Hey there everyone! This is Chantal. She leads the glamorous life of a writer living abroad, and as such, you shall all be jealous of her. Especially after reading my interview with her, after the jump. Enjoy!

1. First of all, please explain to our readers what your freelance business is, and how much of your time you devote to it.

I am a freelance writer covering music, expat life, and travel. I also specialize in English copywriting (”English” being an important distinction when living abroad). Right now, I work about 20 hours a week for an advertising agency in Zurich, where I create ideas and advise on all things English for the agency’s networks in Zurich, Geneva, and Frankfurt. I spend an additional 15-20 hours doing my other writing, which includes a personal essay column for Swiss News, classical music reviews for Style Weekly, and various other projects, such as blogging about life in Switzerland at One Big Yodel, and trying to break into dream publications like The Christian Science Monitor, which I did in June.

2. What led you to freelancing in general, and writing in particular?

I began my writing career as a copywriter at The Martin Agency. About 10 months into my first job, a client announced he would be counting the number of syllables in my 2-3-word headlines. So while I really enjoyed making ads, I decided I needed another outlet where I could express myself in more than the 10 words usually granted to copywriters. Style Weekly, an alternative newspaper in Richmond, VA, was looking for a freelance classical music writer and, since I had been trained as a classical musician, I began writing articles for them in my spare time on the weekends, and discovered I really loved it.

3. How long have you been living in Zurich, and what originally took you there? Feel free to add in the best parts of life abroad, so that we can all live vicariously through you.

I’ve been in Zurich for 2.5 years now. I wanted to live abroad to experience new things and live outside my comfort zone. When my husband’s company gave him the opportunity to work abroad, we couldn’t say no. It was hard to give up our house, cars, support network, and for-me job but, as a creative person, I knew I’d regret not doing it later. My former office helped me by sending my resume to their network in Zurich and, within two weeks of arrival, I became an official “English Copywriter.” Since the agency here didn’t think they’d need an English copywriter full time, I received a 50% contract, which was perfect as it also allowed me time to expand my freelance writing career.

The best parts of living abroad are:

1. Chocolate. Just yesterday I discovered this dark chocolate truffle bar filled with hazelnuts…Ok, well more seriously, living abroad really opens you up as a creative person because your ways of doing things are constantly challenged. You learn to see yourself and your country in an entirely new way, which has really inspired my writing.

2. The travel opportunities. I can be shopping in Germany in 30 minutes (and thank God as the prices are much cheaper than in Switzerland). Or I can run off to Paris for the weekend. Living in Switzerland means all of Europe is within a 2-hour flight. And I have made it my mission to conquer almost all of it.

4. What is your favorite regular writing gig, and why?

I just started writing a monthly column for Swiss News, the National English Journal of Switzerland. It’s called Expat Adventure and it’s a blast because I have a lot of creative freedom to write about whatever I want. For instance, my November article was about the trials and tribulations of trying to share a laundry room with an anal Swiss neighbor who wanted me to do things like leave the dryer door open at a 45-degree angle and scrub the inside of the dryer with a little brush to remove every single possible piece of lint. You can read the latest from my column on my website, www.chantalpanozzo.com.

5. How do you see your business growing in the future?

I have slowly been expanding my writing capabilities by taking classes at mediabistro. Last fall I took personal essay writing with Liza Monroy and got my first big national writing credit with an essay about my father, “Dad’s Museum Mania,” that ran in honor of Father’s Day in The Christian Science Monitor. I am now working on further expanding my writing options through travel writing, since hopping around Europe has clearly become an obsession of mine.

6. What are your favorite resources for the burgeoning professional in his/her 20s?

Gosh, I’m a little over the hill at age 30 [ed. note: I’m almost there myself.], but definitely mediabistro.com. They have great info on “How to Pitch” different publications. And after taking two classes with them, I can definitely recommend them not only because of what I’ve learned, but because of the support I’ve gotten from other writers through writing groups after the classes have ended.

I also recently discovered writtenroad.com, which is a great site for learning about the travel writing industry.

In addition, I read The Urban Muse blog by Susan Johnston, who is also a freelance writer.

And you can’t beat facebook for getting the word out on your recent articles.

7. What are the toughest aspects of freelancing, and how do you deal with them?

I find it challenging to master the business side of freelancing. I have no trouble writing and coming up with creative ideas, but selling and marketing my work is something I’ve really been trying to focus on lately.

