Is Writing a “Real” Job?
Is there really such a thing as a dream or a real job? I believe that the answer is sensitively subjective.
To me, writing was never really a dream; it was just my way to be, to express myself, to feel alive, to cope with trauma… It was always as easy and as vital as breathing, and as soothing as a session of meditation or therapy.
I was told I was talented at it since I was a kid in primary school when I shared my words with others for the first time, but I only started believing in my talent when I was in high school — and believing in my abilities has heavily fluctuated ever since then… but I don’t think a child, let alone any adult, gets empowered by other people telling them that what they are doing is not ever going to be a “real job”.
At 17, I was more than proud to be studying English Literature at University because I had done it by showcasing my talent and working very hard on my writing all the time. I was restless and I loved every bit of that hustle. However, that is also when all the unsolicited judgment and advice masked as worry, started pouring in from almost everywhere: from strangers to jealous schoolmates and family “friends”, to one of my doctors that I was just small-talking with. It literally came from almost every person in my then-circle, and I didn’t know how to handle it.
I don’t want to victimize myself, though. I didn’t speak up and under no circumstances did I support or defend myself, even though I should have. I stood there in silence, believing and internalizing everything. Needless to say, even one very calm “it’s none of your business what I do or do not do with my life” would have solved my mental strain and set a very healthy boundary.
It only took a very challenging question to change everything for me, after 5 years of ups and downs: “What if writing is a job — a valuable and a high-paying one too?” I am more than grateful for this thought, for it changed my life, probably forever.
After all this time fighting for what I always wanted to do, writing isn’t really work for me. Sure, I do get paid to create content for people and companies, some of which isn’t very creative and it requires a lot of thorough research and many hours of hard work. Yet, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else, no matter how romanticized that sounds.
It’s my talent, my force of life, mine and others’ therapy, my prerogative, and my business. The difference is that now, I have eliminated anyone else’s opinion on my choice of work, and I’ll keep working on my talent every single day, even after you see my name on the Best Seller list of your local or chain bookstore for the first time.
TAG: MWC WORK
