We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Javacia Harris Bowser. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Javacia below.

Javacia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Before becoming a full-time freelance writer and writing coach, I was a high school English teacher. So for several years, I essentially juggled three careers. I left the classroom in May of 2019. Before doing so, I met with several of the editors of the media outlets I’d been writing for to make sure they’d have enough work for me to replace my teaching salary. And my husband and I switched to the health insurance provided by his job. I had some money saved up, too. Things were going well. Then 2020 happened. Not only was the world hurled into a global pandemic (that caused most media outlets to cut their freelance budgets), but I was also diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. The year 2020 would be my first full year as a full-time freelancer, and I was now facing all of this.

But through the years, I hadn’t just been focused on my own writing career. Through See Jane Write — a website and community for women writers that I launched back in 2011 — I’d dedicated much of my life to helping others build their writing careers, too. And along the way, I’d made LOTS of connections. Because of these connections, I had more than enough work to sustain me during the pandemic and beyond. And while I was going through cancer treatment (in the middle of a pandemic), I found a gift on my doorstep EVERY SINGLE DAY from someone in the See Jane Write community

This is why I live by this quote from Zig Ziglar: “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”

Javacia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

See Jane Write is a website and community for women writers that I founded in 2011. Through content, courses, coaching, and community, I empower women to share their stories and teach them how to use their writing to make an impact and an income.

Obviously, I’m a writer too. I am an award-winning independent journalist for websites, magazines, and newspapers (yes, a few of those still exist), and I am a freelance content writer for businesses, organizations, and public figures — helping these entities with blog posts, e-newsletters, social media, annual reports and more.

Before this, I was an English teacher, and before that, I was an on-staff reporter for a paper in Louisville, Kentucky. I currently live in Birmingham, Alabama — my hometown — and I’m on a mission to help share Birmingham’s story too.

No matter who you are or what you do, your story is your superpower. My job is to help you use that power for good.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I believe in the power of storytelling, and I feel that I am inextricably linked to every woman on the planet. These two beliefs drive my work. It’s why I am so devoted to helping all people share their stories, but also why I am especially focused on helping women share theirs. I believe when we share our stories, we have the power to change lives — including our own. And as woo-woo as it may sound, I believe that storytelling has the power to change the world.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn that it’s okay to want money and to ask for what you deserve to be paid. See Jane Write didn’t start out as a business. It was just meant to be a small group of women writers I’d hang out with occasionally to talk about the projects we were working on. But I started hosting events and running a website, and soon See Jane Write became much more.

At first, I was paying for everything out of pocket and not charging for anything — which was draining my savings and making my frugal husband very unhappy. When I turned See Jane Write into an official LLC, it was honestly just to break even at first. But then my dreams for See Jane Write got bigger. I decided I wanted See Jane Write to become a media empire one day and eventually be my full-time job.

I started a paid membership, a coaching program, and started charging for all the speaking engagements I was doing on writing, storytelling, and personal platform building.

It took a while to feel okay with asking for money. Writers are expected to write simply for the love of it, and women are expected to help others and build community just out of the kindness of our hearts. It’s hard to unlearn these beliefs. Honestly, even my members think I still undercharge. But I’m getting there. Baby steps.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://seejanewritebham.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seejavaciawrite/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seejanewritebham
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/javaciaharrisbowser/

Image Credits

Melissa Newton and Marika Johnson