Be a linchpin, not a cog, in the content-creation system
Posted by Maya Smart on Mon, Apr 12, 2010 @ 12:00 PM
Freelance writers can shape their careers to the extent that their talents and motivation allow. Why choose to be depersonalized, devalued and disrespected?
by Maya Payne Smart
In his new book "Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?" entrepreneur Seth Godin describes a multigenerational American conspiracy in which schools, governments and social contracts led us to tr
ading genius and artistry for presumed corporate safety nets. Work hard, keep your head down and collect your pension were the rules of the game — until they weren't. The layoffs, furloughs and other cuts prompted by recession show a system breaking under its own weight. Yet many of us keep toiling as if old bargains still hold when a new approach to work is needed.
Rather than remaining cogs in a broken industrial machine, Godin argues that we should shrug off the thinking that's brought us here and use our strength and creativity to instead become linchpins, the indispensable individuals who hold organizations together and propel them forward. Although his message is largely intended for employees who cling to outmoded expectations of their employers and themselves, his insights are valuable for freelance writers, too. In a sense, freelancers are even more vulnerable than full-time staffers because we work with few guarantees and are all too often underpaid and under-insured.
Moreover, in the media industry, content farms and even some legacy media companies are applying the old industrial model to further commoditize journalism. Like the pin-making factory in Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations," they've broken down the content creation process into tiny tasks undertaken by low-paid workers to produce much more copy than a skilled artisan working alone ever could. But as freelance writers who work without corporate paychecks, benefits and backing, we have even less reason to take the bait than the manual laborers of yesteryear.
The way forward as freelance writers is not to push ourselves to become more efficient and productive parts of some insatiable content machine. We'll never be fairly compensated in a system in which our primary value is being compliant and interchangeable with the next writer. So let's not play that game. Instead, we must embolden ourselves to stand out, speak up and chart our own courses amid unpredictable circumstances. Our expertise, our ethics, and even our quirks (ahem, style) will fuel greater success in this new economy that's reeling from changes wrought by globalization and technological change. The way forward is indeed to become linchpins, people who bring insight, experience, flexibility and concern to our work - and are indispensable as a result.
"Indispensable freelancer" sounds like an oxymoron. We're contract workers after all. Our work is short-term and unattached by definition. We labor outside of the newsroom on our own time and without close supervision. Why should we harbor any illusions that what we do is crucial, that who we are matters? Because all writers are not created equal — each of us brings something unique to the table, and we should strive to further differentiate ourselves from the next guy as much as possible. Otherwise, we'll soon be replaced by other nameless, faceless contributors. As a freelancer, you have the freedom to shape and mold your career to the extent that your talents and motivation allow. Why would you choose to be depersonalized, devalued and disrespected?
Increasingly, being remarkable is the only way to profit. You have to believe in the work you're doing — you have to connect with it, your clients and your colleagues. You have to be an artist and produce work that inspires people. You have to push past fear and lean into challenges. You have to seek out clients who appreciate and compensate your hard work and talents. And you have to say no to jobs that steal time and enthusiasm from your dreams. "In a world that relentlessly races to the bottom, you lose if you also race to the bottom," Godin reminds us. "The only way to win is to race to the top."
Ready. Set. Go!
Does the linchpin concept resonate with you? Do you think the market values experience, craft and passion?