The Label Doesn't Matter. Your Beliefs Do.
by Ariel Curry (Ariel Curry editorial, https://arielcurry.com/)
This week, I am reposting with permission an article by Ariel Curry, one of the editors for my upcoming book. Her blog is filled with knowledge for emerging and accomplished writers. Follow Ariel on Twitter and check out the resources she offers on her website. -Matt
What do you believe about your creative life?
Your beliefs are the most important thing about you. I’m not talking about politics or religion, though of course those are important, too. I’m talking about your beliefs about your own life. What you’re capable of. The relationships you cultivate. The stories you tell yourself about why things happen in the world. How you explain your successes or failures.
For example, did you know that one of the most powerful predictors of student achievement in school is a student’s own estimation of how they’ll perform?
The research shows that these beliefs are specific to certain domains… So, your beliefs about how good you are at your job affect only your job performance; they wouldn’t affect how well (or not) you cook dinner (unless your job involves cooking!). Students’ beliefs about their math abilities impact their performance in math. Our beliefs about how good we are at relationships impact our relationships.
And the same goes for writing, and every creative pursuit we take on.
What you believe about your creative self determines every creative thing you do.
Our beliefs about our creative selves determine:
Whether we start a new project in the first place
How we respond to Resistance when (not if!) it arises
Whether we can sustain our creativity throughout the duration of a project
And pretty much every creative pursuit in our lives
The Myth of Declaring “I am a Writer.”
There’s a lot of advice out there online that tells you to own your identity as a writer. The logic goes: Declare yourself to be a writer, and you will feel confident and capable to accomplish your writing goals.
And here’s the thing: They’re not necessarily wrong!
When you identify as a writer, you do increase your chances of success as a writer.
The problem comes when we treat the words “I am a writer” like a magic spell or incantation, as if by saying the right words and waving our wands, we could transform into J.K. Rowling and imbue ourselves with all the confidence and capabilities we need to write the next Harry Potter. It’s too simplistic to think that if we get a cute typewriter sticker to put on our laptop, or buy a cute writer-ly mug—and I am guilty of both!—or otherwise declare ourselves to be a writer, we will suddenly possess all the confidence and skills we need to be successful. There’s nothing wrong with any of these things; just don’t expect them to be magic solutions.
The truth is: Our identity as writers is underpinned by a multitude of complex beliefs. And it takes a lot of time and effort to change those beliefs about ourselves. Our beliefs take years and many experiences to form in the first place—so it takes a lot of intentional effort to change or mature those beliefs later on.
The Label Doesn’t Matter
Here’s the other truth: You don’t have to call yourself a writer to write successful books!
In the same way that a student doesn’t have to identify as a mathematician to be successful at math, and you don’t have to identify as a chef to be an excellent cook, you don’t have to call yourself a writer to succeed at writing.
I know a lot of authors who don’t call themselves “writers” and who, if you asked them what they do for a living, probably wouldn’t include “writing” in the list. They would probably call themselves educators, teachers, speakers, coaches, consultants, business owners, or a host of other labels first. But they can and do write successful books in service of their other identities because, even if they don’t identify as writers, they have a positive set of underpinning beliefs about their ability to communicate their message to their audience through writing.
It’s that core set of underpinning beliefs that I want to focus on in the following weeks – because that is what makes all the difference in your writing life.
That’s what my next several articles will explore. We’ll be talking about:
Where do your creative beliefs come from?
How to own your power as a writer
The benefits of beginning
The proper place of Resistance in your writing life
And much more
If you want to accomplish any writing goals in your life, this is where you begin: by shifting and maturing your beliefs about writing.
So what do you believe?
To change your beliefs about writing, you have to start by discovering what you believe now. Take a minute right now to brainstorm what you believe about yourself as a writer, as a creator. Try reflecting on the following questions:
How do I feel about beginning new creative projects?
What’s my earliest memory of being creative?
What creative pursuits did I used to enjoy as a kid? Do I still enjoy those same pursuits? If yes, why do I still enjoy those same pursuits?
What stories do I tell myself about my abilities as a writer?
What experiences in my life have shaped my beliefs about writing?