How to Seize the Moment as a Freelancer: Tips For Baby Boomers and Seniors

Being able to seize the moment enhances the freedom realized by a freelancer. This is a concept that many baby boomers and seniors seeking employment or pursuing a new pastime will be able to comprehend as they draw from their vast realm of experience.. 

Freedom is a good thing, but to some, finding freedom as a freelance writer means breaking away from everything that one may feel he or she is in bondage to in any way. In an attempt to find freedom, a freelancer may attempt to seize the moment by assuming a contemporary, non-traditional or even an unprofessional, non-academic approach to writing.      

The “Catalyst Center” assumes a better, more exciting and intriguing approach to the expression, “seize the moment”, suggesting that  

“Seizing the moment is a rigorous, participatory, and creative means of researching, analyzing and planning that can be applied to organizational, community and social movement contexts. It draws on the widest possible array of popular education thinking and creatively draws upon diverse practices to design and conduct the most appropriate and effective process for organizational and social change.”  

Note that this includes a popular education, as well as a creative mode of thinking and writing. This does not imply regression into inappropriate modes of expression that are derogatory, demeaning or potentially disgusting to a reader.

Instead, this positive approach fractures the mental block of the freelance writer allowing him or her to seize the moment as an opportunity to expand his or her horizons of human expression. This takes place in many ways.  

“Popular education employs, whenever possible and appropriate, a vast range of tools such as storytelling, scenario planning, back-casting, asset mapping and community mapping, theatre of the oppressed, visual arts, writing, popular economics tools and more to give voice to the essence of your group or organization.”

Popular education is just that, popular, particularly when it comes to seizing the moment as a freelance writer. 

At the same time, formal education should not inhibit a professional freelancer in his or her writing. If anything, that enhances it.

Popular education freelance writing may or may not be appropriate for publication depending upon the kind of freedom a freelancer attempts to take while seizing the moment. There is freedom that is dynamic, proactive and constructive, as well as the opposite kind of freedom that eventually demoralizes, degrades or even demeans the efforts of a freelance writer. 

“When we "seize the moment" we are guided by the pattern of a dynamic spiral of critical phases: setting the stage; naming ourselves; naming the issues; analyzing the issues;  planning for action; taking action; and evaluation/monitoring/follow up.”

Note the use of the word spiral in terms of being onward and upward. To seize the moment does not necessarily imply a downward spiral to freedom for freelance writers. To spiral downwards may mean loss of writing freedom instead.

This Catalyst Center model for “seizing the moment”, appears to be an applicable approach to freelance writing. It is a more appropriate approach to freedom in writing. Part of the difficulty lies in the reality that the majority of the population relates to popular freelance writing, as opposed to more formal, professional or academic freelance writing.

Only true, professional freelance writers can really seize the moment on their quest for academic literary freedom. Even popular freelance writers need to take a higher approach to seizing the moment when they write. The opportunity to obtain more freedom is always there for those who seek it if they seize the moment.