Which plates are you spinning right now?
The Thing About Titles
You were an editor, but now you’re a freelancer. You want to be an artist and a mom and a lawyer—is that allowed? Everyone thinks you run a non-profit, but you’re actually an athlete and a poet.
Sometimes it’s hard to balance all the spinning plates in the air, but it’s not any easier if you listen to people barking about which ones are the most important. One solution: In every moment, you could pick just one plate, hold it, and say, “This one’s mine right now.” The best part? You may choose again anytime.
"You have to go to the core of why you’re doing things. I think it’s mostly when you create that you become more yourself. Because you forget yourself, you’re serving something bigger than yourself. But yet, using your experience, and your life, and your soul, your everything."
I have no idea where I found this quote from the actress Juliette Binoche, but I’m glad I did, because I love it.
Working with the Right People
Sometimes I'm asked how freelancers find story ideas or new editors to pitch. My advice applies to pretty much any kind of job: Follow the interesting people. Interesting people make moves and actually create things. That’s why a few months ago I was happy to reconnect with Steve Koepp, who I worked with for a millisecond at Newsweek, and even happier when he decided to launch a new site all about Brooklyn businesses! My first story might appeal to everyone who wants to quit their job and start a bakery: How Megpies Went From Front Stoop to Starbucks.
Thank you for reading.
Love, Kara