Calling a Spade a Spade: Titling Yourself Can be Key to Success

Once upon a time I agonized over whether I could legitimately define myself as an artist. Long, long ago. When I did finally believe in myself enough to wear the title without feeling like I was overstepping my bounds, I started to behave like an artist, to set concrete goals and see them achieved.

Last week I changed the header on my personal blog, and felt more than a little pretentious to include the title "writer" in the description. I added it anyhow, rationalizing that I write every day, and I also receive some income from writing.

Yesterday I spent some time on the phone with an editor at the regional newspaper. They're looking for someone to write an artist profile page and were given my name. So if I was getting ahead of myself in using "writer" to define who I am, at least I was only ahead of myself by about a week! Joking aside, using my nimble fingers to help other local artists get some exposure is something I am very excited about. The only downside is that I won't be able to profile myself!