First of all, I must say your photography is haunting. I had a hard time reading the post because the images lingered in my mind and I saw myself going back to each one once and again. Long posts are already hard to read, this additional "distraction" only made it harder :)

Now that I am not teaching any more (had to quit, but the whole univeristy system was ruined/destroyed, so there's nowhere else in that area here) I can relate to the core issue here.
I am not a writer in the author sense of the word; I work more on translations and in addition to the complications of this work, you find people who keep treating it as if it were lawn-mowing.

if it’s so simple then you shouldn’t have any trouble doing the work you’re trying to pay me for.

I will start using your line. I just wish one did not have to be rude to make people undertsand what to us is so commonsensical.
Wish you the best