Stop qualifying yourself as an ‘aspiring’ writer or artist and own who you already are by stepping into your creative identity
At my recent group coaching masterclass on creative identity, there was a moment I love seeing. The room went quiet. Everyone was writing. People were nodding along, having those little internal conversations where something shifts. At the beginning of the session, I asked everyone to complete the sentence, ‘I am…’
Initially, everyone was hesitant. There were many reasons why they hesitated, and they’re not the only ones. We talked about why it is harder for creatives to call themselves a ‘writer’, ‘jeweller’, ‘artist’, or ‘creative’ than to use one of the many other identifiers like ‘mum’, ‘accountant’, ‘marketer’, etc.
The hesitation came because claiming those words felt uncomfortable.
‘I am a writer.’
‘I am an artist.’
‘I am a creative.’
Somehow, those statements can feel much harder to say than the other identities we carry.
‘I am a teacher.’
‘I am a business owner.’
‘I am a parent.’
‘I am an accountant.’
Recently, I spoke with an author whose book had been published about five years earlier. She asked me whether she could still call herself an author. My answer was simple: absolutely. (Or, as I probably said in the moment, hell yes.)
Because your creative identity doesn’t expire. It isn’t something you earn only after publication, recognition, payment, or someone else telling you that you have reached a certain level. You don’t become a writer when someone gives you permission. You become a writer because you write.
Why is claiming our creativity so hard?
This is something I see again and again with the writers and creatives I work with. They are creating. They are learning. They are showing up for their creative work. But they still hesitate to call themselves a writer, artist, or creative. Often, this comes back to the stories we have absorbed about what makes someone a ‘real’ creative. We think we need more. More evidence. More experience. More achievements. More confidence.
So we soften the language we use about ourselves.
‘I’m trying to write a book.’
‘I’m just working on a little project.’
‘I’m not really a writer yet.’
But those small words can keep us waiting for a moment that may never arrive.
During the masterclass, I watched a shift happen. People started noticing the ways they had been minimising their creativity. They began to let go of words like ‘just’, ‘only’, and ‘trying to’.
They started to claim who they already were.
One participant said something that really stayed with me:
‘I’ve been waiting for someone to tell me I’m allowed to call myself a writer. I just realised the only person who can give me that permission is me.’
And she was right.
Your creative identity is built through practice
One of the biggest mindset shifts we explored was moving from seeing creativity as something you prove through outcomes, to something you build through practice.
You are not a writer because you have published a book. You are a writer because you write.
You are not an artist because you have sold your work. You are an artist because you create.
Your creative identity is built every time you sit down, pick up your tools, open your notebook, experiment, learn, or return to the work.
It is built in the ordinary moments. The messy drafts. The ideas that don’t quite work. The days when you show up even though you are not sure what you are doing.
In the full article on Substack, I explore the three mindset shifts that help you claim your creative identity, along with practical exercises to help you:
- create your own creative identity statement
- stop comparing your creative journey to others
- protect time for your creative practice
- recognise progress beyond finished outcomes
- challenge the stories that keep you playing small.
For more resources and community connection, check out my retreats, and membership and coaching programs.
If this resonated and you’d like more help to eliminate any limiting beliefs, embed time management habits and clarifying who you are as a creative, book a free 30-minute Clarity Call.
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