You can do anything here
The US is often hailed as the land of opportunity, but really, it's Iceland
I realize I’ve been a bit down on Iceland lately, a tad too focused on the negatives. So today I thought I’d lighten up and focus on something positive that makes me glad I live here.
As many of you know, I grew up overseas and moved back to Iceland as an adult. I made one earlier failed attempt before I finally settled, and because of that experience I was very much on the fence about whether I should try again.
During one visit in that interim period I got talking to a woman I knew. I was debating back and forth about whether it was a good idea; I knew I wanted to try but I had no idea what I would do in Iceland. At the time I only had a high school diploma and had frankly been struggling at life for quite a while.
This woman looked at me with a smile and said with a shrug, “You can do anything here.” She was so matter-of-fact about it, so assured—and it turned out she was absolutely right.
This fully formed society compressed into such a small space makes for an energy I’ve never experienced anywhere else. People are constantly trying new things. They write books, start bands, stage plays, launch companies, switch careers … basically just go for it when they have an idea. Sometimes those ideas fail spectacularly, and sometimes they turn into something massive. I mean, for a country of 400,000 people, you have to admit we’ve made some pretty notable splashes on the world stage.
All this is made possible because there are fewer gatekeepers here and far fewer layers between an idea and its execution than there are in other, more populous, places.
Before moving back to Iceland, I had a dream of making a living as a writer. I’d been writing constantly since my teens and over the years had sent out tons of queries to newspapers, magazines, and publishers—pretty much to no avail.
Within six months of moving back to Iceland I had my dream job: working as a writer and translator for the local English-language publisher Iceland Review.
Sure, I got lucky. There was no guarantee I would find the exact job I wanted, and this was not something I created of my own volition. BUT when I’d been at IR for a couple of years the company downsized and I was laid off. That’s when the “you can do anything” reality began to manifest.
I wanted to keep writing and doing what I’d been doing at IR, so I decided to go freelance. I began by calling up a couple of translators whom I knew of through the grapevine, but didn’t know personally. Yes—literally cold calling them on the phone, because in Iceland, you can do that.
I told them I had been working for Iceland Review, that I was starting to freelance, and that if they had any excess work that they couldn’t handle, to please keep me in mind. Both of them were really kind, and said they would pass on any surplus work.
Before long I had plenty of commissions—even more than I could handle. It was an absolute blessing because it allowed me to work from home while my daughter was little, meaning I was there for her when she finished school and could always pop out if anything unforeseen came up.
I had some other ideas for work, also. Before moving to Iceland I’d taught English, which I enjoyed. I called up the English Language School, and voilà, I had some classes. Later I wanted to train executives in business English and in making presentations, so I started a company and did that for a while. A friend of mine worked for an astrological start-up during the Internet boom at the end of the 1990s, and I took a job as a writer there for about six months. Shortly after that ended, I worked for the British Embassy for a couple of years, doing press and public affairs, and assisting the commercial officer.
Along with all this I kept translating and working as a copy writer and editor. But secretly I wanted to be writing something of my own, not just working with other people’s words.
Soon after this blogs became a thing, so I started one of those. And, long story short, that led me into a career as an author and as a journalist and commentator for the international media.
Today I make a living solely from my own writing—just as I dreamed all those years ago. 🙏
My books are sold online, but also in shops all over Iceland. As a (mostly) independent author (one of my books is traditionally published), I know for sure I would never be able to get my books into brick-and-mortar bookshops outside of Iceland, at least to any meaningful degree. Here, I can, because “you can do anything”. I pick up the phone and call, or go visit the individual shop, chat with the owner, make a connection, and that’s it. No gatekeepers standing in my way; no traditional publishers with a stronghold on the market, keeping out indies like myself.
So … Iceland isn’t perfect—I’ll keep pointing that out, don’t worry. But every now and then it’s worth stepping back and acknowledging what this place makes possible. Because ultimately, for all its flaws, I’m really glad I made that move.
And now, for my paid supporters: please help me choose a subtitle for my new book! Read on …
