Today, I Am a _________________________

Not long ago, I heard someone speaking about how they had seen business cards that read “Today, I Am a ________________.” Then, the business card owner would fill in the blank appropriately before handing out the card. Sometimes it would say writer or blogger or food photographer, reflective of a person with a hybrid career, one cobbled together among many vocations, one a bit more difficult to explain than “freelancer”.

When I heard that, I thought, ‘I need a card like that!’ Because I’m pretty sure I do. My career has been so here and there, and continues to be so. On certain days, I’m a writer; on others, a portrait photographer. One day, I’m a researcher, the next an editor, the next a real estate photographer. How do I explain it all? Especially because I don’t work full time (insert freelancer title here). It can be a little tricky.

This year, I sort of honed my “elevator speech” to this: I’m a freelance writer and also own a photography business on the side. That sort of covers my bases, though it doesn’t also explain that I have these cobbled-together careers because I want to work for myself and have a flexible schedule so I can be available for my family. The elevator speech isn’t perfect, but it’ll do.

This summer, I received a phone call from a woman who was interested in me taking her daughter’s senior portraits. The daughter had already contacted me and we had everything in place, except that her mother wanted to talk to me. When we got on the phone, she treated it like a formal interview: Where did I go to college? How long did I study photography? Who have I worked for? It was unnerving. The answers to those questions are, again, kinda tricky, not because I don’t have answers, but what I studied in college a decade ago doesn’t necessarily dictate my current vocation. It’s been a meandering path.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this mother had not actually looked at my website or any of my photographs. She wanted me to justify my photography business with education and credentials (I ended up telling her I didn’t think this was a good fit). But, can a phone interview justify a creative talent? Can a business card with “Today, I Am a _____________”?

This is where I think the internet is pretty cool. It’s okay to be unconventional on the internet. It doesn’t care where you went to school or how you learned to do x, y, or z. If there’s someone out there paying attention, that’s all that matters. Even better if they’re willing to pay you. And for that, I am indebted to the internet because it’s brought me paying gigs and connections with some brilliant, creative people (and some awesome [extra]ordinary people too).

I’ve spent a lot of time this year thinking about this stuff: my career path, what I’ve done, where I’m going, where my talents are, what my passions are, what’s best for my family, what’s truly important to me. All of this is complicated stuff to explain. I hope writing here will help me refine it because I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

For now, I kinda like my current elevator speech. It may be an oversimplification, but it does the job. All I can hope is that I’m good enough at what I do and that people are open to my alternative career path. For today, though, I am a blogger, thankful that you are here.

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By the way, today, I am also a portrait photographer who posted a family session over here. I’d love it if you took a peek!