1...Travel. Traveling opens up your brain. If you live in NYC all the time, and you don’t leave, you’re running head to head with the most competitive group of journalists in the most competitive market on the planet. The media business is centered there; it’s the belly of the beast. It’s likely that a lot of you are coming up with the same pitches, and pitching them to the same editors. This makes everything harder for everyone. Look, I know New York is great. I lived there for six years, and I’m moving back. (It’s like the bad relationship that you keep coming back to.) But often, you uncover a lot of interesting stories when you’re on the road. It opens you up to new inspirations, new ideas, new people. If you must stay in New York, at least take the subway to a different borough than the one you normally go to. Go far uptown. Go to the Bronx. Go somewhere else. 8. Apply for fellowships and teaching positions. Look for additional sources of income. These can be a lifesaver, at a time when publications — even prestigious ones — apparently find it justifiable to pay you beer money for an extensively researched 3000-word feature.
2... Keep a regular schedule, and remember to relax. We forget how to relax, because as freelancers, we’re basically on call all the time. I work on Saturdays; I work on Sundays. I work at strange hours; 2 AM is often when I find inspiration. But try and wake up at around the same hour each day – preferably, you know, in the morning. Try to go to bed at a halfway decent hour. You need sunlight to synthesize Vitamin D and be a happy person.
3... If you suspect you have deeper issues to contend with – like depression – seek help as soon as possible. This loops back to the health insurance thing. If you don’t have insurance, look at options in your town for sliding-scale therapy and psychiatrists or clinics who see patients at a discount. If you’re struggling emotionally, be vocal about it. Call your friends. Talk to people. I’m really serious on this one. For years, I worked as a volunteer counselor for a mental health hotline. It was a really rough job, but it also gave me a lot of good training on how to cope with difficult situations. Friends are great, but don’t feel like you must rely on your friends for help. There are people out there whose job it is to help you. Do not be afraid to use them.
2... Keep a regular schedule, and remember to relax. We forget how to relax, because as freelancers, we’re basically on call all the time. I work on Saturdays; I work on Sundays. I work at strange hours; 2 AM is often when I find inspiration. But try and wake up at around the same hour each day – preferably, you know, in the morning. Try to go to bed at a halfway decent hour. You need sunlight to synthesize Vitamin D and be a happy person.
3... If you suspect you have deeper issues to contend with – like depression – seek help as soon as possible. This loops back to the health insurance thing. If you don’t have insurance, look at options in your town for sliding-scale therapy and psychiatrists or clinics who see patients at a discount. If you’re struggling emotionally, be vocal about it. Call your friends. Talk to people. I’m really serious on this one. For years, I worked as a volunteer counselor for a mental health hotline. It was a really rough job, but it also gave me a lot of good training on how to cope with difficult situations. Friends are great, but don’t feel like you must rely on your friends for help. There are people out there whose job it is to help you. Do not be afraid to use them.