Finding My Niche

the cafe downstairs from Study Ltd. workspace in Žižkov, Prague 3

I've been freelancing for 10 months now. As I approach the start of my Master's program, I'm pleased to have created a work structure that is rewarding and will be convenient while I study.

When I started writing, I originally thought I'd focus on travel content. I had a travel blog and I figured if I went commercial, I could monetize my content. Turn your passion into your job, right? 

Turns out I'm not a fan of the kind of travel blog content that makes money. I'm not interested in cultivating a travel persona that gets a following. I don't want to pretend that a holiday weekend left a lasting impression on my soul or that I, a tourist, had an authentic, human connection with someone I can barely communicate with. I don't travel to find myself--no matter how well it sells--and I take issue with the way travel writers categorize entire cultures based on an outsider's POV. Sure, I do informative stuff and take assignments for clients that pay well, but pure travel writing is not my cup of tea.

So what have I been living off of for the past year?

F&B

As a former chef and someone who has been working in restaurants since the age of 17, the production and circumstance of feeding people will always be fascinating. How meals happen reveals science and history, religion and family. Food and booze speak inherently about culture. Food is deeply educational and completely superficial at the same time. I write about the food I eat as I travel and share what I've learned by eating it. I create content for restauranteurs, F&B ventures, and food publications. I focus on source, process, and people. After 6+ years in male-dominated kitchens around the world, I've got big respect for women in food circles. It's an industry of passion (not paychecks) and though I'm out of the kitchen these days, I generally find myself among F&B folks.

NGOs

My career outside of the food world was in non-profits. After college I figured if I was going to spend 40+ hours a week in an office, I'd better contribute to something worthwhile. I started in direct client service and ended up a regional manager for one of the largest international relief organizations in the world. My experience with the program side of the industry meant handling my fair share of marketing and PR from the inside. Now I'm on the outside creating content that builds awareness about missions and quantifies results. I seek out NGOs that work in microfinance, tech, immigrant, and disaster services because it's what I know best.

Tech

Back in 2006 I got out of college with a degree in Latin American studies. I didn't want to teach kids so I joined AmeriCorps for a year of intense career re-direction. As part of the Community Technology Empowerment Project, I was placed with an NGO to run a digital inclusion program. I played with open source platforms, built a drupal site for fun, experimented with coding, consulted on website redesigns, and more. As my career progressed, I continued to be the tech person in the office. I oversaw system migrations and played tech instructor everywhere from the public libraries to disaster volunteer meetings. 

As I tapped back into tech networks again 10 months ago, it was a natural fit. Now I'm writing B2B inbound marketing, web content, software documentation, and tech blogging for clients in the US, China, Thailand, Australia, and Argentina. I'm excited to produce content about some of the most cutting-edge technology on the market: robotic process automation (RPA/bots), machine learning (ML), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI). I get to play around in enterprise-level platforms, educate myself about global tech developments, and at the end of the day I get paid for it.

Now that I've landed in one of Europe's most interesting tech hub cities, I am reaching out to folks in Prague. F&B, NGOs, and technology are all critical topics that will shape the next 20 years on a global scale. If you need content and would like to hear what I can do for your organization, drop me a quick message about your project & let's get started.