Christina Gillick on Passive Income, Beachside Vacations, and What it’s Like to be Married to her Writing Partner
Christina Gillick discovered life as a Barefoot Writer when her boss hired a well-known copywriter to consult with the company on projects. She got to know the copywriter and was captivated by his ability to completely direct his projects and get paid well for it. Soon after, she made the switch herself and now earns a great living from her comfortable Texas home. She’s also able to squeeze in lots of coastal vacations between projects. Best of all, she gets to enjoy plenty of time with her husband — who is not only her travel companion, but also her new writing partner.
Your husband Nick, recently got laid off and decided to try his hand as a Barefoot Writer. What’s it like sharing your writing turf with him?
It’s actually been great! He’s taken on a few clients already, but mostly we work together. It’s wonderful to have a second set of eyes on every project. He helps me research, come up with ideas, and edit. I
feel less stress knowing someone has read over my work before I submit it. And, brainstorming is a lot more fun with another person. He’s also been learning WordPress and started his own money-making website on Texas beer. We’re really excited to see what 2012 holds for us!
You seem to have a knack for finding shortcuts that make you more efficient and productive. What are your favorite shortcuts, and what’s your secret to finding them?
My favorite shortcut is probably Format-It. It’s just an email formatting tool, but I use it several times a day when I’m writing autoresponders. It saves me a ton of time.
I think my secret to finding these things is my background in technology. I subscribe to a ton of newsletters about the newest and greatest technology because part of my job is staying up-to-date in
that field. Of course, any time anything new comes out, I have to try it. I usually wind up using a lot of these tools every day.
What’s your favorite type of copy to write?
Autoresponders and emails. I love the challenge of coming up with a subject line that gets people to open the email and crafting a story that compels them to read through and click. I have a lot of
fun writing autoresponders and they tend to have high click-through-rates, which is also fun.
And while writing, do you have any favorite foods you like to eat?
I really like food so almost anything will do, but if I had to pick my favorite… bacon or Jelly Belly jelly beans!
Bacon while writing — that’s a new one! Not many people get to enjoy that snack at their desks. Aside from sizzling treats, how else do you take advantage of the freedom that comes with life as a Barefoot Writer?
Nick and I have taken several vacations recently. We went to AWAI’s Bootcamp and Job Fair in Florida this past October, the Texas coast for Christmas, and then we just got back from New York. We love to
travel and are planning to do it more often.
It’s great to be able to work from anywhere (even though I only worked a few hours on each trip). What they say about Barefoot Writers is true — all you need is a computer and an Internet connection. Oh, and did I mention — I’m writing this barefoot?!
Any 2012 goals you’re willing to share?
Nick and I are really working on bringing in passive income in 2012. Right now, we’re creating an online import-export business and we’re setting up an info-publishing business. Things aren’t going as quickly as we’d like because we have so much on our plates, but we have high expectations for both.
Finally, what’s your advice to newcomers?
My advice is, don’t waste too much time with decisions. I take forever to make a decision and it holds me back. For example, I spent a couple of years trying to choose my niche. Finally, I was able to decide on self-improvement. Once I made that decision, everything fell into place. But, I know if I had picked something in the beginning, I’d be much further along. If you have any idea of what you want to do, just go with it. You can always adjust later, but it’s important to get started now.
