I'm useless with blog readers.
I keep up with blogs purely off Twitter links and URLs already in my browser history. This means sometimes I forget about sites I enjoy reading for months at a time.
I thought I was winning at first, but now I realise that my scattergun approach just means I miss out on what's going on. Also, I finally realise that committing to a blog reader is not the same as getting a dog or having a baby. Nobody will report me to social services if I don't read those 15 new articles on the Stool Pigeon I've subscribed to (idiot).
I recently signed up for Bloglovin. (thanks for the tip, Laura). It's a bit buggy on the mobile, but the principle is neat. It loads up all your favourites into a reader on your phone/'pooter. And you can mark as read if you're really not bothered about reading an interview with the latest French neo-psych band (but don't want old-stuff hanging around on your new-stuff page and taunting your OCD).
Anyway, if you're on there- add me! I'm trying to widen my blog clout at the moment, as it's stats I can use for my CV.
Yeah, you heard, I'm making a tangible attempt to break out of my freelance content writing/ gym monkey rut and find a permanent role (hopefully in digital content) with career prospects and a bit more stability. This working six jobs malarkey is taking years off my life. It is not sustainable. I fear my popping is on the horizon.
It's a rocky career road I'm on (not the type with marshmallows, sadly). I took it because I thought it would get me somewhere I actually wanted to be. I need to find that turn-off now. It's been three years, and I feel ashamed that in spite of working longer hours than ever before, I still don't earn enough money to buy my own food. I feel ashamed that I do menial jobs my peers probably don't even think twice about. I feel ashamed about how often I get looked down on by members of the public, and that I spend so much of my time working for less than minimum wage.
This is why I do my writing thing on here so relentlessly - it lets me feel clever again.
So thank you for listening to me, you people out there. I was quite awed by your response to yesterday's post. It was awesome to get our own little forum going - all your passion and opinion is unbelievably inspiring and immensely rewarding. I know I do go on a bit at times, but I'm having so much fun. Do stick around, I'm sure I'll manage to write something less ponderous tomorrow.
Toot toot!
Penny you know that I know how you feel with doing the 'menial jobs', earning the 'minimum wage' (that one gets inverted commas because it's kind of subjective and the minimum wages in say, Glasgow and London differ greatly, and I would know, having slaved for both) and not being able to buy my own food. However. I don't think ANYONE in the public looks down on you, and if they do, they are supremely in the wrong. You deserve a well paid and fulfilling job because you are bright, have an education that you worked hard for, you have integrity and determination and drive and guts. However. I think that working the low end jobs, the cleaning or food service or whatever roles should be done by everyone at some point, and the problem with a lot of people at the top end, in the finance industry, or even politicians who come from money, is that they don't know what it's like to feel physically sick about spending £7, or to realise that to get to and from a job interview it will cost you more than an hour's wage at the position you're going for. They don't speak to the Colombian cleaners who run around after them as if they are children. Struggling for money, respect and job satisfaction as a creative in this economic climate is really really really hard. But I would still rather go through the struggles than be oblivious to them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, considering that both Amy F and I have recently triumphed in the employment stakes, it will be as I told you, that these things come in threes and you'll be next. xx
I have nothing to add that Gemma hasn't already said, I can only reiterate that I too think you are beyond awesome. You are so very talented, you have an amazing ability to paint a picture of a feeling, which sounds a bit strange but is an incredible thing to be able to do. And on top of that talent, you work so very hard, hang on in there because your chance will come.
DeleteK x
Thanks ladles, thou art excellent and greatly appreciated.
DeletePx