There are also challenges involved in freelancing in a country where you are dependent upon work permits and government approval for everything you do. So it took six months before I was cleared to begin writing my monthly column for Swiss News. It takes a lot of patience to be a writer, but even more to be a writer abroad. Especially since you don’t always have access to all the publications you would like to have. And for my U.S. writing gigs, my mother is my banker (thanks, mom!) and deposits my checks as doing so here would involve excessive fees.

8. If you could purchase anything for your home office, what would it be?

I’d be happy with a huge desk and a comfortable chair, but right now the dining room table has become my office, much to my husband’s dismay, as I have never-ending piles of paper and publications threatening to take over the rest of the living room. But Swiss apartments are small and so there’s really no space for an office unless I took over the guest bedroom—but right now, that area is sort of an open-air filing cabinet…plus I find the view from the living room more inspiring (see pic).

9. What are some dream jobs you’d consider if you had your druthers?

I would love to write a book someday. Or sing in an opera again. Or have a column in the New York Times (for instance, I love reading Maureen Dowd). I had the pleasure of meeting David Sedaris this week and would love to put together my own collection of personal essays at some point. College Professor is another dream job for me. I taught copywriting at Virginia Commonwealth University a couple years ago and loved it.

10. Do you have a professional background in classical music? Who are your favorite composers?

Yes, I began my classical music career at age six singing with the Young Naperville Singers. In addition, I took piano lessons for 12 years. In college I studied opera. Actually, looking back, I think learning to sing is great training for being a writer. You internalize a lot of poetry and learn the melody of words.

My favorite composers are Debussy, Chopin, and Grieg.

…

Readers can contact Chantal on LinkedIn, or at her website.

And for her most recently published piece, keep an eye on the Christian Science Monitor this coming Monday!

As always, e-mail me if you’re interested in being my next victim…um…interviewee.

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Aaaand I’m back, thanks to a new wireless g USB network adapter. Yes, I spent the bulk of today losing my shit as my Internet connection went down every five minutes. As a result, I was able to squeeze in three Modern Materialist posts, but not much else.

But that’s not the only reason it’s been quiet around here this week, and that’s why I’m writing this post.

For the past two months, my mood has been a roller coaster, verging on manic optimism during the highs, and depression and fear during the lows. The reasons? The folding of the Sun. The realization that full-time freelancing might not be the right thing for me. The desire for a coaching certification, without the money to enter the necessary certification program. My dwindling bank account. My resulting aimlessness.

On the one hand, all this free time has given me the opportunity to concentrate on my writing, and I’ve gotten three recent clips — with a fourth one forthcoming — out of that. On the other hand, I’ve found it difficult to keep up this momentum, as distracted as I am by my other concerns.

While I realize that this is no mere case of writer’s block, I feel that some of the “cures” for writer’s block could be helpful in a situation such as this. Which is why I was excited to see Jenny Cromie’s post on the subject over at The Golden Pencil: When Your Muse Goes On Strike, Grab a Club.

Jenny suggests the typical block-busting tips, such as committing yourself to writing for a certain amount of time each day, and stepping away from the work when your brain needs a break. The tip that intrigued me the most was her last one, one “read[ing] the stars.” And no, I don’t mean my horoscope.

Jenny writes that when she’s “low on inspiration and need[s] to control [her] inner muse, simply reading the work of [her] favorite writers helps remind [her] of what’s possible and puts [her] back on track.”

I feel much the same way, when I read work by Barbara Kingsolver and Lorrie Moore. Who are the stars guiding you? And what do you use to get out of a work-strangling funk?

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Things have been looking up here, finance-wise, despite the fact that I still haven’t found another regular gig. I’ve gotten three new clips, with a fourth on the way, and also talked my way into a bit of a “raise.” Huzzah!

It’s not enough, of course, which is why I read the following two blog posts with such interest:

Back in August, Darren Rowse of ProBlogger posted about 10 Ways to Make Money BECAUSE of Your Blog. I bookmarked the post because I felt it was so rich with money-making ideas, such as consulting, writing a book, speaking, and more.

And just this past week, Josh Catone posted about 12 Killer Ways to Make Extra Income on the Web, over at Sitepoint. He suggests such things as becoming an expert on About.com, selling your photos to stock photography sites, and more.

