beginnings
how I got started | My job has evolved over time, mostly to meet
the needs of my growing family.
For my first few years in the real world, I taught eighth grade English
and history. I was young, though, and didn't feel like I'd done enough
with my life yet to inspire my students. Plus, I wanted to be a
newspaper reporter since I was 12, so I finally pursued that dream by
moving across country and entering graduate school.
After earning a master's in journalism, I worked as a newspaper
reporter. Heaven! The job perfectly fit my interests and skills, it was a
service to the community, and it plunked me down in a new adventure
every day.
Once my husband and I started having children, though, it was difficult
to keep up the same pace. You can't leave a story half written at the
end of the day, even if an infant wants her mommy, and if news breaks at
5 p.m. you're not going home for at least a few hours.
So I took a job as the editor of a local magazine that allowed me to
work from home part of the time. I loved the flexibility of that. When
child No. 2 came along, I quit so I could be home all of the time. By
then, I knew enough people in the local journalism community that it was
easy to offer my services as a freelance reporter.
With a little more time to explore my own interests, I developed an
addiction to crafting. It's important to me to raise my children with an
ethic of simplicity, and part of that means teaching them that we can
often make the things we need instead of buying them.
My interest in this naturally spilled over to the stories I was pitching
my editors, and so my specialty in “craft journalism,†if there is
such a thing, grew.
inspiration
why this job?| It perfectly blends my interests in writing and
community, it's different every day, and it enables me to stay home with
my young daughters. Plus, ever since I was a kid I've enjoyed tapping
into my creative side, so being able to share my craft ideas with
readers or highlight the amazing work of other people is downright fun.
love
why I love this job!| Creativity, flexibility, community.
work
my typical day| A typical day starts with my preschooler crawling
into my bed to snuggle at 5. The baby wakes by 6, we eat breakfast and
get ready for the day. If there's enough time before preschool, we go to
the craft room and make something--a small stuffed animal, a painting,
whatever.
While the oldest is in preschool and the baby takes her morning nap, I
write, make phone calls and respond to e-mails.
We pick up my daughter from school at noon, eat lunch, and either run
errands, play, read books or do more arts and crafts.
If a deadline is coming up, I have my niece baby sit for a few hours
while I go write at a coffee shop down the street or interview someone
in person.
After dinner and the girls' bedtime routine, I work a little more and
then go to sleep.
On weekends, I usually do more interviews or take photos at craft
events, at local shops, etc. A lot of the time, my family comes with me.
Some of what I write is in a how-to format, so sometimes my work is done
in my craft room—sewing something and taking photos as I progress.
challenges
what they are | Balancing work and family is the most difficult
part of working from home. I really have to remind myself to not take
calls or respond to e-mails when my daughters are awake. The line
between personal and professional life is blurred, but I'm OK with that
because it means I can be with my children and still have a career.
upside
all about growth | I could probably earn twice what I do if I put
my children in day care and worked full time---there's that much
writing out there that needs to be done.
More Info
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