Freelance and Self-Promotion

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How does freelance work for you?

I like writing, and I wouldn't mind building my art skills to a professional level, but I find for even just the writing freelancing is too much of what I'm bad at: lots of finding clients, figuring out what's marketable, being outwardly enthusiastic enough to be chosen for a project over another person, knowing what's trendy, and finances. It's more like you have to be a freelance social networker and marketer. I always feel like there's a wall keeping me from understanding these things. Even my parents usually see me as a smart person and it baffles them that I can keep trying to learn these things but either don't or figure them out too slow and someone else gets the job. Maybe I should stick with something that doesn't deal with half of that, like data entry?

I work freelance and barely earn anything. I'm self-taught in my career and have no social or academic connections to advance my business.

I rely on Internet freelancing platforms to get clients, and there aren't very many good clients. I also have to give a portion of my earnings to the company that owns the platform, so I have to mark up my prices to earn what I want to earn.

I have to write proposals to bid on these jobs, and I always struggle to sell myself, to use persuasive phrasing. I read the job descriptions and the only thing that comes to mind is "I can do that" and "I've done that before." What else can I say?

I know that a more technical field would be much easier for me because I wouldn't have to sell myself as much or deal with so many clients who are clueless about the type of work I do.