My Favorite Articles of 2019

This year I’m proud to have written about barista-led activism, LGBTQ+ topics, specialty coffee, and Seattle issues. I love my niches, but writing about subjects I’m less familiar with can lead to some of my favorite articles.

One of my favorite early stories and interviews was with Jenn Callender of Seattle’s La Marzocco Cafe. I interviewed her for an article in Barista Magazine about cafes and social media, and Callender was kind and helpful, even offering vital tips for my own burgeoning social media marketing business.

Other interviews I especially enjoyed were with Abby Posner, a multi-instrumentalist and singer with whom I shared a similar background of growing up some stripe of LGBTQ+ in the 90s, and coffee roaster Rob Rodriguez, whose vulnerability was a gift.

A difficult piece for me was writing about Kim Petras. While I am here for trans folks getting paid and celebrated for their work, her choice to continue working with Dr. Luke was something I couldn’t support, but conversely—I get it.

Two articles I am most proud of are Women, Queers, and Trans Folks Taking Over Skate Culture, and Guayaba Shapeshifts Through An Orphean Nightmare In Fantasmagoria. It was heart-warming to write about Skate Like A Girl’s inclusive classes and community, and attempting to describe Guayaba’s terrifying, twisted, and otherworldy opus was an honor.

In 2020, I’m going to be more ambitious than ever with my submissions.

Here’s to challenging my own abilities, and growing as a writer.

Mark Chills Out

For the last few days I’ve been in a state I can only describe as blessedly stress-free.

On first thought, I have no idea how this has happened. A carry-over from my former line cook and barista days, being stressed out was my modus operandi. I bragged about my Eye Of The Tiger hustle, but the fever-pitch level of anxiety it engendered was unsustainable, physically and mentally. I strong-armed my way through waves upon waves of burnout in the food service industry. Stepping out into freelance writing, I was confident I could shake the anxiety snake for good. I was surprised that it followed me even here.

Stress and anxiety are no joke. For me it feels like a gnarled ball of cold and wet in the pit of my stomach. It feels like shallow breathing, and waking up at six already stressed about how little time I have to do ALL the things.

But recently, even though I have four big articles due by the end of the month (I’m shooting to get them all done before my birthday), I’ve been in such a calm state of mind. Yes, I have these big articles due. Also, it’s nothing I haven’t done before. I already know what the outcome is: I’m going to finish them.

It’s safe to say I’ve unlocked another level.

I also attribute my current mental and emotional state to meditation, Magnesium, and Holy Basil tea.

Most days of the week I start my day by putting on some hella woo music in my headphones, close my eyes and think about nothing for six minutes, pulling my mind to ground zero. I repeat as needed throughout the day. The effects are cumulative, but it works.

Natural Vitality’s Natural Calm, A Relaxing Magnesium Supplement, and Tulsi, or Holy Basil, tea have done wonders for reducing stress. I take the Magnesium supplement once a day, and Tulsi tea once or twice a day. Meditation, magnesium, and Tulsi tea are my new indispensable tools. With these three combined, I’m able to approach my assignments calmly. My focused hustle is still there, but the stress-pangs are gone.

Fingers crossed, this mood holds.

Have you tried any of these supplements?

What’s in your anxiety-busting toolkit?

Meet Chill Mark

It’s official: me and my anxiety are breaking up.

We’ve tried cohabitating for a while, and it’s just not working out. For those with anxiety, I feel ya.

There’s a blissful part of my morning where I’m not affected. Then about as soon as I get dressed it strikes like a bolt of lightning, one that turns into a Boa constrictor, coils around my chest and squeezes. First I’ll get overwhelmed at everything I have to do, despite waking up earlier and earlier, then move on to all the things I haven’t done yet and how broke I am, which I will then weaponize and use against myself. You know what’s pretty shitty? Being mean to yourself for having anxiety.

The fact that my anxiety strikes in the morning is something I credit to my years of working as a line cook. Those were the years I ran on adrenaline: wolfing down coffee on an empty stomach, showing up at seven or earlier, and letting the lightning of anxiety basically possess me until the end of my shift. Brunch is war, I used to say. And it is probably the closest I ever got to a war-like experience.

But now I’m a freelancer. I’m a writer. My dreams have come true. And now it’s time to cast off the clammy Boa constrictor.

I now introduce Chill Mark.

I’m adopting a way of life where I slow down, have more fun, take things less seriously. Anxiety is my body’s way of telling me to slow down, eat more, get a massage, take deeper breaths.

This is me and Chill Mark’s first day of working together, but already we’re getting along great.

Persistence

You’ve made it, but it’s hard to know when you can congratulate yourself—was the sentiment me and another self-employed friend recently expressed. We are both in that slow-moving stage where we’ve made the leap, put our all into our current businesses, started with a bang, and are waiting for the next breakthrough.

I think I’m experiencing the dry time in freelancing, and it’s easy to feel discouraged. I got off to such a great start, carved out a solid foundation, and I’m aching to really take off. These dry times are facts, like cycling, there are uphills and downhills and they’ll just keep coming.

I’m eager to cut to the next chapter.

The only solution is to keep pedaling, of course. I’m here for the long game.

My partner, herself a business owner and entrepreneur, is an invaluable source of support and inspiration to me. It feels so good to be with someone who intimately knows the emotional ups and downs of self-employment.

Recently I dusted off my Spookytooth query and started pitching again. I’m proud of that book, and am in the process of carving out a smaller version of it, while building out the rest for a trilogy. Following other writers and agents on Twitter inspired me to participate in #pitchwars. And a publisher liked my pitch! For those unfamiliar with #pitchwars, it’s a Twitter thing where you tweet a condensed version of your book pitch. If an agent or publisher likes your pitch, that’s an invitation to send them your query or synopsis. I’m so grateful for the like on my tweet, even though I don’t think I’m a good fit with the publisher, it inspired me to dig into Spookytooth again, and get those pitches out!