Put together, there’s definitely a lot of food for thought between these two blog posts.

How do you make extra income, as an offshoot of your main area of work?

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The teeny-tiny person pictured above is Kristine Brite,a freelance writer and blogger over at teleTwenties, and our next interview subject. (She also featured me on her site yesterday.)

As always, do e-mail me if you’re interested in being interviewed next. And now, Kristine’s words of wisdom:

1. First of all, please explain to our readers what your freelance business is, and how much of your time you devote to it.

Like most freelancers, I have a bunch of projects going in at once. I submit articles to Associated Content and eHow. I also use Textbroker, Get a Freelancer, eLance, and forums to find side projects.

I devote a lot of times to two new blogging projects. Overall, I probably spend 20-30 hours a week on my freelance projects.

2. Why did you choose this particular set-up for your freelance business?

I’m a new freelancer. I was a newspaper reporter after college, and about six months ago fell into an online position that didn’t involve writing. I found I loved telecommuting, but missed writing. So, now I’m trying to use any spare time to advance myself on the path of becoming a full-time freelancer.

3. Why did you decide to freelance in general? What drew you to this type of work?

I hate having a boss looking over my shoulder. While clients are my ultimate boss, I love the flexibility of picking projects I think sound interesting. I also enjoy the flexibility. I can work a crazy 80-hour week one week and, another week, if something comes up, I can take it easy.

4. How do you see your business growing in the future?

With the amount of content needed online, I think freelancers will be in demand. I’ve been told reputedly becoming a freelance writer is next to impossible, but I’m hoping to do so. And Steph proves it is possible!

I’d love to become start my own public relations business. I have the newspaper background and some experience working as a public relations contractor.

5. What are your favorite resources for the burgeoning professionals in their 20s?

I’ve been searching for good resources, as a lot of freelance sites and forums are geared to other populations. This is one reason I started my blog, teleTwenties. I think MediaBistro is a great site for our generation.

I also think that joining the plethora of social networking sites is important, but it can be frustrating to keep up with all my various accounts.

I love visiting blogs and have a huge list of several I visit.

I’d like to share two new job boards I found with your readers: Lime Exchange is like eLance, and has some jobs listed, and Writer’s Access is so new I’m still trying to figure out what direction they’re taking. But I think that getting in at the beginning is important to making a name for yourself at sites like these. We’ll see if they pan out!

6. What are the toughest aspects of freelancing, and how do you deal with them?

Lately, my toughest battle has been a new puppy. At first, I felt guilty caging him while I was at home. Eventually, I broke down and realized I needed to treat my work day like I was going to work, so I started caging him while working.

Another difficulty has been the distraction of family and friends calling or showing up, ignoring the work part of my work at home life. I’ve been patiently reminding them that I do indeed have a “real” job, and just hope that one day they get the picture.

7. If you could purchase anything for your home office, what would it be?

I’d love to purchase an assistant to do all of the mundane duties!

8. What are some dream jobs you’d consider if you had your druthers?

As a former newspaper reporter, I’d love to be an overseas correspondent for the New York Times or another large paper.

…

To get a taste of Kristine’s work, check out her two blogs — teleTwenties and three times a bridesmaid. You can also read more from her over at Associated Content.

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Check me out over at teleTwenties, one of the latest additions to my Google Reader. There, freelance writer Kristine Brite shows a day in my life.

Plus, she includes that photo of me where my hair looks perfect.

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As you well know, I’ve been struggling lately with how, exactly, to find the perfect balance between my freelance work and more regular income sources. The state of the economy hasn’t been helping, and so I’ve been considering other options, including the utilization of staffing agencies.

My previous experiences with staffing agencies were as a college student, looking for temp work during my breaks. I worked with one temp agency down in Central New Jersey, which was able to find me fairly regular work within the nonprofit sector. The other agency — much closer to where I’m living now — didn’t often have much to offer. Which is why I hadn’t seriously considered such avenues when the New York Sun first folded.

Now, having come closest to paying work with the help of two such agencies, I’ve been forced to reconsider their effectiveness.

After the jump, eight staffing agencies that specialize in the creative industries:

1. Adecco:

Adecco is a global staffing agency with “7,000 offices in 60 countries.” While they work within a number of industries, one of the categories one can search in is Creative. You can also sign up to receive job notifications and access articles, career advice, and more. Plus, you can apparently build your network by joining their Facebook group.

