I Have A New Job! Exciting Personal Life Update
A personal life update is long overdue and I have some good news that I’m so excited to share. I have a new job!
If you read my divorce post you know that I have been concerned about making a steady income as a single earner. I’ve been taking each day one at a time and praying that something would come along that would work with my current business. Thank goodness I’ve been working on my blog so much because…
I’m a writer for Only In Your State
I will be freelance writing for the online travel website Only In Your State! It’s a unique website where you can select the state you live in (or are traveling to) and it will show interesting places that you can visit. Shops, events, hiking trails, diners, Airbnbs… you name it, we write about it.
I’m the official writer for Michigan
I’ve lived in Michigan my whole life and I absolutely love it here. I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to get to write for the Great Lake State and share about all my favorite places to visit. Michigan is one of the top states on the website and I’ll be writing seven articles per week! All my articles will be in one place on my Only In Your State author page.
If you live in Michigan or plan to visit, make sure to bookmark my page! I’m even allowed to use my own photos and link to my website which is really awesome. I’ll be writing about my favorite things in Michigan and I have a bias toward vintage and history… so look out for that!
Pictured above: St. Joseph, Michigan
Will writing be my new full-time job?
My full-time job is working for my own business Emily Retro which is the blog, Pinterest, and Instagram account. Fun fact: I also work part-time at a doctor’s office which used to be my full-time job. My new OIYS (Only in your state) writing job will take about 50% of my time and will help give me a steady income since the Emily Retro income is so sporadic. I’m currently working all three jobs which, to be honest, is incredibly stressful. I’m trying to find the right balance but at the moment I’m working constantly and have no free time. I’m hoping that will get better in the future but I need to work hard right now for my future.
Pictured above: South Haven, Michigan
Will this affect my Emily Retro Instagram and blog?
My new writing job should not affect my business too much! The only thing it would affect is that I might post on Instagram a little less. However, I’ve already been doing that for the past month because Instagram does not pay me. My blog pays me with ads, Pinterest pays me, and YouTube will pay me once enough people watch my videos.
Speaking of that, the best way you can support me is to read my blog posts and watch my YouTube videos all the way through. My YouTube videos have to be watched for 4,000 hours before I can get ad revenue. I just recently reached the halfway mark of 2,000 hours which is exciting. If you have time to play my videos and maybe leave a comment or two it really helps me out. Thank you!
Here’s my most recent video where I also give a companion life update. It’s an emotional and sad one though!
A lesson to always shoot your shot
A few months ago I was worried about not being able to find a way to have a steady income on my own. I was venting to someone I love and they told me that I should start networking and letting people know I’m looking for work. I wasn’t looking for just any job, but a very specific one that could be remote and have a flexible schedule so I could continue to focus on my own business.
I have a family friend who I have not yet met in person, but we both follow each other on socials and I’ve enjoyed watching her career and her life. She was the Michigan writer at the time for OIYS and I had shared one of her articles on my Instagram page about an antique store. It worked out for her because she got a lot of hits on the article because so many of my followers clicked on it, yay!
I decided to message her on Instagram and ask her if there were any openings at OIYS. There weren’t any at the time and I didn’t hear back from her. A few weeks went by and she got a new job so there was THE opening for the ONE Michigan writer and she thought of me! She messaged me back and recommended me to her boss. Her boss (who is now my boss) read my blog and loved it, so my blog helped me get the job. But mostly it was Sophie, I’m so thankful for you!
The point is, always shoot your shot. Let people know that you’re looking for a new job because you never know what could happen. If I didn’t message my family friend she probably wouldn’t have thought I was looking for a job since I have my own business.
Tunnel Park in Holland, MI
It feels wonderful to finally have some good news to share with you all. Thank you for caring and for supporting my business. I hope you’re ready to fall in love with Michigan and I can convince you to travel here if you haven’t yet!
