So you want to quit your boring/toxic job and "follow your passion"? Let's talk.

I lost my job 4 years ago, freaked out because I'd never been involuntarily jobless before, and started writing a mental health newsletter to cobble together an income. It was a wild punt, because people paying to read a newsletter produced by an independent writer was unheard of in our part of the world. In this two-hour School of Sanity session, I will tell you all the hard truths I've learned about surviving in this career.

Because, let's face it, jobs - especially those you actively want to do - are vanishing like glaciers, and you can't afford to not think about starting something of your own. But first...

... let's cut out the BS

There's a lot of bullshit flying around about life as an independent creator. Most stories you hear are either about gigantic successes - creators with millions of paying fans, or deflating failures - those who gave up in three months.

My story is different. I am part of the unsung but vital middle class of the creator economy. This is the zone where 99% of independent creators - likely including you, should you choose this path - will find themselves. I haven't become rich, and the anxiety of doing it all alone has nearly given me ulcers. But hey, I have been able to do work that means a lot to me, uphold my personal values and principles, build precious connections with a loyal community of readers around the world, and create a bit of impact along the way.

Oh, and I've also managed to make just enough money that I don't have to smile awkwardly and say "I'm just following my passion" when someone asks me why I do what I do.

After this two-hour session, you will:

1. Get clarity and learn to bust myths about working as an independent creator
2. Validate/challenge your assumptions about striking out on your own, AKA answer the all-important question: "Is this for me?"
3. Feel empowered to move from a vague idea in your head to a working concept of what you want to build

Housekeeping

1. This is a space for reflection and discussion and NOT an academic lecture. The aim is to help us engage with perspective-expanding questions rather than rigid and prescriptive answers.
2. I am NOT a mental health professional and WILL NOT offer clinical advice or therapist recommendations. To ensure the safety of all participants, please don't use the message board during the session to ask for or offer mental health advice.
3. This session is meant for a conceptual discussion on the idea of lived experience and is NOT meant for sharing personal mental health stories. Please do not use it as such and seek out peer support groups if that's what you need.
4. We will follow the Chatham House rule. This means that you are free to use the information received, but you MAY NOT disclose the identity or affiliation of any speaker or participant in the session.

Who am I?

Hi, I am Tanmoy. I am a lived experience expert, mental health storyteller, and former newsroom leader with top publications. I bring all these experiences to bear as the creator of Sanity, India's first independent reader-funded mental health storytelling platform, which has subscribers in over 50 countries.

I love teaching and mentoring, and have spoken and delivered sessions at forums including the University of Amsterdam; The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women; Knight Centre for Journalism at the University of Texas, Austin; and King's College, London.

My work has been featured on, and I have been quoted in, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, IJ Net, Times of India, The Economic Times, Forbes, Poynter, and Suno India, among others. I also write for global publications including The Mekong Review, Griffith Review, Business Insider, and Welcome to the Jungle.

I'm a past fellow of the Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford and a LinkedIn Top Voice in Social Impact, and I sit on lived experience panels and committees across the world. I have co-authored a paper on suicide prevention in the Lancet Psychiatry and serve as an advisor to the Keshav Desiraju Indian Mental Health Observatory at the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy. I am also a jury member for the Project SIREN Awards that recognise excellence in journalism on the topic of suicide prevention.

I hope to see you soon.