Lived In is…
A place where you can tell stories that matter to you.
A place where we learn from each other’s experiences and perspectives.
And a place that feels inviting and warm, like home.
Lived In is an independent publication accepting personal essays, poetry, fiction and short films from writers and filmmakers all over the world. We are currently a reader-supported publication and pay our contributors. We accept writing submissions in English and Spanish (other languages are accepted on a case-by-case basis) and film projects of any language with English subtitles.
Lived In is a unique digital publication whose mission is grounded in supporting artists to create what they would if they didn’t feel pressured to make what “sells.” Meaning: we pay our writers and filmmakers.
We founded Lived In as artists and storytellers who felt pressure to monetize what we love just to have the chance to share it, let alone make a living. Under this pressure our creative passions – writing, photography, filmmaking – lost their magic. Many publications often ask for a submission fee, further alienating artists and forcing them to orient their work around marketable topics and structures.
To combat this, Lived In plans to compensate its contributors based on the following payment structures:
Commissioned Work
As a new publication we have a total of $4,000 to pay out for 2024. We will reach out to specific writers and filmmakers beginning in January 2024 to commission work for the site, paying $300 and up for writing and $500 and up for film depending on length. This pool of money currently comes from our own pockets and will, in the future, be generated by reader support and outside donations. Our goal is to increase both the amount of money we have to pay out and the number of artists we commission.
Submitting unsolicited work is a great way to get on our radar for the following year’s commissioned work.
Unsolicited Work
Writers and filmmakers who are not individually commissioned but want to contribute work to the publication still have a chance to earn money. Readers and contributors may donate to the publication. We will retain 30% of all donations to pay unsolicited contributors based on publication of accepted work. Before publishing your work, we will be transparent with you about how much we expect we will be able to offer based on our donation pool. We pay via PayPal/Venmo/check.
Our hope is that we grow year by year and can offer more money to more artists, working toward a world in which artists are free to create versus constrained by the need to monetize their work to survive.
Explore our work.
Our Hope Is…
That Lived In contributes to building a culture which values art and creativity by compensating contributors
That Lived In encourages people to re-ignite their inner creative, artistic self
That Lived In contributors do not feel pressured to tell the story they “should” or that is marketable, but rather feel free to create and tell the story their heart wants to
That Lived In provides a platform for writing and film as advocacy, whether challenging stereotypes or as a call to action on issues that matter to us
That Lived In offers a community where artists can connect and engage through a community chat feature (currently in the development stage)
That Lived In provides comfort to its readers and artists in knowing they are not alone
That Lived In continues to grow and change while challenging its readers to do the same