“I think we just have to be honest and get over our penchant towards not wanting to brag a little.” In an interview with Paul Jun as part of the Own Your Content campaign, Paul Jarvis discusses About pages, keeping your business small, and the importance of an online space that we own.

“Just because something can’t be a career doesn’t have to mean that it can’t be part of your life and identity.” At Man Repeller, Molly Conway muses on imposter syndrome, work and identity, and being a playwright.

“All I’ve wanted from the beginning is just to put a human face on poverty that is not the one that we think of…” Stephanie Land, who wrote a memoir on working as a maid and being a single mother, first found an audience on her blog.

“Spelling really taught me time management and work ethic.” Cole Shafer‑Ray of The Spelling Champ turned his knack for words into an online consulting business.

At Tenure, She Wrote, a grad student explains her decision no longer to write narratives of inspiration and gumption: “A little smarts and hard work and luck can’t make my chronically ill body ‘productive.’”

“Like most ambitious English majors, I hoped I would find work in either teaching or writing after graduation. Long story short, I ended up graduating magna cum laude, won my department’s award, and learned that no one really wants to talk about E.M. Forster while playing beer pong. Go figure.”

“I’d like to say who cares, but I do care.” Romance novelist Holland Rae writes on rejection — an integral part of the creative process for most artists and writers (not to mention job and college applicants) — and what keeps her motivated.

If you ever wondered what an opera singer’s daily life looks like, you’ll love Charlotte Hoather’s blog, where the British soprano invites visitors and fans behind the scenes (and occasionally on stage, too).