On Being Limited (And Some Incoming Changes)

You've just entered a party. It's not a regular party - there are people creating, writing, drawing, playing, singing. The sight of it fills you with inspiration. Different people doing different things. This party is the world of being an artist of any kind.

You look excitedly out - you do a some writing, you make things every once in a while, maybe those people can teach you how to sing better. Where do you start?

Then someone walks up to you and hands you a nametag and a Sharpie. You know, the classic kind that says "Hello, my name is" at the top. The person tells you, "Write down what you do, and we'll help you find people who do the same thing."

For the sake of the story, let's say you write the most. So you put "author" on your nametag. The person leads you to the authors and leaves you there.

You're excited to find people like you, of course. You spend time with them, you get better, you enjoy it. But you feel stuck. With the label "author" on you, you feel like you can't really wander over to that fantastic illustrator and ask for tips, or like no one will care if you show them something you knitted. They'll just squint at the nametag and say, "aren't you supposed to be an author?"

This is where I am right now, honestly. I've plastered "author" on everything I have. This blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Substack, even real life. Everyone knows me as an author.

Which is, in part, what I am.

But it's not the only thing I am.

For months I've had this thought in my head. Not only do I write; I read, I plot, I draw, I make earrings, I crochet, I play with resin, I make candles, I do graphic design, I engrave, I make decals and stickers, I make bracelets, I knit, I organize my stuff meticulously, I'm obsessed with music, I mess around on the piano, I go to craft fairs. For months, I've wanted to write about that, too. But I was scared. Every time I thought, "I'll post this on my blog," it was quickly followed by the thought, "they don't care, they're here to hear about the fancy writing things you do. Why don't you get on that already?"

I've decided to stop listening to the second thought. I don't just want this blog to be my thoughts on publishing. I want to talk about things I saw and made and heard and what I think about crafts and movies and music and books and products.

So. Is this a blog post? Yes. I'm hoping you'll follow my lead. I'm hoping you'll fold the nametag into a tiny little square and shove it in your pocket and venture out into the other parts of your talents.

If it's just one thing, awesome. Get really good at that one thing, and become part of a community while you're at it. But don't feel restricted.

If it's mostly one thing, but a couple of others, even better. Try it out. Google search. Ask your friends. Follow blogs. See what it'd look like for that to be on your nametag, too.

If it's a ton of things, fantastic. Do them all. Tell people about them all. Learn about them all.

Also. Is this an announcement? Yes (and it happens to be on the second anniversary of my first blog post). The catalyst to this revolution is my new Substack account. You can follow me on there if you want to get the full effect of this experiment. However, it'll definitely show up on here, too. You'll probably start seeing book, music, and product recommendations, photos of crafts I make, inspiration, startup guides, and anything else I can think of. I'll still run low on time some weeks, I'll still get overwhelmed, but I'm excited to see what this ends up looking like! And, as always, reach out to me if you have an idea or a question!

Write on, friends - and don't be limited.