On our rather infrequent podcast about (un)productivity, Fabian and I recently talked to three successful freelancers who all generously shared their stories with us.
Our good friend and regular guest Michael Nobbs even joined us on one occasion from Wales, of all places.
As if to prove how inadequate the word ‘freelancer’ is as a noun, our recent guests make a diverse trio:
- A journalist/fiction writer who read 80 books in 3 months (as well as making a living writing for prestigious publications)
- A comedian and magazine publisher who has successfully crowdfunded his new book
- A web designer and illustrator who has launched two successful crowdfunding campaigns
I think these are some of the best episodes of the Mountain Shores podcast so far, so just in case you’re not subscribed yet, I wanted to share them here – hope you find them useful and maybe even a little bit entertaining!
Descriptions are taken from www.mountainshores.net
14: Lockpicking Imaginary Handcuffs (with Robert Wringham)
In the most political conversation in Mountain Shores history, Michael, Milo and Fabian meet up in a tapped cable somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in order to talk with comedian and writer Robert Wringham.
We chat about Harry Houdini, humor writing, self help, life traps, and winters in Montréal. A juicy discussion of escaping bullshit jobs and consumer culture leads us to the question of all questions: Is “the destruction of all life on earth” too big a sacrifice just to get new iPhones every year?
To end on a lighter note, we learn about Robert’s work day and reveal – in a world exclusive – his Harness the Zombie technique.
Robert Wringham: Website | New Escapologist | Twitter
15: Writing for Wolves (with Kaite Welsh)
In this episode, Milo and Fabian meet Kaite Welsh (Twitter,Contently), freelance journalist and author (and self-described MoSho fangirl!) who recently moved back to Edinburgh to pursue her writing work full-time.
We discuss Kaite’s preparations that allowed her to leave her job, the advantages of strategic planning, weird press trips, and our rum (and music) preferences.
After a brief look into pitching, NSFW Skype interviews, and dealing with “impostor syndrome”, we become Kaite fanboys when learning about her super productivity – that not only allowed her to read 80 books in 3 months, but also to make sense of them as the chair of the judges for the Green Carnation literary prize.
In the end, we all agree that doing something that doesn’t make us want to stab our eyes out is always a plus – and we reveal Kaite’s secret habit-forming weapon: “I want more gold so I can buy a wolf.”
Kaite Welsh: Website | Twitter | Contently
16: Supermarkt Connections (with Markus Freise)
For MoSho 16, we meet up again with our guest from episode 4, freelancing web designer and illustrator, Markus Freise. While Milo is walking the mean streets of Edinburgh, we revisit the idea of a “League of Creative Minds”.
We discuss virtual agencies, acquiring clients by hanging out in supermarkets, and the beauty of international (one man) companies. In the second half, we have a juicy chat about crowdfunding in the wake of Markus’ successful Indiegogo campaigns.
Markus Freise: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Listen/Subscribe to Mountain Shores: The (Un)Productivity Podcast on iTunes | Stitcher
Clear-Minded Creative 
2 replies on “Hear Three Successful Freelancers Tell Their Stories”
Wow, I’ve only listened to the first one, but the podcast packs a wallop! From deep philosophical musings–“there might be something worth the death of all life in the universe, but it’s not this”–to crafty rural transport strategies–“just use a sheep to carry your shopping!”–and onto the latest trends in steampunk fiction–“zombie in the morning, werewolf at night–I’ve really learned from you MoSho guys! 😉
Me having just come back from some isolated rural islands, I’m going to try to put more self-reliance (i.e. cooking and reflection) into my routine. I look forward to a MoSho publication of routines, someday. 🙂
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Haha yeah we covered a lot of ground in that one! Thanks for this excellent review Margaret. Self-reliant habits seem like a good goal to have – funnily enough I was talking about routines in Wales so may write more about it soon 🙂
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