged by her candid discussions about mindset and the way we view ourselves and our work.

Reddit: r/freelancewriters — The users here have been incredibly helpful and insightful with questions about pricing, dealing with unruly clients, contracts, and all the nitty-gritty parts of freelance work that don’t necessarily involve writing.

All of these resources are free, though some include a paid option for even more resources or one-on-one coaching.

Whether you’re hoping for inspiration, writing tips, encouragement, or a little tough love, your fellow writers are one of the best places you can look. And once you’ve been around a while, share the love. Maybe it’s a lead on a gig, or maybe it’s some hard-won knowledge and you can save someone else the trouble of learning it the hard way. Whatever it is, your experience is unique and valuable and may be just the thing someone else is looking for.