I probably missed it, but what do you write for your job? Are you a freelance article-fellow or...?
I'm a part-time Icelandic/English translator and journalist. I work for just one magazine, though, I'm not organized enough to be freelance.
Also, how the criminy do you keep motivation when it comes to writing? I've read hundreds of websites and asked a few dozen people, but none of their advice stuck.
I guess you need to come up with your own motivation, but one thing that helps me is keeping in mind that writing is a process. I mean if you're taking notes, mumbling a plot idea to yourself in the shower, writing up an outline, whatever - that's all writing. And once you have a story idea plotted out, some writers work best giving themselves a set time wherein they just type away, regardless of whether or not they think it's any good, and then edited it up later on. Most professionals do this, but not all. A few can manage to bang stuff out only when they feel inspired to do so, and there's nothing wrong with that if you're not trying to get published right away or develop a body of work. But you should at least stay in the writing process to keep yourself sharp.
Edit: Also, what's a good image renaming program? I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something simple to keep my crap organized and not a mess of numbers and letters.
I've never used an image renaming program, so I couldn't tell you.
I have this odd fear that I will not be a good enough artist to earn a decent living.
How can I keep myself from tumbling short of my dreams and ambitions?
You can't. Because you will fail, many, many times. I think it's more a matter of loving what you do, first and foremost, and wanting to improve your ability. In my experience if you put the passion first, the rest follows. It's a no-lose situation, because whether you make it or not, either way, you're doing what you love.
