Last month I had the opportunity to be part of an entrepreneurship panel at my university. It was the first time I'd been back there in quite a while, and I enjoyed the chance to talk to the students. One of the students, Christopher Ming Lee contacted me afterwards and interviewed me about going freelance. The interview is posted on his blog and you can read it here: Freelance Writers Have an Edge Over Corporate Transitioners
Though I have been posting mainly about transitioning from employee to business owner, I've decided to make a change in direction. As a writer I certainly know how difficult it is to be a creative person in this society. Perhaps it's a challenge in any society, so maybe it isn't exactly limited to our culture. I do know that as a business owner I have constant conflicts between my desire to create and my need to make an income. I'd love to just write all day long without any regard about getting paid - but that is not the reality.
I've managed to go into business doing what I love, but it's not without anxiety. Yes, I do believe that the money will follow if you do what you are passionate about, if only because you will put all your energy into it. When things are tough that passion will keep you going.
One other thing has motivated me as well, and that is my total dislike of corporate life. So when the passion seems on the verge of flickering out, you can be certain that my decision to never return to a cubicle will re-ignite it. For me it has been a combination of the strong desire to express my creativity in my professional life, and my equally strong desire to never return to the corporate world.
