Your New Life is Going to Cost You Your Old One | Internetly Vol. 23

Hi there,

It’s my birthday in 5 days.

Normally on the cusp of my birthday, sadness slithers under my doorstep. It’s been a morose tradition for years. There’s this intense feeling of lack, of thinking, I should’ve done more by now.

And then on the day of celebration, I drown myself in champagne and forget about it.

It’s…unhealthy, to say the least, an unnecessary manifestation of self-doubt and ridicule. Who knows where it came from? But now, right before I turn 25, I’m ditching this sullen mindset because 24 was a year I can feel good about.

It’s funny looking back on the Instagram I posted last year celebrating my birthday.

I remember typing the caption out before letting my iPhone rest in my sweaty palm for a few moments. Make big things happen at 24. Could I make this promise? What if everything fell through and I looked stupid?

Even the emoji choice seemed presumptuous. The pen and paper. I hadn’t signed a single client or even announced to the world I was pursuing freelance writing. Who did I think I was?

Yet I persevered despite the doubts and got to it. I made the biggest investment of my life in a freelance writing coach, pitched clients, posted on Medium, and spent late nights reading books like Adweek Copywriting Handbook and The Boron Letters.

It was uncomfortable. I felt really silly about 90% of the time. Until one day the flywheel began to spin and it became real. In 9 months I went from having made $0 a month to $7K+. I work with dream clients who once seemed wholly unattainable; On Deck, Foster, Slow Growth.

While I’m nowhere near where I want to be, I’m proud of myself for making 24 a good one. And to whoever is reading this, I hope you also hit your goals or at least know you are capable of it.

Your dreams might seem outrageous, or that they’re not reserved for “people like you.” But it’s time to ditch this notion and recognize it’s all about putting in the work. And hard work is something to be so grateful for.

As explained by Stephen King:

There are things you excel at it. This I’m sure of. You can make your goals a reality by rolling up your sleeves and committing to the process. And if you stay focused, your next birthday might surprise you, too.

🖼 On Becoming a Prolific Creator

This Week: The Two Types of Youtubers

Are you thinking of becoming a content creator?

If you are, it’s important you differentiate what kind of relationship you want to be forging with your views.

There are two types of creators: idea versus relationship-based.

Idea-based creators make content that is rooted in, well, ideas. For instance, videos like “I Only Ate Junk Food For 30 Days” or “I Went Skydiving in Australia”. You’ll watch it regardless of who the creator is because the idea is interesting.

Relationship-based creators are someone who can post content of them doing the most mundane activities and still get views. People watch because they’re interested in the relationship they have with that creator. It’s very dependent on the creator. Think people like Emma Chamberlain or Victoria Paris. Speaking of, Emma has over 3.3M views of a video of her making PB&J from scratch. Go figure.

Both have their pros and cons. When it comes to relationship-based creators, be aware you’ll be forming parasocial relationships. You’ll have people who feel connected to you on a personal level, even though you’ve never met them in person. They might feel as though you owe them every detail of your life.

Idea-based creators are less tied down to their personality, but constantly coming up with exciting content ideas can be exhausting.

It goes both ways. The choice is yours 👀

TL;DR

There are two types of creators: Idea and experience-based. Weigh out your options to see which is best suited for your needs. 📱

🥒 Content Diet

1. Creator Gabby Marcellus

I stumbled upon this TikTok from creator Gabby Marcellus and adored her message.

Listen, this video won’t be the most “nutritious” ingredient in your content diet. But sometimes the simplest message rings the furthest.

Gabby talks about moving to NYC when she had no job, health insurance, or prospects. As she munches on summer rolls, she goes,

“The only way you’re going to get what you want out of life is by making yourself uncomfortable.”

Fast forward to today, and Gabby’s doing pretty well for herself. She became a content creator after deciding to stop being afraid of what other people would think of her. She left a relationship that wasn’t serving her anymore. And she’s happy (or at least, that’s what her TikTok account portrays).

The comment section of the TikTok has a bunch of little gold nuggets of advice, too.

We love to see a little corner of the internet where people are joyful, spreading positivity, and cheering one another on! Wholesomeness online is not a given.

TL;DR

Creator Gabrielle Marcellus reminds us the best things in life grow outside of the comfort zone. Seek discomfort. 🤨

✍🏼 Freelancing Journey

This Week: How to Accept Payments

Okay folks...I have something kind of embarrassing to admit.

I’ve been a freelance writer for almost a year now. I started off by sending invoices with Paypal before transitioning to Wave.

But both platforms left me feeling yucky. Why, you ask? Their exorbitant fees. Duh.

Wave and Paypal both charge 2.9% + 30 cents on transactions. It’s not huge. But over time this compounds to hundreds of dollars.

So tell me how I’ve just started to use ACH transfer? 🤦🏼‍♀️

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to figure out. These types of transfers do take a few days to complete, but it has no fees, making it well worth it. Platforms like Transferwise and Bill.com are your friends here.

It’s cringe to have realized this so late. This is like level zero of being a freelancer, AKA figuring out the best way to get paid.

But, oh well. Maybe there’s someone reading this who didn’t recognize you could do it this way, either. And on the bright side, at least it took me 11 months to figure it out and not 11 years, amirite!

P.S ACH works best for domestic transfers. International payments will most likely incur some type of fee. 😣

TL;DR

Avoid paying extra fees by receiving ACH transfers or with a platform like Bill.com or Transferwise. 💸

That’s all this week folks.

I’m going to guess this newsletter took just about two hours to complete. It would’ve taken me less time if I wasn’t writing this from bed, nursing a mild hangover.

Liked what you read? Please do share with a pal, it would mean the world 😌

Have a beautiful week,

Alice 💌