A new challenge

So, since my last post I've been thinking a lot about my "personal branding". I reckon one thing I need to be better at is put myself about more. At the moment, I think the number of publications I'm contributing to, especially online, is fairly limited. Considering how many different outlets there are I should be doing more and writing more for more of them. It's all about getting my name and face in as many places as possible. I've even recently had new head shots, so here's hoping that will help.

The challenge I want to try and under take is to get a feature in a different publication (online or print) every month. Don't want to go too extreme at the moment and set myself up for failure. I'm also going to update my blog every day. I had a friend do this a couple of years ago and although she sometimes found it tough to find inspiration, or the energy after doing a full day at work, she stuck to it. I'm hoping it will help me hone in on a few more ideas about being a freelancer, what I like about the career and how to be better at it. I think eventually I'd like this blog to be a useful resource to other young freelancers, plus it will give me a bit of a break from talking about sex all of the time.

Of course there might be a bit of a catch to this challenge: not every publication I approach, or write for may pay. Bit of a problem when you're only source of income is your writing. Needless to say I'll be taking a hit along the way. I just hope my accountant isn't reading this.

One of my uni lecturers said about freelancing: "you should never write for free." Now, in the thick of it and having been a freelancer for over a year I can see both sides of the coin. Plus, when that little nugget of wisdom was passed on to me and my class mates, the idea of e-zines, blogs and media on tablets was literally only just on the rise.

So, there we go, challenge set. Lets see how it all plays out...

RoseC -x-

A helpful banker

There are few things in life that are more grown up than making a consultation appointment with your bank. By doing this it means that you want to consciously discuss inflation, overdrafts, credit rating putting you in the black or red, insurance, bonds and monthly direct debits. If, like me, you've never been particularly good at handling money or understanding the financial world, this step into adulthood whereby you're going to have a suited fella talk at you about APR rates and so on is somewhat daunting. The last time I did it was before I went to university and I took my Dad with me to act as jargon buster.

That was six years ago, when I set up my student account and I didn't need Dad to translate 'a free young persons rail card for five years' to know I was getting a good deal. Now though, I've been graduated for two years and thought that maybe it was time to get a more grown up account, with fewer exciting benefits like free travel and exchange them for sensible grown up advantages like content insurance and preferential travel exchange rates. I also thought I was obliged to give up the 'student' on my account. Perhaps this is just another symptom of the quarter life crisis of wanting to radically change something so it looks like I'm being authoritative and sorting my life out.

It didn't really work though.

I knew it wouldn't when I walked into the room and the adviser looked no older than 19. As if discussing money wasn't intimidating enough, I was now to feel humiliated by being spoken to by a young woman that has a better grasp on finances than me. Fine, so be it. I put on my best, 'I know how to handle money face' in the hope I could convince her I knew what I'd be doing with my money over the last five years. I went in with it clear in my mind, strictly no credit cards and no overdraft. The idea of having a credit card or overdraft frightens me because if I have money then I spend it for the sake of spending it. I'm pretty pants at saving, so spending money I don't have, then finding the money I don't have to pay back the already borrowed money, means I'm set for failure!

It started off friendly enough with plenty of questions about yours truly so she could build up a profile. We discussed how I'd recently left me job; how a regular sustainable income would be tricky; how I'd like to find a job; how actually I'd like to up sticks and go travelling by the end of the year. It quickly became apparent that I was to find myself in a catch 22 situation, whereby she was offering me all these spangly credit card deals and money off package holidays, of the Silver or even executive Gold style account that would cost me a mere £12 a month and be debited straight from my balance, but I needed regular income...

Ah, now there's a problem. I just left my job on Friday to fulfil my wild, fanciful dreams of becoming a writer...again.

It was half an hour later that we discovered this and then my adviser girl came clean and said that my student account was as good as any current account they have to offer. All round the houses questioning, and promises of loans to enable me to go travelling, or the fab way to build up credit rating, were all just an adult step too far away. Plus I wasn't willing to pay over a tenner a month for an account just in case I decided to go on holiday or my brick of a Nokia phone breaks.

And so it was decided, despite my best adult intentions, that keeping my simple, straightforward student account was the best way forward for someone so indecisive about the direction of their life. Not such a productive day.    

Rose Crompton: The Risk Taker!

Nine more days to go,
Nine more days of sorrow!
Nine more days in this old dump,
But I still have to go to work tomorrow.

Boo and hiss. I wish I could finish that song properly, with the correct line of 'Because I won't be here tomorrow.' Bide your time Crompton, bide your time...

Actually, after those nine days I shall never have to go back to the school again, because last week I handed in my notice. This could either be incredibly stupid, or it could work out to be the best decision and the life changing moment I've craved in the last year and a half. As yet I'm undecided; I'm hoping it'll be the latter though and be the massive shove I need to make a few stable life decisions about what to do with my career.

Before you ask, and to get the stupid side of it out of the way, no I don't as of yet have another job lined up. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I don't have a nest egg to fall back on to support me. When my last pay cheque comes through on the 20th December that, as far as I know, will be the last of my money to make stretch as far as possible until I find something else.

Yep...there it is. I can definitely hear those faint cries of, "Fucking hell Rose! What you playing at?" But hey, you know, I'm ok with it. I'm not worried about money at the moment. My main aim is to find something to do that'll make me happy. I know I've only been in my promoted role of HLTA for five weeks, but sometimes you just know when something doesn't feel right. The last few months I've been questioning whether my job is really as satisfying as I thought it was and trying to convince myself that I enjoy it in the hope I may be able to cross off the

• Find a job that I find interesting and rewarding

target from the 2011 list. Time is fast running out and I fear that may have to be a repeat point for 2012. Thankfully I do have the moral support of my parents on this too. My Dad was a teacher for thirty odd years, and he's always said unless you're 100% committed to teaching, it can be such a soul destroying profession. And he's right. I haven't felt totally into it and I guess the promotion was a bit of a slap in the face and wake up call that life is too short to be slogging away at something that you're heart's not in.

Gosh, he can be a very wise man sometimes!

Despite not knowing exactly what I want to do, I do have a few rough ideas: the main aim is to establish more of a freelance journo role and get back into writing. Over the next couple of weeks I may become a bit of a stalker and harass a few titles I'd like to write for in the hope of getting some commissions to pay the bills. I've thought I might even go old skool and drop off some CVs in Soho. I could see myself happily working in one of the many sex shops giving appealing advice to sexperimental couples. I've got a few writing projects for fun I'd like to get off the ground too, a short film here, some erotic stories there...

Even being able to splurge all of these possibilities in a blog entry is making me feel excited that I'm taking control of possible career choices, rather than rolling from one job to another for the sake of money. It's the exciting prospects and adventures of what could lay in front of me as long as I completely submerge myself and throw myself into it. I know it won't be easy, probably with a fair amount of rejection along the way, but at least I know that this will be happening because I've chosen it rather than feeling duty bound.

*Sigh* Definitely a happy Rose this evening.