For 50 years, I was a freelance writer, writing thousands of articles and taking photos for over 60 magazines, agencies, organizations and groups. Sometimes I was hired to coordinate related conferences. This enabled me to work solo and from home so I could also raise my kids.

I was not owned by any company, so I kept my own books and paid my fair share in taxes. It was a great career and I met all kinds of fascinating people. This new mentality of crushing the gig worker would have crushed my entrepreneurial spirit and limited my ability to add to the family income. In my lifetime, I enjoyed a great freedom to express myself, write and photograph some very interesting stories and meet people from all over the world. It was a perfect situation!