Brief Commission

Amazing how earning a small sum doing stuff you’re good at can make you feel. My friend reached out asking if I could do some editing for them. I’ve edited a lot of their projects in the past. In the beginning, I did it gratis. Then, one day, overwhelmed, unemployed, and depressed AF, I said that I just couldn’t take on any non-paying work. My buddy offered to pay me and asked for my rate. I didn’t have a rate and this was my friend so I didn’t want to charge too much or whatever. I spent a stupid long time answering them (fretting about if asking them for a stupidly paltry sum was too much). Before I could solidify and ask for the paltry sum, they offered me way more than I was fretting about. I spent a couple of minutes debating if I should say that they were offering too much. Then I realized that this friend would tell me to just take it and say thank you if it was work for anyone else.  So, I accepted what they offered knowing that if I had asked them for advice, they would have told me that my time is valuable and that it is not a bad thing to get paid a decent rate!

This is the first one since I started grad school. I don’t work a ton, so it was cool to make a little cash today and work on this project. I’m better off financially and mental-health-wise than when I started doing these projects for my friend.  I’m also faster and better at it and I don’t stress out over them like I used to. My friend asked if the rate was still the same or if it had gone up with inflation. I charged them the same rate as before (it’s still a decent amount of cash).  It feels great to have been able to take on a non-grad school and non-day job related project and finish it quickly (for money!).

I am trying to work out dinner tonight. I might make some breadsticks (yes from scratch but instant yeast, saves a bit of time). Maybe some pasta? Something easy that everyone will eat.