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Interview with a Writer and Photographer
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In this interview with a writer and photographer who works in the field of e-commerce, we learn about the challenges she faces working on a freelance basis, but also the passion she has for each element of her work. If you are considering a career that combines the arts and technology, writing or doing photography for the e-commerce industry may be right for you!
Q: What is your job title and what industry do you work in? How many years of experience do you have in this field? How would you describe yourself using only three adjectives?
A: My current job title is one of those increasingly common ‘combo,’ forward slash, hyphenated kind of things :) : Web Writer/Editor and Freelance Photographic Contributor for online stock footage companies. I have been working in these areas in the last year, though my background is in Emergency Medical Services and EKG interpretation. So, the change has been substantial, but immensely rewarding. If I were to describe myself in three words, they would more than likely be the three words and characteristics that allowed me to make such a dramatic career change, and they are: passionate, spontaneous, and mercurial.
Q: What’s your ethnicity and gender? How has it hurt or helped you? If you ever experienced discrimination, how have you responded and what worked best?
A: I am a white female of Irish descent. I think the red hair may be more of hindrance than my gender, though. On a serious note, in the realm of online content contribution and writing, gender does not often come into play. There is both an anonymity and gender neutrality that allow for a fair and relatively unbiased environment. I experienced more discrimination in the field of medicine than I have ‘living electronically.’ When I did encounter discrimination or doubt, what worked for me was to accept it calmly, (which is sometimes difficult with my personality,) and to then work twice as hard to show I possessed the required skills. It may have taken a few weeks, but hard work and dedication, in my experience, eventually win respect.
Q: How would you describe what you do? What does your work entail? Are there any common misunderstandings you want to correct about what you do?
A: That is what is so lovely about what I do...it almost defies description. It is creating. It is not a static, but a consistently dynamic thing. Each article I write or photograph I take are themselves frozen thoughts or moments, but for me they are always flowing, changing and helping me to evolve. For a more formal description I will say that what my jobs require are, in the case of writing, an assignment, which I research and write. After writing comes the submission and, hopefully, the acceptance of the article. In the case of photography there is also a submission and approval process. However, with photography, I am free to capture any moment, object or person that catches my eye. I can enhance a mood, color, expression, intensity or vitality. It is both a career and emotional outlet for me.
Q: On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What might need to change about your job to unleash your full enthusiasm?
A:Oh, my present job satisfaction is definitely near to hitting the big 10. The only thing I might consider something that could be changed to unleash my full enthusiasm would be to be at a level on which I had the complete freedom to write and photograph without assignment or specification. But, that is a thing that will take time, hard work and hard-won respect.
Q: If this job moves your heart – how so? Ever feel like you found your calling or sweet spot in life? If not, what might do it for you?
A: It moves my heart, certainly--it may even maintain it. What I am doing presently is something creative and dynamic. Something in which expressed emotions and passions are not merely acceptable, but things that compliment your work. I love it because it too is a translation...my feelings translated through another person’s expression, the shade of blue in the sky, or the enhanced iridescence of a flower’s petal. I think it could be my sweet spot in life, and I think it found me.
Q: Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?
A:Well, something that might be considered unique is that in the case of both of my current jobs, each were things I began doing as a way to cope with an illness I was diagnosed with that necessitated I stop working in the ER. I have written and photographed for the past year consistently, but prior to I had never published anything written or taken a photograph. Photography especially has been a blessing for me.
Q: How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
A: Serendipity, fate...quirky things lead me to this line of work, but I am grateful. And considering what I’ve learned, I wouldn’t do it differently, nor would I change it. What’s been learned has been worth the price of the lesson.
Q: What did you learn the hard way in this job and what happened specifically that led up to this lesson?
A:You could say what I learned the hard way is that this can occasionally be a job indeed. It’s not always as easy as you might think to write something to specification. But, I’ll tell you a secret: that’s the trick of making your work not seem like a *job;* if you can enjoy it, it is a calling. For the most part, only every once in a while does this seem like a job; the majority of time it’s a passion...it's my calling.
Q: What is the single most important thing you have learned outside of school about the working world?
