Although I’ve been writing this blog at Shalavee.com for over twelve years, I am not sure that I’ve ever really claimed by role as writer. The thing you tell people you do is either what you do for money or what you are most occupied with and proud of doing. Neither of these answers in being a writer. Yet, it is a very large part of who I have always been. And it’s rather high time I stand in that title for myself.

On his Substack site called Creative Shift, Dan Blank says Turn Up the Volume on sharing that you are a writer. He talks about “Why sharing makes your life (and readers’ lives) better” and how your writing/creative identity has a lot to do with sharing your process. (You may not be able to see most of this content as you are not a paid subscriber however, Dan is my only paid subscription.) On not talking about you or your writing, he says,” If accessing someone’s identity as a writer is a great mystery to be solved by others, then one can’t be surprised that others don’t know them as writers.”

I’ve admitted before, I do fear I’ve been hiding a bit. Although devotedly showing up to write for myself on my blog regularly all these years, I don’t know that I often talk about my writing process. About how it’s gotten easier over time to trust what comes out of me. It seemed self-explanatory because if you’re on the blog reading what I’m writing, don’t you already know I’m a writer? My fear has managed well to keep me small.

And when I want to regret all this lost time, I say Bravo to me instead, because maybe that was how I kept allowing myself to keep writing. I had a form of stipulated permission which has amassed me so many beautiful words these many years.

But what are my secret aspirations? What are the eBooks I’m considering writing? What subjects do I really want to talk about these days?

I see writers who are visual artists as well, showing their artwork are kicking it with the visual as well as the verbal. And I wonder how I can do this without being a sell-out to my writing ego who would like to think her writing doesn’t need extra artistic effort. Or does it?

I tend to complicate things. But I keep looking for the simpler way in.

And that is to show, not tell.

The showing can be any of the following:

  • What inspires me!
  • What different topics speak to me
  • My processes for creating
  • Who inspires me
  • Talking about my writing
  • Sharing the interactions/connections and meet-ups with fellow writer/artists
  • Food pictures with stories behind what you see
  • A reel of some of my 100 days of shite project which I’m about to relaunch soon

I am reminded that if you look backwards on my blog, you will find a lot of all of this about 9 years ago when blogging was still big. There was a community everywhere I turned, and we were just always excited to create what we wanted and gush about it, elated to be creating. Perhaps that’s how we make it easy. We just make our jobs the opposite of work and make sure we have fun doing it. We will always find like-minded community there.

“The joy you feel when doing your work is a gift from life to you. Sharing your work is how you give back.”

My mentor and friend Anna Lovind wisely stated once, “The joy you feel when doing your work is a gift from life to you. Sharing your work is how you give back.” I have that quote in front of me at my makeshift desk in the craftroom to inspire me to continue to write and create with an understanding of my larger purpose. I have said that I’ll continue to write and create for the one person for which it means something to. Because that may well be you as well as myself!

If you have any thoughts, please drop a word below in the comments. Or

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4 Comments

  1. yes to so much of this. looking for the simple way in, which is only here and now. not in the planning or comparing or hoping. in the rising. in the showing. in the writing whenever it comes up and out. you are already doing it.

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