Accepting New Clients!

As of right now, going on my third month of full-time freelancing, I am Making It.

I’m incredibly honored and indebted to the help I’ve received from Nicole Dieker’s Freelance Class through the Hugo House, insights from Paulette Perhach , local writer and teacher extraordinaire, and my amazing peers and friends (I see you https://www.dgmdgm.com). Not to mention the endless support of my partner, herself a business owner.

I’ve got something like a schedule that works, and two clients I couldn’t be more happy to work with. Indeed, financial compensation speaks for itself, but when your clients tell you on the regular how stoked they are to work with you, it feels just as good.

Having established the fundamentals of a business I’m proud of, I’m ready to take on new clients!

I have been thrilled to create online articles, Instagram and Facebook content, interviews, and blogs for coffee, queer and trans, and food-related publications.

Some of the projects I’ve been most excited to write are the “Women, Queers, and Trans Folks Taking Over Skate Culture” piece for Queerspace Magazine, an article about trans pop star Kim Petras, and coverage of a Coffee At Large event for Barista Magazine Online. You can read more on my Writing Samples page.

Let’s connect and see what I can do for your business!

Slow Walker

Life has slowed considerably for me in my post-surgery recovery. My pace is so much slower than I’m used to. BUT—I have been going out the last few days, including a quest to one of my new favorite cafes. That was a jaunt that took two buses and a fair amount of steady, slow walking. It was hard, I didn’t know if I would make it or get too exhausted and have to call someone to pick me up, but I got there and did what I hadn’t done at a cafe for a long time: I wrote. Like the pen-on-paper kind. It was amazing.

I left when I started feeling sore all over again, making my way at a snail’s pace downtown between bus transfers. I realized I normally walk really fast. The goal is to move from point A to point B as swiftly as possible. Why though? Being a slow walker these days is an unexpected benefit. Quitting my day job and being my own boss means going slower and actually liking it. I don’t have to be anywhere at a certain time to work. This is so new and wild to me.

I’ll never be late for the bus, just early for the next one.

An article I wrote about post-op surgery recovery tips is up on the Transguy Supply Blog. Read it here: https://transguysupply.com/blogs/news/ftm-surgery-tips

The Leap

Undergoing a major surgery, breaking up with my last JOB and accepting a position with people I’m excited to work with is basically what I’ve been doing for the last month. Sitting down and actually tallying up these developments is overwhelming in all the best ways. My first feelings are of awe and thankfulness. I’m honored and grateful to be here, reveling in the freelance life, making steps to solidify my business and marveling at the fact that I’m doing it. I’m really doing it.

I’ve accepted a position at Barista Magazine Online for Social Media Content Director. Barista Magazine has been so great to work with and I’m thrilled to continue growing with them.

Being a week post-op has firmly anchored me in my body during this time of accelerated growth. Going slow (like, snail-slow), taking lots of rest breaks and asking for help is certainly something I’m not used to. As I continue working from home (from the couch, from my bed), I’m reminded over and over that progress doesn’t have to look like my adrenaline-fueled line cook hustle from a previous life. It can be slow but inevitable, like recovery, or the millions of growing and budding spring things outside my window.

Flash Brew Coffee

This morning I received a case of Verve Coffee Roaster’s flash brew coffee—what a treat! You can read all about it in an upcoming article I’m working on for Barista Magazine. Needless to say, my caffeine wants / needs were met all day in delicious fashion.

As I unpacked the box of cold coffee + some pretty cool swag, I couldn’t help but feel like This is it. This is my life. I write articles for magazines. I get to review spectacular coffee.

How strange and rewarding this freelance life is turning out. One day I’ll wake up feeling in the dumps about “where I’m at” in my freelancing career and all it takes to turn it around is one promising email, one new lead, or in this case, a literal case of cold brew.

These subtle, day-by-day emotional shifts are everything. How it feels to be a paid writer is fucking rad, and scary and mystifying and so, so worth it.

Heading to AWP

Yesterday I pulled out my credit card and booked my registration for the AWP conference in Portland this March. When I realized it was coming up and so close by, I immediately thought, Nah, it’s too expensive, I probably shouldn’t go.

But—I always eat really good in Portland.

I love Portland, in fact. The last time I went to AWP was in Seattle a few years ago. At that time I came equip with a stack of queries under my arm, ready to approach literary agents and publishers to pitch my novel, Spookytooth.

I ended up being sheepish, shy and feeling way out of my league. I don’t think I even gave away one query.

This time around, look out. I’ve finished my book, got lots of rejections under my belt and am so ready to come for EVERYTHING with a smile and a firm handshake. I’m getting excited already.

2019, the year of the #powermove

Also, I recently contributed to Queerspace Magazine https://queerspacemagazine.com/the-surreal-drag-collage-of-the-loungettes/ and Transguy Supply Blog https://transguysupply.com/blogs/news/adult-ftm-puberty

Currently, I’m working on an article for Barista Magazine about Flash Brew Coffee, I played basketball this week for the first time since forever and am still love-buzzed from celebrating an anniversary with my boo.

Do More Go Fast!

I had an article posted on seattlegayscene.com that I was excited to write. You know what? All those journalism classes in high school and college were worth it as well as the old zine I used to make and the other opportunities I’ve had to write for random blogs and websites.

I’m excited about this new venture into freelancing and I’ve got two goals for myself right now: do more, do it faster.

Do more pitches, do them faster.

Write more articles, do them faster.