Seeking Advice From Freelancers and Content Creators

Here's a question that's been eating away at my mind and it's for all the content creators out there:

To those freelancers/creators out there who are paying the bills, month over month with your talents, what advice do you have for a person who's willing to work their ass off and determined to make enough to pay the bills and invest a bit every month?

In a world that's so full of opportunity, I refuse to believe that there's no way to capitalize on my talents and to create my own economy, when I know that others are doing the same. Rather than allowing others to dictate my worth in a job market that refuses to see my value outside my most recent field of work, I am willing to bring value directly to those who are in need. This, my friends, is not a gripe, but a grizzly and determined war cry in my heart that can not be quieted. This is why I'm seeking any perspective you may have.

I came to a realization, not too long ago, that I have many talents. I was having one of those moments and wondering what I could possibly do to make some money and asking the universe at large, or God, to help me find a way to make a difference in the world and make some money. In that moment, I realized that asking for any more talents than I've been gifted with would be arrogant and selfish, because I have already been gifted with plenty of them and haven't put all of them to their best use.

As I write this, I have to wonder where I might be, financially and otherwise if I'd continued writing after college and never stopped. How many plays, screenplays, poems, books, stories, essays or other creative works could I have written? It's probably best not to dwell on that. Maybe I wouldn't have had anything of real value to share; I may have been writing hollow words, devoid of meaning or substance. In saying that, I digress and I'll get back on to the topic of monetizing content creation and if you have any insight and you'd be so kind as to share it with me, I would be very grateful for your insights.

I'm at a point now, where I'm pretty confident in my ability to do a variety of different things, from writing, photography, photo editing, cinematography and video editing and a few other things. In the last couple years, I've dealt with a number of different physical challenges that have changed my ability to capitalize on my skilled labor background, which has been challenging, to say the least. Although that challenge is real and pressing, I have learned to embrace challenges for the opportunities they present and so I'm here writing this and asking you about your experiences.

For that reason, I'll ask, but one more question:

What one mistake set you back the most when you were just starting out and how would you avoid it if you were starting today?

I'm not sure how many people this will reach, but I have faith in the Hive Mind and the spirit of this community. In a community of so many talented individuals, I know there's someone out there who can shed some light on this. Thanks so much from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this. I'm looking forward to your responses.

Much love and stay well!