First of all, can we establish that I hate creative spelling. Hate it. Hate it in song titles, hate it in lolcatz and all their ilk (sorry world, I just don't think it's funny), hate it in names, hate it wherever I find it. Incorrect spelling I can handle--deliberately wrong spelling makes me krayzee.
Now that that's out of the way, today I was invited to look at someone's blog that features all of these different etsy sites that are giving things away for free if you just leave a comment, any comment. (Wow, that was a long, involved sentence. Not self-involved though. A self-involved sentence would probably be more along the lines of: Wow, I am the single greatest sentence in the world, and definitely more important than any other sentence you could be reading right now.) So as I was briefly perusing the long list of things you don't need but should want, I was amazed at how industrious people are. Not only are they absurdly crafty, but then they go to the effort of posting it, hawking it, and trying to drum up customers. That's a lot of work, folks.
Then I started feeling bad about myself. I can't knit ridiculous but oddly adorable stocking caps for babies, or create card holders out of wire and beads and who-knows-what-else, and I can't even wear jewelry without feeling stupid, much less make it from scratch. I used to think I was really good at creating babies, because the first two turned out so beautiful, but then my last attempt nearly killed me, so I guess that's out. Also, it would be illegal to start an etsy store for.
However, after thinking about it for a while, I realized that I do, in fact, have skills. And not just bo staff skills. No, I have writing skills. And some of you may be snorting, thinking, "Yeah, a lot of good THAT does her, she only has six followers! Lame!" To which I respond, "Shut up!" I mean, to which I respond, last night I made an average of sixty dollars an hour WRITING. That's write, I mean, right! Man, I love freelancing. It may not be very exciting or sexy, but the pay rocks.
Take that, etsy!
(Disclaimer: I think etsy stores are great, and really admire people with that combination of creativity and industry. I just had to feel better about myself by pretending people care that writing well is a valuable and marketable skill.)
28 comments:
Wow! $60/hr? You do rock, K. That's a lot more than I've ever made writing fiction. Well, anything is a lot more than I ever made writing fiction.
[Disclaimer: my job involves writing technical things and sometimes it seems like fiction.]
Ha! Well, technical writing is a skill set of its own. To be able to write that and have it make sense and be readable is no easy task.
And yeah, it's great--I write articles and get paid a set amount per article, so if I get four done in an hour, I've just made sixty dollars.
The writing I do for EBSI Wesbites is a little different--I have to do interviews and match the content to the sites, so that takes longer, but it's also more fun.
I think we're all talented in different ways. I'm not crafty in the making things sense, but I can put together an awesome party.
There was a week when I was reading all these really serious, deep, introspective blogs, and I was feeling self-conscious about mine being so light hearted, tongue in cheek. But what I realized is that people need to laugh too, and it makes my day when people say that my blog makes them laugh and it was what they needed that day.
See, party-wise, I'm completely lame. The world needs more Kristinas.
Hahaha, your post today made me laugh way hard. If it makes you feel any better, I like skills with writing probably more than I like etsy (I've never been all into the homemade craft things...I'll attribute that to negative experiences when I was in the YW program). Not that etsy's bad...but on a scale of 1 to 10, etsy gets a 6 and writing gets a 17.
And you're probably right about the creating babies thing...that would be frowned upon at etsy stores.
I'm impressed. $60 an hour is great. Go Kiersten!
Every year our RS has a "Talent Auction." 95% of the girls bring gorgeous crafts of some kind. Me? I'm like, "I can write you a short story . . . if you want."
Did you see my etsy site? I build doll houses out of used diapers, it's pretty much made me a millionaire.
This was a great post, but next time you tell me to shut up, I really will and you'll never hear from me again.
Mary, of course I wasn't telling YOU to shut up, you're one of my precious followers.
And I can't believe you're the diaper dollhouse lady! I just ordered three of those for Christmas!
Renee, yeah, I just offered editing services--it actually went pretty high on the bidding.
He he, well, you made me laugh, too, Kayleigh. I'm glad you value writing skills, because your math skills? Not so great. (KIDDING! I thought that was awesome.)
And thanks, FH, it's a nice little Christmas money boost.
Oh, and just so you don't go hitting me up for money or anything, while I do make a lot of money an hour, I only have two or three hours' worth of work per project, and sometimes go weeks or months between projects. So hit up Mary.
I don't particularly mind the creative spelling on lolcatz, but what I really like about them (besides cute/freaky pictures) is the atrocious grammar, phraseology, and sentence structure. I guess that means I'm not a true English major or writer. Bummer. But I'll still pretend to be one.
No, you can still be a true one. You're just nicer, is all ; )
AND YOUR BABY IS BEAUTIFUL. Okay, that's all.
etsy? lolcatz? where have I been?
And I'm just crafty. bwahahahah...
He he, crafty indeed...
Etsy is a site that lets people run mini stores where they sell mostly handicrafts. Some of the stuff is pretty amazing. I can afford none of it, so I don't bother looking.
Lolcatz and their ilk are those posters of cats or other animals making weird faces with captions that are nearly impossible to decipher due to their creative uses of spelling and grammar. I can appreciate why people think they are funny, but personally I can't get over my annoyance over slaughtering language.
OMG, we have some sort of odd telepathy going on this week. I was just thinking about how I hate creative spelling YESTERDAY.
We are on parallel wavelengths, apparently. Next thing you know, I'll be applying for a music program...
Oh, except I have no talent. So I'll leave that one to you ; )
fun post; kept my attention, so yes, you have a talent:) kudos!
Thanks, Alex. I entertain myself, at least. It's always nice when other people like it, too.
I don't have etsy skills or freelance skills. I can't even speak lolcatz, much less write it. Making babies is not really a skill, it's more of an accident, and it seems to cost money rather than make money.
Is wiping bums a bankable skill? Because I do that 20+ times a day!
I would totally pay you to do that at my house.
Not mine, of course, because that's just disturbing, but definitely Dojo's. I'm tired of poopy bottoms.
NOOOOO!!!!
You're getting new Asian friends!? Kiersten already has her token asian friend!
It's time for a dual, sumo style! Meet me at the asian market in sandy. Don't pretend like you don't know where it is.
Girls, girls, I LOVE Asian friends! Seriously! I wanted to be Asian when I grew up, and you're the closest I can get! I want to keep both of you.
Oh I'm just joking, Token and I are tight. We're on each others sidebars. I even gave her mono for Christmas and she gave me the ebola virus. We do everything together while wearing cameras around our necks of course.
Excessive zs are what really annoyz me.
Save 'em for sleeping.
zzzzzzzzzzzz
Well, Mary, maybe I want to break you two up then, and have you both all to myself...except I don't want any Christmas presents from either of you.
Oh, Whirl, if only...if only I could.
You need to go to her blog to understand the Christmas presents. I didn't give her "real" mono, at least I don't think I did, there was only that one little kiss and... well, maybe I did.
Those z's are making me sleepy. It's pretty late where I'm from, the future.
Mary, the one right next to the state liquor store? I'm so there! Maybe we can get a bian dang! Chi jiaozi, he naicha, Liao tian. Oh! Naicha buxing!
"I used to think I was really good at creating babies, because the first two turned out so beautiful, but then my last attempt nearly killed me, so I guess that's out. Also, it would be illegal to start an etsy store for."
Another one that actually made me laugh out loud! But quietly, because there's a woman waiting up here in my reception area, and I don't want her to think I'm crazy. Or slacking. Because, you know, answering phones and ordering supplies is not something you can slack on!
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