We were lucky to catch up with India Kushner recently and have shared our conversation below.

India, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I previously was working full-time in administration at a coworking space. While the pay and benefits were great, I just wasn’t feeling fulfilled. During the pandemic, I was laid off and when I was rehired, thanks to the corporate structure, I had to start over as a completely new employee after having worked at this company for about a year. It was the beginning of winter, I was leaving and returning to my home in the dark, sitting at a desk without a window, and just generally feeling ground down.

I picked up my first side gig, writing health articles. It paid fairly decently but not enough to make a living. A few months later, I was able to pick up a second gig. It felt like a good start and I gave my notice. While the work is still coming slowly, I don’t regret my decision. I love the ability to work on whatever projects I choose, go outside and take a walk when I need to, and work the way that fits me best. I’m hopeful for my future as a freelancer.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve always been a creative person. I love to craft, knit, and write poetry. But writing has never been the main focus. Working as a consultant has allowed me to pivot toward this. I currently work on writing, editing, and marketing projects including content, articles, and social media management.

Additionally, one of my main niches is health writing. I never intended to have this become my niche but I think it makes sense. I was raised with an understanding of how the food we eat, the products we use, and our lifestyles affect both our physical and mental health. To this day, I’m conscious of how my body and mind are connected. Being able to write about this is a joy for me. One of my clients has a mission to make healthcare and health knowledge more accessible to the general public. I think this is so vital because when it comes to healthcare, there is this weird dynamic of a doctor knowing better than you but I very much believe you know your body best. I’m proud to help create content that speaks to that.

Being your own boss is hard. You are constantly having to finish your work, market yourself, envision goals for the your future business, make a living and also do all the normal tasks like walking your dog, making dinner etc. It can be exciting but also very lonely and taxing (especially paying those self-employed taxes – pun intended). I think having a freelance community you can connect to and ask for advice is really useful for many reasons.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Absolutely! Freelancers Union is a great resource: https://www.freelancersunion.org/community/freelancers-hub/

Kaitlyn Arford shares an extensive, excellent list of job opportunities regularly (as well as many other helpful resources): https://kaitlynarford.com

Although its future is up in the air, Twitter has proven to be a great place to connect with journalists, writers, and creatives.

Sonia Weiser’s Opportunities of the Week newsletter is also incredibly useful: https://opportunities-of-the-week.ghost.io/

I often use Trello for projects to track their progress.

Also if you have a newsletter to share, highly recommend Substack as a platform.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Knowing I can never be fired. Many industries are going through a tough time right now with thousands of layoffs. I may struggle to find gigs but I can keep doing what I’m doing in some capacity, even if it’s just writing my own newsletter. My heart does go out to all the people recently laid off. Another rewarding aspect of being a creative is how much the community seems to be willing to help one another. I see that with people offering job resources, advice, and more.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.indiarosekushner.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/india-kushner/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndiaRoseK

Image Credits
GoodRx and Healthline