LANCE - Email roulette
Hi! I’m Anna Codrea-Rado and this is my newsletter about the highs and lows of working for yourself. I’m a freelance journalist, podcaster and author. If you liked this email, press that little heart button, leave me a comment and forward it to a friend 💙 Lately, I’ve been playing email roulette. Permanently open in a browser tab, I reflexively spin the inbox of chance and hope that it lands on my number. For better or worse, my day can turn on a dime based on one single email. The rejected pitch for an idea I’m desperate to write; the decision to go in another direction on a project; the cancelling of a contract. But then there’s also the commission out of the blue; the invitation to host a podcast series; the green light on funding for a project. Faceless arbiters at the other end of digital missives, deciding what passes and what doesn’t. There’s a furious adrenaline rush each time I peek in my inbox – I hate that my mood is so affected by what I find in there and yet I can’t stop myself from constantly checking either. I know how unhealthy this behaviour is and I’ve worked hard over the last four years to make sure that the bulk of my work isn’t solely dependent on the whims of gatekeepers. (Hello, this newsletter). But there are still some projects that just can’t be done without a yes from someone else. Like the big one I’m working on at the moment, the Freelance Writing Awards. (Fellow freelancer and newsletter writer Sian Meades-Williams and I are launching the first-ever media awards for freelancers in the UK.) It’s a big, ambitious project, that’s as challenging as it is exciting. We need a lot of yeses to make it happen – from sponsors to help us fund it, to judges who can contribute their time to it. And so, I sit and refresh. The yeses have been truly thrilling, while some of the nos, utterly devastating. I’ve been in the freelancing game long enough to know that sometimes, the gatekeepers are just wrong. But it’s really hard to believe that when you’re up against them by yourself. What’s kept me sane throughout this whole project is that, for once, I’m not sitting at the wheel alone. Working with friends has transformed my career. When one of us melts down, the other one scoops them up. Old friendships have taken on a new dimension, while I’ve made new pals through collaboration. There’s no performative working or fudging the progress reports, there’s just honesty and support. We put friendship first and yet somehow, the work is all the better for it. So today’s newsletter is a dedication to all the people that I work with, who sit next to me, betting on things working out. Regardless of where the chips fall, I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot.
💌 P.S.UPDATES FROM ME
WHAT I’M READING
SUBSCRIBE AND SHAREIf you have a friend who would find this newsletter helpful, please forward it to them. And if you aren’t already, sign up to receive it directly to your inbox This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. The revenue generated supports this newsletter. All my work is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. |
Older messages
In celebration of freelance writing
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Introducing: The Freelance Writing Awards
Where's my ambition gone?
Saturday, June 26, 2021
The pandemic effect might not be what we think it is
Leave people better than you found them
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Sometimes the value is in what I have to say, other times it's in sharing what others have already said
It takes a (freelance) village
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Fellow freelancers are your colleagues, not the competition
Battery low
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Just as all the electronics around me, I too am out of charge.
You Might Also Like
This 19-page website is on track to earn $200,000 in its first year
Friday, April 26, 2024
...mostly on auto-pilot
Videos that drive results
Friday, April 26, 2024
Today's Guide to the Marketing Jungle from Social Media Examiner... Presented by Social Media Marketing World logo It's 🥨 National Pretzel Day, Reader! Do you like them soft or crispy? In
Meet the Man Killing Google Search...
Friday, April 26, 2024
Who is responsible for Google's core product...search? Google's head of search has recently been in the news as he called an all hands on deck meeting to tell Google employees of a new
Reader, your $1,000 discount expires today.
Friday, April 26, 2024
Hey Reader, For our first 2024 EcomCrew Premium launch, we're offering new members 50% off ALL our plans. The offer comes with a 30-day, no-questions-asked money back guarantee, but you should sign
LUC #51: Domain-Driven Design Demystified: Bridging Development and Business Needs
Friday, April 26, 2024
Plus, how elasticsearch works, what makes an API RESTful, and server-sent events explained
Consensys Sues SEC Over Ethereum Classification
Friday, April 26, 2024
Plus FBI Highlights Risks in Crypto Mixing Post-Samourai
Digiday Awards: Join the list of past winners from Carhartt, Adobe, Dentsu and more
Friday, April 26, 2024
One week left to secure the lowest rate on entries
TikTok ban (for real this time?) [Crew Review]
Friday, April 26, 2024
EcomCrew Premium is 50% off until midnight. This is your last chance to grab the offer that comes with a 30-day money back guarantee—no questions asked. Sign up here. Hey Reader, President Biden has
Let AI build your online business by remote control
Friday, April 26, 2024
This helps make success on ClickBank easier than ever before! View in browser ClickBank Yesterday's live training was mindblowing ClickBanker, did you miss it? Bill McIntosh (Our AI Expert
Code yellow, I repeat CODE YELLOW 📢
Friday, April 26, 2024
TGIF. This is the Niche Nugget. A monthly roundup where we bring you SEO and creator news and insights from across the industry. What happened? What's it all mean? We've got you covered.