When life throws you lemons, throw them back! Lemons are man-made fruits after all
Geegpay x Teacher Gbenga Adebiyi writing challenge
Hello hello, thanks to Nepa I had time to work with my phone and also jump on this creative writing challenge of telling Amina’s story from my perspective.
Geegpay x Teacher Gbenga Adebiyi’s Writing Challenge.
Geegpay is a digital platform that allows African freelancers, employees, creators, and contractors to receive payments from around the world.
In this challenge, the task is to write a 300-word short story from the prompt below.
Geegpay Writing Challenge Prompt:
Life throws us lemons, and sometimes it's hard to make lemonade out of them. Amina, a 25-year-old aspiring photographer, is struggling to make ends meet while juggling freelance gigs and caring for her ageing mother. She feels invisible, undervalued, and on the verge of giving up. But then, an unexpected encounter with a renowned artist reignites her passion and inspires her to take control of her own narrative.
Write a 300-word short story from Amina's perspective, showing her journey from despair to determination. Write about the challenges she faces, the things she learns about herself and how she finds the strength to turn things around.
My story below:
When life throws you lemons, throw them back! Lemons are man-made fruits after all
Link that life didn’t actually give us lemons
“I need you to take across the 250 edits I just made on the document again. Don't you proofread things when you send them to me?”
I sigh, another message from Ms. Jane. My latest low-paying client.
This is the tenth iteration of this simple fictional story. Cheap clients are never beating these allegations.
As a 25-year-old aspiring photographer and freelance writer whose only source of income comes from getting these cheap gigs, I believe—half bread is better than none.
At least it’s dollars—I will see money to buy my aging mother her medicines.
Three years on Upwork now and I’ve made just $1500 total from clients who stress your life with multiple iterations that make the zeal for writing leave your body. The goal’s to make enough to buy a camera and do photography.
Now, all I do is feel more exhausted than the previous day, asking myself “who did I offend?” Thanks to low-paying clients.
A comment from my LinkedIn notifications pops.
“I love the images you use for your newsletters. I can see you credit yourself for them. Let's connect!”
“Wow!” Finally, someone acknowledges my photography skills. I clicked the profile to see he is the renowned UK photographer Abba Vegas— Vogue's featured Photographer??
I send the connection
“Thank you for your kind words, I am an aspiring photographer and writer,” I send as he accepts my connection.
“Hey Amina, nice to connect with you. I love the pictures in your newsletter, you write so well.”
“Thank you!”
“All the best!”.
To be noticed by a renowned artist like Abba Vegas gives me hope that indeed I am “good stuff!”
I then respond to Ms. Jane’s message:
“Hello Ms. Jane! Thanks for your feedback. However, we’ve exhausted the corrections for this work. I am available for a call to discuss new rates if you’d love to still work with me, if not, thanks for the experience!”
I’ll pursue my photography dream again by valuing the work I do first.