Creative Hackery…

It’s a question that may seem somewhat premature to students just starting to learn their craft. But it’s an essential one. When I was teaching creative non-fiction at Northumbria University, one of my students gave it to me straight. ‘I love doing this,’ she said. ‘But is anyone going to pay me for it?’ For my next session, I made sure to be armed with a list of literary magazines and publishers open to submissions. I also held up my hands and said that most writers and freelance journalists find it tough to make a living. There are exceptions, of course, but most have to supplement their earnings by doing other things. Some of these activities may not be what you love, but they could pay the bills. The trick lies in the word ‘value’ and learning to trade off what others value (and will pay for) with your own core set of values.
Recently, I met a musician called Angie Turnbull, from Northumberland. After completing her Master’s degree, Angie wanted to spend her time making the music she loved. But its punk-influenced style didn’t suit everyone.
She now finds herself spending some of her year doing the work that brings an income – session singing, workshops, events – and these fund her to spend the rest of the time travelling abroad, meeting like-minded musicians and creating work that is meaningful to her.
 
Writers and visual artists face a similar balancing act, although probably there are more myths around writers’ earnings than any of the other arts. The Huffington Post tried to put paid to these assumptions in this article recently, but I suspect they won’t go away altogether. That J.K. Rowling-style success is the writers’ equivalent of winning the Lottery. Even though the odds are just about as crazy, everyone secretly hopes it will happen to them.
My own solution is similar to Angie’s and I’ve given it the title ‘creative hackery’. Yes, I’m a published writer, straddling adults and children’s fiction, but that work doesn’t pay the mortgage. Journalism, teaching, mentoring and marketing are what enable me to write and also to carry out all the related unpaid promotion work needed for a new novel.
For me, the trick is to be flexible and adaptable, rather than precious, with the writing. If someone is paying you to craft some words for them, then write for the customer. Sometimes, that’s not easy. But taking that attitude has enabled me to always work with words.
I’d like to leave you with this thought, although I own up to having nothing more than anecdotal evidence to support it. When I left full-time journalism I was beginning to wonder if anyone at all was happy in their job, because I’d never met such a person. Since I started working with arts organisations, I found people who genuinely love their work. So cling to your creativity. You may not be rich, but you’ll probably be happy.