I’ve been thinking a lot about identity, especially as it relates to my career and my aspirations. When I was traditionally employed, my job titles were bestowed upon me: Digital Marketing Associate. Marketing Communications Specialist. As a freelancer, I get to decide what to call myself.
People seem to have strong opinions in this area.
“Don’t call yourself a freelancer,” is a common take. Some people think “free” implies low cost and/or low value. (Some encourage you to call yourself a “premium ghostwriter” — those people are definitely trying to sell you something 🙄)
Personally, I’ve never had an issue with “freelancer.” I like it, and I also think it’s a good choice from a discoverability standpoint. The people who hire me are looking for a freelancer. If I label myself that way, they can find me and hire me. It’s pretty simple.
But some freelancers prefer other labels: consultant, contractor, fractional, solopreneur, etc. Some people leave off the “solo” descriptor of choice and simply describe what they DO: writer, designer, editor, brand strategist, etc. Some people invent their own titles and labels. I could call myself a linguistic mixologist if I wanted to, idk.
When someone asks me what I do, I usually say, “I’m a writer.” It’s a label I’m very comfortable with and have been for a long time. When I write for clients, I’m a freelance B2B content writer. When I write Wishful Working, I’m a newsletter writer. Someday, I would like to write and publish a book and call myself an author. (In the meantime, I say “aspiring author.” 😉)
The label I’m really wrestling with lately is “artist.” Should I only call myself an artist if I’m making money from my art? Is there a certain skill level or frequency or volume of art-making that qualifies me to call myself an artist? Or is it a feeling? In any case, I don’t feel worthy of it.
Serendipitously, one of my favorite artist/writers, Hallie Bateman, just (re)published an essay on this topic: To be or not to be an artist. She doesn’t believe in gatekeeping the term at all. “What do you do with a blank page? I say, if you fill it with art, you’re an artist.” She even sells an “artistic license” — it sounds like I need one of those.
Until now, I’ve labeled myself with the catch-all, artist-lite title of “creative,” which sort of seems like a gateway drug to “artist.” (I feel better if I call it a gateway, rather than a cop-out.) Saying I’m an artist feels like being a kid in a coat that’s one or two sizes too big — I need to grow into it.
I fear I have a lot of growing to do.
See you next week,
Kara
Out of Office
What I do when I’m not at my desk
Reading: I’m on a roll with books about creativity. This week, I finished How to Be an Artist by Jerry Saltz, an art critic and New York magazine columnist. It reminded me of Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott — a lot of great advice plus a little tough love. Got any recs for me on the topic of art/creativity/craft?
Watching: I’ve been seeing ads for The Other Bennet Sister for months and finally got a cheeky little Britbox trial to watch it. Omg. It is so sweet and wholesome so far. A British period drama hates to see me coming.
Doing: I went to my first (ever, I think?) baseball game last night! The team was the Saskatoon Berries, which is so cute. Just look at their merch. As a very non-sporty person, I went mostly for the hotdogs and vibes, but I actually had a lot of fun watching the game!
Kara Detwiller is a writer and artist based in small-town Saskatchewan. She specializes in long-form content writing for enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and manufacturing clients. She is also working on her first novel, among other creative pursuits. To connect, reply to this email or find Kara on LinkedIn.
Why Wishful Working? I want to help people thrive in a world obsessed with work and productivity. Together, we’re expanding the definition of productivity, rediscovering life balance, and exploring the many kinds of work that make life possible.
