03 Jul Finding My Identity As A Writer
One of the scariest things about making a career change is redefining your professional identity. When I was practicing as a lawyer, I took a lot of comfort in knowing that I was moving forward in a career that I could easily identify myself with. I had solid “cocktail” conversation to rely on. If someone asked me what I did at a party, I could confidently describe what I was doing and they would totally get it.
When you are in transition in your career, this conversation becomes a little more challenging. If I’m not a lawyer, then what am I? Can I call myself a writer? Or do I need say that I am an aspiring writer?
Admittedly, I’ve had a hard time letting go of my lawyerly identity. When I’m at parties, part of me still wants to say, “I’m a lawyer.” I want people to know that I’m smart, that I’ve worked hard, that I’m capable. I’m afraid that they won’t take me seriously. If I say that I’m a freelance writer, I worry that they won’t think that’s a real career or that the things that I’m writing aren’t important or that all that I really do is eat bonbons and work out.
And then I realized that the first step in making a career change is taking yourself seriously. If you don’t believe in the changes that you are making, then no one else will. This is why I hired Gracious Brands to create a fully designed and branded website for my work. I consider myself a writer, not just an aspiring writer, and I want people to see what I’ve published and to take me seriously.
Another thing I realized is that our identity is something that changes over time, which is a good thing. For a time, we may be a student, and then an intern (don’t miss those days) and then an employee and then a business owner. . . .Our roles will continually shift over time.
And finally, I understand that a professional identity is only one component of who we are. Thank goodness for the slash, because we can be mothers/daughters/entrepreneurs/lawyers/whatever. A few years ago I took on a new identity as a wife and in a few weeks, I’ll take on a new identity as a mom.
You don’t have to have just one identity, and nor should you, because that’s boring. If you look on people’s Instagram or Twitter profiles, you’ll find lots of different ways that people identify themselves. Take Joanna Gaines of the show Fixer Upper. Her Instagram profile says: “Magnolia|Wife. Mom. Renovator. Designer. Shop Owner. Homebody.” We can be a lot of different things, at different times.
Please consider following me along this new journey by subscribing to my blog posts, which I promise will not full up your inboxes. I am excited for my new journey as a writer/mom/wife/idealist and I hope that you are too.
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