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cmd + create
issue no. #2
The monthly newsletter for freelancers and writers who want bold, relatable content without the fluff — just stories and insights to help you create with more intention.
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Ni haody, Reader!
Remember how I said this was a monthly newsletter? Yeah… about that. My last issue went out in *checks notes* February. It’s now July. So, hi again — and sorry for falling off the face of the earth for five!!! months.
The truth is, I burned out. Not the slow, creeping kind — the freight-train kind. In January, I hit my highest-grossing month as a freelancer… and then totally fell apart. Depression, executive dysfunction, missed deadlines, long hours staring blankly at Google Docs. At one point, even getting dressed felt like a Herculean effort. I wrote about it on LinkedIn two months ago, not expecting much — but 300+ of you reacted. Turns out I wasn’t alone.
I’ll be writing more soon on command + create about what burnout and recovery look like in real life — especially for freelancers who don’t have PTO or coworkers to lean on. For now, I just wanted to say: I’m still here. Progress is slow and nonlinear, but I’m clawing my way back. If you’ve been in the thick of it too, I see you. You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re just human.
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Monthly financial review
The past few months were painfully slow — a mix of burnout, depression, and quiet client calendars. But in May and June, things finally started picking back up. Clients who’d been quiet came back with fresh assignments, and for the first time in a while, I felt like I was getting back into a rhythm. June wasn’t my busiest month by hours worked, but it was one of my more profitable ones — a good reminder that fewer hours doesn’t have to mean less income.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Clients worked with: 4
- Total revenue: $10,850
- Highest ticket item: $$1,850 for a 4000-word eBook
- Lowest ticket item: $600 for a 1500-word blog post
- Hours spent working: 31 hours
- My average hourly rate: $290
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What's on my mind this month
Here’s what’s been rattling around in my brain this month — from the music I’ve got on repeat to the SaaS drama I can’t stop watching unfold.
- What I’m listening to: Katseye’s Gabriela (the song gives modern-day Jolene)
- What I’m watching: America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Documentary Season 2
- What I’m reading: Not much these days, but I’ve gotten really into New York Times Games, including crossword puzzles.
- SaaS musing: Clearscope and Surfer are publicly beefing over each other’s comparison articles — calling out inaccuracies, taking shots, and turning what should be dry SEO discourse into surprisingly juicy SaaS drama. It’s fun to watch, but also a reminder that content marketing is competitive as hell. Comparison content isn’t just filler — it’s high-stakes, high-impact, and brands are very aware of how much power it holds when someone’s on the verge of buying. The girls are fighting…!
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That's it for this month's issue of cmd + create! See you next month. More to come soon — promise it won’t take me another 5 months.
With warmth (and a functioning executive brain, hopefully),
Hsing
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