On my mind...Declaring Who You Are
All of us hold so many titles....maybe mom, wife, DIY-er, chef, accountant, teacher...etc.
In whatever you do, do you ever feel like a misfit?
Did it ever feel strange to call yourself whatever it's is you are and own that identity?
I always dreamed of what it would be like to call myself "doctor" after I graduated vet school, but those plans never came through. When I first got married, the sound of my new last name sounded strange, not to mention the new "Mrs" in front of it.
Maybe you are afraid of all of the questions that will come from others once you take that leap...after all, you may not feel like you have all of the answers.
Recently, we snuggled as a family to watch a classic favorite Christmas movie.
Those claymation ones with Burl Ives are our favorites....ones like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.
The beginning scenes where the characters are calling themselves "misfits" is always a little sad to me. Hermie, the elf, wants to be a dentist.
Rudolph, the misfit reindeer with a red nose, meets Hermie and asks...
Rudolph: Who are you?
Hermie: Well, actually...I am a dentist!
Rudolph: A dentist?
Hermie: Well...I want to be... someday...right now I'm just an Elf. But I don't need anybody...I'm independent!
This is a question I have been battling...I know I am a mom, a crafter, a friend.......but when do I say I'm a photographer?
For so long I've been calling myself an amateur newbie, but when does that end?
When do I take that jump and declare who I am? My most important roles will always be mom and wife. I am a crafter and want to bold enough to be considered a photographer.
Ability to capture life around me doesn't require a piece of "official" paper...I just do it!
I know you've seen the books by Eric Carle...his famous art makes the books you have probably read at one time. We recently got The Mixed Up Chameleon. Such a simple, yet profound book.
Maybe I read too much into it, but its about a chameleon who is "blah" about who he is.
He sits, catches flies and sits some more.
Through the book, he wishes he could be as strong as ____, or as tall as ____, etc. By the end of the book, he's trying to be so many things, he is no longer able to eat and catch the fly.
So, my whole point of this post is......
Your art is YOUR art.
Enjoy what you do and don't be afraid to declare it and be proud of what you produce.
The motto of my blog and shop is this verse I have mentioned before:
PS....If you do happen to have an interest in teeth, that doesn't make you a dentist....;)