A: That much like life in general, empathy, compassion, emotion, passion, and the willingness to work hard are invaluable, and they not only serve you well personally, but they can serve to help and inspire other people at the same time.
Q: What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
A: It may sound odd, but in my E-commerce jobs (writing and contributing) the strangest thing for me is to be able to do two things I enjoy immensely and have them accepted.
Q: Why do you get up and go to work each day? Can you give an example of something that really made you feel good or proud?
A: These things are passions for me, so it is good to be able to say that the reason I get up and work is because I am impassioned and anticipating my day. A couple of things that have made me feel unbelievably good were the first time I was offered payment for a photograph I took, and the first time someone offered to pay me to take family portraits.
Q: What kind of challenges do you handle and what makes you want to just quit?
A: I think my biggest challenge would be simple writer’s block, and occasionally it is hard to deal with rejection, but so far I’ve been very lucky and quitting hasn’t crossed my mind. When it’s something so personally emotional to you, there is no quitting.
Q: How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance? How?
A: The stress is minimal, but does come with the writing occasionally. Deadlines or specifications can cause a bit of worry, but in the scheme of things, and comparatively speaking, web writing and online contribution is a relatively stress free field.
Q: What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough and/or happy living within your means?
A: The pay is enough to live on (roughly $800 a month), and though I don't have decadence, what I get as a trade-off (emotional outlet, approximate freedom, something I’m passionate about, peace) is well worth worth it and infinitely more valuable than money.
Q: How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
A: That is the one of the beauties of doing this...you can remain relatively free and flexible. So, vacation is always an option. And in the case of snapping...every trip walking and photographing is its own little vacation.
Q: What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
A: No matter how you contribute in E-commerce...Web design, content, sales etc. It is good to have an educational background in your niche. However, something that is unique to the online world is the fact that a little talent and a lot of hard work can be effective tools that help you get your foot in the door.
Q: What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
A: I would tell them to go for it. If you love something, take a little risk and pursue it for a while. Keep patience and dedication and work ethic in mind, but find your passion and live your dream.
Q: If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
A: If I could do that I can honestly say I would be completely content doing what I’m doing right now, only perhaps on a ‘larger scale.’ I’d like to continue to evolve and to improve my craft. If possible I’d like to reach more people, and in general, contribute not just to the Web, but to the world and its people as well.
Q: What is your job title and what industry do you work in? How many years of experience do you have in this field? How would you describe yourself using only three adjectives?
A: My current job title is one of those increasingly common ‘combo,’ forward slash, hyphenated kind of things :) : Web Writer/Editor and Freelance Photographic Contributor for online stock footage companies. I have been working in these areas in the last year, though my background is in Emergency Medical Services and EKG interpretation. So, the change has been substantial, but immensely rewarding. If I were to describe myself in three words, they would more than likely be the three words and characteristics that allowed me to make such a dramatic career change, and they are: passionate, spontaneous, and mercurial.
Q: What’s your ethnicity and gender? How has it hurt or helped you? If you ever experienced discrimination, how have you responded and what worked best?
A: I am a white female of Irish descent. I think the red hair may be more of hindrance than my gender, though. On a serious note, in the realm of online content contribution and writing, gender does not often come into play. There is both an anonymity and gender neutrality that allow for a fair and relatively unbiased environment. I experienced more discrimination in the field of medicine than I have ‘living electronically.’ When I did encounter discrimination or doubt, what worked for me was to accept it calmly, (which is sometimes difficult with my personality,) and to then work twice as hard to show I possessed the required skills. It may have taken a few weeks, but hard work and dedication, in my experience, eventually win respect.
Q: How would you describe what you do? What does your work entail? Are there any common misunderstandings you want to correct about what you do?
A: That is what is so lovely about what I do...it almost defies description. It is creating. It is not a static, but a consistently dynamic thing. Each article I write or photograph I take are themselves frozen thoughts or moments, but for me they are always flowing, changing and helping me to evolve. For a more formal description I will say that what my jobs require are, in the case of writing, an assignment, which I research and write. After writing comes the submission and, hopefully, the acceptance of the article. In the case of photography there is also a submission and approval process. However, with photography, I am free to capture any moment, object or person that catches my eye. I can enhance a mood, color, expression, intensity or vitality. It is both a career and emotional outlet for me.