2. Aquent:

Aquent is an agency I’ve been working with recently. They’ve called me several times in an effort to pinpoint what I want, how much I want, etc. and, thus far, I’ve felt as if I’m in good hands. It’s too soon to report on how effective this partnership will eventually be, so I’ll just mention that they’re a talent agency working primarily with designers and marketers. They do, however, dabble in other creative areas.

3. Artisan:

Artisan represents “the best of the best creative, marketing, and production talent in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.” You can search jobs through their site, and also register via a form that allows you to express yourself in a number of essay-style responses.

4. Atrium:

Atrium is a women-owned staffing agency operating primarily within New York, New Jersey, and Boston (my three favorite places!). A lot of the jobs up on the site seem to be office support-related, but they are also involved in the creative arena.

5. Career Blazers:

Career Blazers has locations in New York, New Jersey, D.C., and Rockville, MD. As far as creative positions go, it looks like graphics is it (::sob::).

6. The Creative Group:

The Career Group is geared toward marketing and advertising professionals. In addition to helping you find projects, they also provide a benefits package, even if you’re not working a full-time gig. One can also put up a portfolio on the agency’s site, and sign up for group’s e-zine. Color me impressed.

7. The Hired Guns:

The Hired Guns is another agency I started working with recently. A friend/colleague of mine got a sweet job through them, and I also recently got interviews for two editorial gigs. Sign up on the site and then receive targeted e-mails with the newest job opportunities.

8. Lynne Palmer:

Lynne Palmer places professionals within book publishing, magazine publishing, new media, and more. A quick perusal of the available positions on the site is encouraging. You can also register with the agency by sending a cover letter and resume in via e-mail.

Anyone here have any experience with these agencies, positive or negative? Anyone awesome that I’m missing? Weigh in with a comment!

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When your home and your office happen to be one and the same, it can be tough to ever truly let go, unless you actually leave the building. And finding a spot to unwind at home can be even more difficult when you’re living in a small space.

After remaining inside my condo for four days straight, it occurred to me that I have nowhere to go just go get away…no means of escape…

Unless you count my Wednesday night callanetics classes, an hour of stretching and pulsing that simultaneously relaxes me and deeply works my muscles.

I’d be interested in hearing how all of you escape the daily grind. Is there a special spot in your home, or is there a place you flee to in your car when things get especially stressful?

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Welcome to week 2 of the Infinite Wisdom of Others! This week, I’ve branched out, and have a subject who is not in any way related to me. Bonus! After the jump, Susan Johnston — an extremely prolific freelance writer — subjects herself to my questions.

1. First of all, please explain to our readers what your freelance business is, and how much of your time you devote to it.

I am a freelance writer who covers career and lifestyle topics for magazines, websites and, occasionally, newspapers. I also take on copywriting projects such as press releases, web copy, and ghostblogging. I’m a sole proprietor, so most days it’s just me and my laptop in an empty apartment for 8-10 hours a day (with breaks for blog reading, of course). :)

2. Why did you choose this particular set-up for your freelance business? How is this the ideal set-up for your lifestyle?

I may set an up LLC someday, but right now being a sole proprietor makes sense for me because of the clients I work with and my cash flow situation. I like the flexibility of freelancing, but some days it still seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day! I’m still working on time management.

3. Why did you decide to freelance in general? What drew you to this type of work?

I like that you don’t have to pay your dues in a traditional sense. And I like the variety. I can pitch stories according to my interests and use that as a way to explore new topics. I love learning from other women and entrepreneurs, so whenever I interview someone for an article, I usually find bits of advice that are applicable to my own life.

4. Do you find that past experience in staff positions help you with the freelance work you’re doing now? Do the two worlds overlap in any way?

I did not work on staff at a publication, but I freelanced on the side for several years while I worked in marketing and PR. It was good training for writing query letters and understanding how PR people work. And since I write about career issues, I can draw from my fond memories of office life for, er, inspiration.

5. How do you see your business growing in the future?

I want to focus more on essay and magazine writing. Obviously, there are tons of opportunities and demand for writing online (and that’s how I earn the bulk of my money now), but there’s nothing quite like seeing your byline in a favorite magazine. Even though web content is convenient (and the quicker publishing process is nice), I hope that people continue to enjoy the tangible quality of reading magazines. I’m trying to devote one day a week to essays and querying dream markets, but sometimes I have too much else going on! That’s probably a good problem to have.

