Face the Fear, Brenna’s story: Brenna faces her fears of becoming freelance

As part of my new blog series, Face the Fear, I will be interviewing women about how they have faced their fears and what they went through to get to where they are now.

This series is tapping into the minds of incredible women, who have one way or another faced their fears. You can read the original Face the Fear blog post to find out why I wanted to write this and what my own fears are.

Today I’m interviewing Brenna, you can find her at her website brennadaviesediting.com, her Instagram @livingintheinkworld and on Twitter @brennalianne.

Tell me a bit about yourself? What do you do, what do you love, where are you from?

My name is Brenna Davies. I am twenty-five years old, and I live in Calgary, Canada. I am a freelance editor and an avid reader. If I’m not reading, drinking tea, or cuddling with my cats, I’m most likely playing board games with friends and family, or travelling somewhere. I lived in Scotland for six months, and I miss it every day!

What is the fear you’re going to be writing about today?

My fear is of not being good enough, specifically in regards to my freelancing business. Imposter syndrome is common in the publishing industry, and I suffer from it quite often. Imposter syndrome is feeling like you do not belong in a community or you are not good enough for that community regardless of your qualifications. I have edited multiple novels, I have one course left in my Editing Certificate program, I am on the communications board for my local editing association, and I’ve taken multiple editing webinars, but I still sometimes feel like I’m not good enough to consider myself a professional editor.

How long have you had this fear/what made it start to develop?

I have had this fear since I started my freelance editing business at the beginning of 2018. Starting a business is a huge leap, especially a business in which I am the only employee. I manage everything on my own: scheduling, finances, marketing, supplies, etc. I have the support of my friends and family, but ultimately I am solely responsible for my work.

When/why did you realise you had to face your fear?

I realized very early on that I had to face my fear. You can’t successfully run a business if you aren’t willing to take risks, and taking risks involves facing fears. Freelancing is often referred to as a “feast or famine” profession because of the risks involved.

How did you face your fear?

I face my fear in different ways every single day. The first time I remember being truly scared was when I went to my first editing association event. I am not a hugely social person, so getting to know other editors was daunting. I was fresh out of university and felt so small in comparison to everyone at the event. It is much easier for me to attend these events now, but other editors can be intimidating with years of experience behind them.

I also remember being terrified when I had to register my business. I needed a license to run my business from home, and I spent so much time researching to make sure I was doing everything correctly. Unfortunately, there is no personalized “how to” guide for setting up your freelance editing business. There are general books and websites that help, but the entire process is confusing and changes over time. Facing my fear in this situation, and in social situations, involves pushing through and gaining experience so I’m better prepared for next time.

When it comes to facing imposter syndrome, I need confidence boosts. I gain confidence when I look at my list of education and completed projects. I also rely on my community to help me face my fear. My number one supporters are my parents, my best friends, and my boyfriend. They are my cheerleaders, and they hold me up when I’m falling down. I couldn’t do what I love without them.

Talking to other editors about their struggles helps as well. We are all human, and we are all afraid of something like messing up an email to a client, not performing well enough on a project, or not getting enough clients to pay the bills. When we talk to each other and realize that other people have the same experiences, we can support each other and face our fears together.

Brenna has shared an absolutely amazing story and I am in awe of her strength and courage. I would love to be freelance one day and I know all too well the fear that stands in my way. Thank you so much for sharing Brenna.  

If you’d like to get involved in this blog series, please email me at beth@booksnest.co.uk and I’ll send you through everything you need.