We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Jean Anderson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer Jean, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

This question really hits home as my husband and I are trying to purchase our first home. I’ve been self-employed for the last decade of my life, and that’s been great because it’s allowed me the flexibility to pursue projects when I want to, and it’s also allowed me to earn money doing creative things.

The downside is that when you’re trying to do something like buy real estate, having a ton of 1099s is not what the bank or mortgage lender likes to see (haha). We had one lender tell us that my income “didn’t count” in the eyes of the bank because it wasn’t considered “steady.”

So in moments like this, when I’m trying to scrounge together fifteen 1099 forms to send into a lender, or I’m chasing down clients to pay me for work I’ve done, yeah — there is a bit of that “I wonder if I should have tried to pursue something more solid.”

But then I think back to the pandemic, and the stories of countless friends who chose the more “solid” thing instead of acting or theater or writing, who got let go from their “solid” jobs and now had to kind of scramble with the rest of us, and I’m glad I took the risk. No choice in life comes without some cost, and even those “regular” jobs can be taken from us at any moment. If the cost for me is having a little more trouble buying a home, it’s worth it. I get to live a life where I’m fulfilled in my work, and I have the time to pursue projects that matter to me.

Jennifer Jean, 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?

My name is Jennifer Jean Anderson, and I’m an actor, writer, improvisor, and singer. To pay the bills, I’m a freelance writer and content creator that focuses on fitness, the wedding industry, and travel.

I started in the industry as a musical theater actor, but when I moved to New York and starting auditioning, I found that it never really felt “right.” I decided to get my personal training certification as that was a flexible job, and I took my first sketch writing on a whim. I realized then that my artistic path should be focused more on creating my own work. I’ve written everything from short plays and films to television pilots, and some of them have even won a few awards! Right now, I’m in pre-production of a web series called “Upper Thirties” with my writing partner, Kaitlyn Krieg, and am also developing a one-woman show. Together with my husband Tom Rizzuto, I produce a series on local New York musicians called “Sound Advice for the Musician’s Life.” You can check out our premiere episode on YouTube @SoundAdviceDocs.

I’ve been a certified personal trainer for over a decade, so during the pandemic (when all the gyms were closed!) I began writing fitness articles for various online publications to bring in some money. Since I had just gotten married the year before, I also dipped my toe into writing blogs for a local bridal organization. From there, my freelance writing career took off and now I’m the director of communications and social media for that same bridal group, and I continue writing fitness and health-related content for several sites.

I think what sets me apart, especially in the fitness and bridal worlds, is my creative background. Actors have a lot of empathy, and that really comes in handy when writing about a new workout trend or helping a wedding vendor market to an audience of brides-to-be. It’s easy for me to put myself in someone else’s shoes and say, “this is how I would need the information presented to me.” That helps me focus my content in a way that gets to the heart of what our audiences would want and need to know.

Storytelling is another big one. From years of analyzing scripts, writing my own, and performing in countless plays and on-camera projects, I have a strong grasp of what makes a compelling story. I take that with me into all of my freelance writing work, which is a huge plus from a marketing and advertising perspective.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think the biggest thing that society can do to support artists and creatives is understand just how much we rely on them.

I feel like a lot of Americans (especially in this moment) look down on the arts and don’t really consider it a “real” career path. I even had a former personal training client tell me that as an artist I didn’t deserve to afford basic necessities like housing and food, and that I should have gone into something like finance instead.

But here’s the thing — EVERYONE in the country can’t go into finance, just like EVERYONE in the country can’t be a CEO, or a stock broker, or a hedge fund manager. Then, the whole country is overrun with that profession and no one has the ability to do anything different. Those professions NEED creatives to help them communicate with their client base effectively, or design an eye-catching logo, or figure out an out-of-the-box solution to an issue that isn’t black and white. The arts and artists aren’t only useful on stage or in front of a camera — they’re vital for the success of business as well. That’s something I really see in my freelance career — my creative and artistic side is what really helps me to help my clients.

Not to mention the fact that without artists, there’s no “Severance,” or “The White Lotus,” or your favorite movie or podcast or book. The things we escape into after a long day of work are only there because of artists and creatives.

I think an understanding of JUST how much artists and creatives contribute to our society, and the recognition that they deserve a living wage just like anyone else in the workforce does, is really important.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I (like most of the world) had to pivot my entire life when COVID-19 hit. I was a full-time personal trainer at a popular gym, and in the scope of hours my entire career was basically gone. All gyms in New York City were shut down, and I had no where to train any of my clients and no real way to make any money. And since I was an independent contractor, I wasn’t entitled to any unemployment claims (at first, luckily that was changed a few weeks later). I literally had the rug pulled out from under me.

It was a devastating time for so many people, so I feel very weird and guilty saying that it was a massive turning point for me in a good way. I was forced to find other ways I could support myself, and I started contacting some people in my network for ideas. I had a client recommend me to a publication looking for fitness writers, and I wrote a quick article for them. That turned into more and more work, and with a new-found portfolio I was able to pitch ideas to more and more places. So being forced to find another source of income (and quickly) opened the door to an entirely new parallel career that I really enjoy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jenniferjeananderson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenanderson1016
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-rizzuto-37ba4a5/

Image Credits

First image (headshot) — Billy Bustamante