I've wanted this since I was 22

Ever since entering the adult world, I've yearned for more freedom to create art without pressure.

Sometimes I wouldn’t quite get this consciously, but that’s what it would often come back to.

Making fun art things.

I spent years in jobs that paid the bills but left me drained. I'd come home wanting to write, paint or draw, but I had nothing left. The creative work I cared about always got pushed to ‘someday.’

I eventually found freelance work that was more creative. Illustration, design, and later writing. But even that felt limiting because most of it was client work. I was still creating on someone else's terms, for someone else's vision.

The non-fiction writing gave me more freedom because it was mine. I wrote what I wanted, published when I wanted, and built something that felt closer to the dream I'd had since my early twenties.

I'm finally getting a real taste for that freedom now, with increasingly more of my time spent writing fiction.

I'm currently in Crete working on my first novel. I write most mornings, take walks through old towns, and come back to write some more. This is the life I imagined when I was stuck in that fluorescent-lit office in London years ago.

Creating time leverage with my online business is making this possible.

I tried many things to get here, but my email newsletter became my most reliable tool.

I built this by publishing my writing consistently, even when I didn't know exactly why. I just kept showing up, kept sending emails, and kept sharing what I was learning and doing.

That brought me subscribers who trusted me and actually wanted to hear from me.

And that allowed me to monetise my ideas through courses, coaching and digital products.

This has all given me the time freedom to finally create the art I'd been putting off for over a decade.

The lesson I keep coming back to is that freedom doesn't arrive when you're ready for it. You build it slowly, one published piece at a time, until one day you realise you're living differently.

The newsletter is my vehicle. And to build one, it starts with writing and sharing content online.

If you want to build this kind of leverage through your writing, my course Online Writing Alchemy can help.

It covers 16 secrets for writing that grabs attention, builds trust, and gets shared, plus writing guides, prompts, and a 6-month roadmap. It saves you years of writing without knowing what works.

I'm running a special end-of-January sale.

Right now, it’s $147, down from $397. The sale ends tomorrow, Sunday February 1st at 3pm ET.

Get Online Writing Alchemy here.

Alex