Everyday I’m Hustlin

I know what some people think. They see me at the gym during lunchtime, they see me running errands during the day, and the thought that goes through most of their minds is “wow, that guy doesn’t have to do anything but write whenever he feels like it!” Man, if only that were the case. Freelancing is, like anything else that’s worth doing in life, a lot of hard work, case in point, yesterday’s excursion into NYC.

Up until late Monday afternoon I didn’t think I was going into NYC on Tuesday. My normal golden rule is if I’m going into the city I like to be there longer than the ride there and back takes (which is about two and a half hours). I say I like to be there longer because there are times when I know I won’t be there for more than an hour, but it’s something I just gotta do. This was the case yesterday. Monika Steinberg, the Editor In Chief of Foam, a magazine which I happen to have a feature in this month (issue due out Mid-November), was in town from the west coast and sent me an email suggesting we meet up for a drink. Rule number one with me is if an editor wants to meet up DO IT! Phone calls, emails and faxes are all technologically great but nothing, and I mean nothing is as important to me as face to face meetings. With this in mind I was ready to hit the city. The Fairfield train station, however, had other plans for me.

I was rushed. OK, I was very rushed. I left my house without my train ticket, ran back to get it, had a neighbor down the street chastise me for speeding, but I didn’t hear much of that thanks to, well, the fact that I passed by her so quickly (love that turbo engine!), and was back on my way. I made it to the train station a minute before my train was due in. Unfortunately the parking gods were not on my side as I watched the train pull in and subsequently pull out before I could find a spot. No longer on an express, I was set to be on a local, which meant more stops and me being very happy I brought along a book to read.

Once in NYC I had a fantastic meet and greet with Monika and a number of other folks from the Foam crew. We sat down, had a drink (mine was water after jumping off the train and running a dozen or so blocks), talked a little shop, and got to know each other a bit better. We weren’t there to change the world, we were there to say hi. In this very busy business of freelance journalism, and magazine writing in general, very few people shake hands anymore. That personal touch is something I still hold in high regard. In fact, I had plans to try to double my hustle and meet one of the editors from Beyond Race later that evening but that didn’t end up happening.

So in the end I went into the city to say hi to someone. It’s one of the reasons I’m in this office before 8AM every morning. The more work I get done before everyone else is situated the more time I can spend doing all the other things I need to do to get ahead. Sleep is optional, and once again, it’s all about the hustle.

We all have a hustle, or at least we all should, when it comes to our jobs. As long as a person is motivated they have a hustle. Personally, this is part of mine. Not everyone can handle it, which is why, thank God, not everyone is a freelance journalist (though sometimes it seems like everyone is, or at least like everyone thinks they are). I know people see me out during the day and wonder when I actually work, or if I actually work, but the truth of the matter is a lot of people simply don’t understand the freelance hustle. Yesterday I spent two and a half hours on trains to say hello to someone. You may think I’m crazy, but to me it’s an essential part of the job.