Freelancing, Failure, Follow-up, Risk, Reframing and the Passionate Life: Gregg Levoy Intvw Transcript Part 2

Part two of a two part transcript of my lengthy interview with Gregg Levoy, one of my favorite writers. Link to recording of interview here.

Thanks Thanks to Tsara Shelton for helping with the transcript editing.

My guest, Gregg Levoy is the author of Callings, a best selling book and a new book Vital Signs: The Nature and Nurture of Passion. And I have to say these are both brilliant, incredible books that you gotta read. Things are a little different on this interview, I'm doing it live, face to face with Gregg, discussing his new book, The Nature and Nurture of Passion.

We pick up where we left off in part one of the interview transcript.

here's Gregg's website GreggLevoy.com

Rob: So, okay, so let's kind of use this conversation about your transition to talk about passions and about freelancing because I also do interviews with a lot of writers too.

GL: Okay.

Rob: So, you talk about the freelance writing life - talk about that.

GL: The freelance life.

Rob: Yeah.

GL: Oh, well it's not for everybody; it's definitely stepping out of the proverbial box of the mindset of working for somebody else, and yet I have the free in freelancing, which is worth a king's ransom to me. To be able to have the freedom to write what I want to write, to get up when I want, to shop when I want. You know, to go skiing on a Tuesday because I can, you know what I'm saying?

Rob: I do, I do. I've been there, I'm still there.

GL: Right, exactly. And the freelance life is - I'm definitely constitutionally wired to be a freelancer.

Rob: What does that mean?

GL: Well, I chafe under the yolk of employment, of working for other people and working toward their goals rather than my own. I never liked about half the assignments that were given to me as a reporter. I was like ugh, do I really have to spend a week of my life going out and interviewing prominent Cincinnati couples on the question: if you could spend twenty-four hours with someone other than your wife, who would it be and why? Do I really need to devote a week of my life to that?

Rob: Yeah.