Q: On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What might need to change about your job to unleash your full enthusiasm?
A:Oh, my present job satisfaction is definitely near to hitting the big 10. The only thing I might consider something that could be changed to unleash my full enthusiasm would be to be at a level on which I had the complete freedom to write and photograph without assignment or specification. But, that is a thing that will take time, hard work and hard-won respect.
Q: If this job moves your heart – how so? Ever feel like you found your calling or sweet spot in life? If not, what might do it for you?
A: It moves my heart, certainly--it may even maintain it. What I am doing presently is something creative and dynamic. Something in which expressed emotions and passions are not merely acceptable, but things that compliment your work. I love it because it too is a translation...my feelings translated through another person’s expression, the shade of blue in the sky, or the enhanced iridescence of a flower’s petal. I think it could be my sweet spot in life, and I think it found me.
Q: Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?
A:Well, something that might be considered unique is that in the case of both of my current jobs, each were things I began doing as a way to cope with an illness I was diagnosed with that necessitated I stop working in the ER. I have written and photographed for the past year consistently, but prior to I had never published anything written or taken a photograph. Photography especially has been a blessing for me.
Q: How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
A: Serendipity, fate...quirky things lead me to this line of work, but I am grateful. And considering what I’ve learned, I wouldn’t do it differently, nor would I change it. What’s been learned has been worth the price of the lesson.
Q: What did you learn the hard way in this job and what happened specifically that led up to this lesson?
A:You could say what I learned the hard way is that this can occasionally be a job indeed. It’s not always as easy as you might think to write something to specification. But, I’ll tell you a secret: that’s the trick of making your work not seem like a *job;* if you can enjoy it, it is a calling. For the most part, only every once in a while does this seem like a job; the majority of time it’s a passion...it's my calling.
Q: What is the single most important thing you have learned outside of school about the working world?
A: That much like life in general, empathy, compassion, emotion, passion, and the willingness to work hard are invaluable, and they not only serve you well personally, but they can serve to help and inspire other people at the same time.
Q: What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
A: It may sound odd, but in my E-commerce jobs (writing and contributing) the strangest thing for me is to be able to do two things I enjoy immensely and have them accepted.
Q: Why do you get up and go to work each day? Can you give an example of something that really made you feel good or proud?
A: These things are passions for me, so it is good to be able to say that the reason I get up and work is because I am impassioned and anticipating my day. A couple of things that have made me feel unbelievably good were the first time I was offered payment for a photograph I took, and the first time someone offered to pay me to take family portraits.
Q: What kind of challenges do you handle and what makes you want to just quit?
A: I think my biggest challenge would be simple writer’s block, and occasionally it is hard to deal with rejection, but so far I’ve been very lucky and quitting hasn’t crossed my mind. When it’s something so personally emotional to you, there is no quitting.
Q: How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance? How?
A: The stress is minimal, but does come with the writing occasionally. Deadlines or specifications can cause a bit of worry, but in the scheme of things, and comparatively speaking, web writing and online contribution is a relatively stress free field.
Q: What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough and/or happy living within your means?
A: The pay is enough to live on (roughly $800 a month), and though I don't have decadence, what I get as a trade-off (emotional outlet, approximate freedom, something I’m passionate about, peace) is well worth worth it and infinitely more valuable than money.
Q: How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
A: That is the one of the beauties of doing this...you can remain relatively free and flexible. So, vacation is always an option. And in the case of snapping...every trip walking and photographing is its own little vacation.
Q: What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
A: No matter how you contribute in E-commerce...Web design, content, sales etc. It is good to have an educational background in your niche. However, something that is unique to the online world is the fact that a little talent and a lot of hard work can be effective tools that help you get your foot in the door.
Q: What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
A: I would tell them to go for it. If you love something, take a little risk and pursue it for a while. Keep patience and dedication and work ethic in mind, but find your passion and live your dream.
Q: If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
A: If I could do that I can honestly say I would be completely content doing what I’m doing right now, only perhaps on a ‘larger scale.’ I’d like to continue to evolve and to improve my craft. If possible I’d like to reach more people, and in general, contribute not just to the Web, but to the world and its people as well.