By Lisbeth Coiman
I have been thinking about an unpaid sabbatical to complete a couple of writing projects. I consider risk management is essential when thinking about leaving a fairly good job to pursue an artistic goal. As an emerging writer, I should meet the following benchmarks before taking a sabbatical year.
- A written project with clearly defined goals and deliverables, a timeline, and resources needed.
- A sound budget to cover the cost of living on the bare minimum.
- Cost of medical care without insurance. The national annual average cost of basic medical care is roughly $3000, but in CA that could be much higher. I have seen ob-gyn bills for up to $800 for an annual pap-smear, pelvic exam, and manual breast exam. That’s not counting that I need regular psychiatric care, and will probably need an annual blood work, visits to dentist and ophthalmologist, a flu shot. I can’t even come to think of unpredictable medical expenses. Even if I skipped an entire year of annual checkups, the fear of being caught off guard without medical insurance has almost frozen me on my tracks. For an interesting take on the out of pocket cost of medical care for the uninsured, Click here. Apart from having a clear plan for medical expenses, I also need to build a list of community low-cost, scaled-down resources to cover my medical needs, like this.
- Rent: The average cost of rent for a 1-bed apartment in Los Angeles County is $2,300. Those who enjoy supportive parents or spouse, loving and non-conflictive room-mates can avoid bleeding $27000 to live in LA. Alternatively, I can move somewhere with a lower cost of living, but again, LA is where I want to be.
- Basic public services: Reserve at least 1200/year to have reliable hot water, electricity, a semi-smart phone, and a not so fast internet service.
- Transportation: Use public transit or unpredictable car expenses can ruin a perfect project plan. I have learned collision way that in LA car insurance must cover more than the basic liability. Depending on individual ratings and history, car insurance for a year can cost from $800 $1200. Even with a brand-new car, repairs can also be unpredictable: to repair breaks, be ready to shed $400. Oil change, tire rotations, and filter changes, can be done for $99 every 6 months.
- Groceries: I can easily estimate $5000 a year for food, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products.
- Writing expenses: office supplies, books, subscriptions, memberships, submissions, workshops, and cover/donations/tickets to attend events. Now this item is completely arbitrary because it depends on how much I am willing to spend. Based on my past expenses, and because I have a relatively new and reliable computer, I’m willing to spend no more than $1000 a year for specific writing expenses. That leaves out major conferences, and traveling for research.
- Digital expenses: If I am going to be a full-time writer for a year, I need the digital system to back it up: Dropbox, canvas, Microsoft license, miles tracker, and research expenses.
Since I do not have a writing grant, I estimate securing a budget of at least $30K to pursue this project in Los Angeles before taking a year off to pursue my writing goals.
- A back-up plan(s) for employment at the end of my sabbatical.
With the money question solved, it is imperative that I know exactly what I will do after I exhaust my resources. What kind of job I will be looking for, what credentials I need, suitable location, and relocation resources? Even if I have guaranteed employment, which I don’t, I must write a marketing plan for my book and carry it out before looking for another job. Yet that can bomb too. For instance, I had a perfect marketing plan for my debut memoir I Asked the Blue Heron, but I was never able to market my book because life dealt me a hand beat.
Therefore, ultimately, I should be ready to move to a smaller city somewhere else, and live as a too-soon-retired, starving artist for the rest of my life to pay for the luxury of my sabbatical. That’s the risk.
- Clarity of mind to pursue goals.
The risk management plan I have described above makes an educated guess of the outcome, and creates tools to address the unforeseeable obstacles. But I would never be able to reach my goal if I don’t start create optimum working conditions for myself. Risk management begins with enough hunger “to do-or-die”, to place the result of that sabbatical year above everything else in my life. Likewise, I need focus to avoid distractions and discipline to work at least eight hours a day on my craft. Because I suffer from a mental condition, I need to have peace of mind, and the emotional support for those moments of self-doubt and feelings of failure.
In the meantime, I will continue working on my project, one small step at the time. However, to the younger women out there dreaming of a career in writing I say, take the risk while you are young, or while you are still married, when you still live with your parents, or that annoying room-mate. The conditions will never be ideal.
Lisbeth Coiman is an emerging, bilingual writer wandering the immigration path from Venezuela to Canada to the US. She has performed any available job from maid to college administrator, and adult teacher. Her work has been published in Hip Mama, the Literary Kitchen, YAY LA, Nailed Magazine, Entropy, and RabidOak. She was also featured in the Listen to Your Mother Show in 2015. In her self-published memoir, I Asked the Blue Heron (Nov 2017), Coiman celebrates female friendship while exploring issues of child abuse, mental disorder, and her own journey as an immigrant. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she teaches and dances salsa.