6. What are your favorite resources for the burgeoning writer (or other freelancer)?

I’ve been a member of Freelance Success for over a year now, and I can’t say enough good things about it! The forums are a huge help, and their weekly newsletter has landed me several paying assignments. I just got back from the first-ever Freelance Success conference in Tampa, which was a blast.

7. What are the toughest aspects of freelancing, and how do you deal with them?

Getting people to pay me on time. But I’m persistent and I keep a paper trail, so everyone has eventually paid up with one exception. That publication went bankrupt, so there’s not much I could do. All the more reason to be careful with small startup pubs!

8. If you could purchase anything for your home office, what would it be?

What office? Right now I’m sitting on an Ikea chair in the living room! I try not to do too much work in my bedroom because a) it’s bad sleep hygiene and b) the wireless signal is spotty in that part of the apartment. But I have a scanner/copier/printer that was a very handy hand-me-down from my boyfriend, and I fantasize about having a real home office someday! I’ll probably have to move out of the city first.

9. What are your favorite guilty pleasure magazines and websites out there?

I read lots of girly mags: Glamour, Cosmo, and I even have a subscription to Seventeen. Strictly for research, of course, since I’m trying to break into more of those markets. Actually, I like reading them at the gym or on airplanes. I’ve subscribed to SELF magazine for ages (my first clip was last June!), but that’s less fluff, so I wouldn’t call it a guilty pleasure.

…

To get a taste of Susan’s work, read her Women’s Health quiz on dealing with office drama (apparently, I’m a crisis coordinator), or her WomenEntrepreneur piece on how to turn setbacks into successes. She also manages The Urban Muse — a blog about “reading, writing, and the creative life.” Keep track of Susan over at LinkedIn.

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The fastest turnaround I’ve ever seen, here’s another sex party piece I wrote for The Frisky.

It’s fun to be doing my own stuff again!

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As a writer who has focused primarily on short-form blogging and personal essays, hunting down sources has never been a huge part of the work that I do. A portfolio that relies solely upon the self, however, can become an echo chamber. At some point in your writing career, It’s important to bring in new and differing perspectives.

Where to turn when you need an expert, and fast?

1. Media-Centric Sites and Expert Databases and Directories:

I’ve been using MediaBistro for so long that I tend to rely upon it for any publishing-related quandary. That’s why I often post SOS-style posts on the Sources for Stories section of their bulletin board. The only problem? Those frequenting the bulletin boards are usually media-types like myself, with an even bigger network of media friends. Someone may know someone, though, so I always try it when I’m desperate.

There are other sites, however, that exist solely to connect experts with reporters. ProfNet, run through PR Newswire, is a community “of nearly 14,000 professional communicators,” whom you can connect with via a search, or by posting a detailed request. Help a Reporter provides a form with which you can post queries, which are then e-mailed out to a database of sources who have signed up for the site. There is also Newswise, a database of universities, colleges, and other research organizations containing contact information for media relations personnel and websites, and ExpertClick, which allows one to search for experts by subject area.

2. Professional Organizations:

Looking for a marriage counselor? Contact Smart Marriages. Looking for an early childhood education specialist? Try the Early Childhood Development Association. During my time as a marketing associate for an academic book publisher, I attended many conferences and, let me tell you, they were a goldmine of field experts eager to share their knowledge with others. Most major search engines provide directories for professional organizations, organized by type. Contact an organization’s press office, and they’re usually more than willing to provide you with someone whose brain you can pick.

3. Word of Mouth:

In much the same way that you should tell everyone in the free world that you’re looking for a new job (you never know!), you should also spread the word among friends and family if you’re looking for someone with a specific specialty, or in a specific situation. Chances are, someone will know the exact someone you need.

4. Social Networking Sites:

This tactic is sort of an extension of word-of-mouth expert-hunting, and one that I’ve found to be effective in the past. I’ve posted SOSs on my MySpace bulletin board. I’ve joined interest groups on Facebook, and then posted to their message boards. My strongest ally lately has been Twitter, on which I’ve directly tweeted press queries, and even searched for people using Twellow or Twitter Search. Blogs such as Freelance Switch have also touted the usefulness of Twitter in this area. Harness the power of your extended network!

Anyone one have helpful tips and tricks they use to find story sources?

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