Freelancing is hard. There isn’t a week that goes by that at some point I don’t question the career choice. There’s pitches to send and invoices to collect. It’s a constant juggling act that more people are learning as staff jobs for outdoor writers, photographers, editors and videographers become scarcer.
OWAA wants to help. We recently launched a freelance resource center, thanks to the work of our membership services committee chaired by Colleen Miniuk-Sperry. Located in the members area of the website, you’ll find links to submissions guidelines for almost 50 paying publications. Check it out at https:// owaa.org/members-area/resources/ freelance-resource-listings/.We hope having that information in one place and easily accessible will save you time and also provide ideas for potential publications to pitch, whether you are freelancing full time or trying to supplement your income.
Our goal is to expand this resource center with other valuable information. We’ll keep you posted as we update it. In the meantime, as always, we want to hear from you.
What are you struggling with as an outdoor communicator? What skills do you need to learn or hone to be successful in your field? And what can we do to help?
I’d be remiss if, when talking about professional development, I didn’t throw out a final plug for our annual conference. We’re headed to Fort Wayne, Indiana, June 2–4. In 2019 we’ll visit Little Rock, Arkansas, followed by Jay Peak, Vermont, in 2020. So mark your calendar. Whether you’re a freelancer or a full time staffer, conference offers a rare opportunity to connect with colleagues, hone your craft and find stories and assignments.
If you are worried about the cost, check out Kris Millgate’s story on page 6 about how she came away from conference with three stories for three different outlets. If you are running the freelance hustle, it’s an event you can’t afford to miss.
See you in Fort Wayne! ♦
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Kelsey Dayton is the editor of Outdoors Unlimited. Reach her at editor@owaa.org.
New freelance resources
