“My story is not a pleasant one; it is neither sweet nor harmonious, as invented stories are; it has the taste of nonsense and chaos, of madness and dreams.”Herman Hesse
It all started with a college degree and multiple diagnoses. I received my Bachelor of Arts (from Sarah Lawrence College in New York) along with blood test results that indicated I had contracted Dengue Fever and Lyme Disease. Turns out my internship at a retreat center upstate and my frequent trips to Puerto Rico had downsides. Then a couple months later my doctor added Crohn’s disease to the list.
This is not how my launch into “the real world” was supposed to start. I dropped thirty pounds in a month, couldn’t eat, and had no control over what was happening. My body was breaking, death even knocked a couple times. I had to fix this. Fast.
I found myself back home living in my parents basement in Boise, Idaho trying to navigate the world of modern medicine. My schedule was riddled with doctors appointments, blood tests, and various other procedures. Out of necessity, my lifelong fear of needles quickly went out the window. I tried different medications, but they all eventually made me feel worse. I asked questions, but no one had the answers. Autoimmune issues are a big fat gray area, each reason for diagnosis differing from person to person, but I was determined to get better. Desperate for something to work I started exploring alternative medicine practices. I spent thousands of dollars trying to find the answer, learning a lot along the way. This a story (really, a book) in itself, but needless to say I had to get creative about making some cash flow.
I started teaching an epistemology course part-time at a private high school. Working 9 to 5 was very clearly not an option for me. As I was healing, I needed to be able to rest when necessary and minimize stress to both my mind and body. I started picking up writing and editing gigs here and there, and took on other part-time, project-based work.
Slowly but surely the freelance life found me. It offered me a way to thrive in spite of my circumstances. I wasn’t going to have to collect disability afterall. I could do most of my work remotely, and I was working on some really incredible projects.
Years later, I can’t imagine doing anything else. I get to work from wherever I want and explore various parts of the country, meeting different types of people and landing a wide range of clients. It’s because of my experiences that I predominantly work on nonfiction projects. I believe life ismore interesting than fiction, and everyone’s story contains lessons that can help others, whether it be through a memoir, educational articles, a research based book, or offering a unique service based business. I’ve made it my mission to help get good work out into the world, one project at a time.