Solidifying Your Creative Identity

and a gift for you.

Every month I sit down with an amazing group of writers, and we spend time chatting about an element of writing. In January our focus is finding a creative mantra, or a focus word as we create that year. It grounds each of us so that regardless of specific goals, there is a vision for the experience as a whole.

It’s an exercise I love, but this year something particularly wonderful and surprising happened. A woman in the group was sharing her words, and she said, “What I realized in picking these words, is that I want to feel like a writer. I want it to be part of my identity.”

It hit me like a ton of bricks. As I looked around at the others in the room, I realized we were all doing the same. Some wanted more confidence, others more productivity, more optimism, or more joy. But all of it was in search of certainty that being a writer is part of their identity.

Searching for a creative identity isn’t unique to writers. So often I see a hesitancy in people to embody the identity of a creative, like they are waiting for something magical to happen before it can be part of who they are.

This got me thinking . . .

Over the last few years, I’ve had a huge shift in creative identity. It hasn’t come easy, or happened overnight, but now I feel in my core I am a creative. And looking back, these are the three things that helped me the most.

1. Have A Creative Collaborator

Talking about your work is one of the best ways to build a creative identity. It gives you a chance to be excited for your project, and feel the confidence that comes from hearing your passion for it. But there is a caveat . . . don’t talk about it with everyone.

One would think we would feel more like a creative if we shared more often. But I see the reverse happen all the time. Creatives talk about their projects with the wrong people. Then these people either show disinterest, which leads to feeling like your work isn’t important, or they ask a million uneducated questions, making you feel behind or inadequate in some way. (Queue every time someone has asked me if they would know a book I wrote.)

Creating is not a shout it from the rooftops situation!

My solution? Find a creative collaborator. Find one person that you can speak with weekly about your project. A person who also loves creativity and maybe even your flavor of creativity. Each of you can share what you are working on, how you feel about it, and what your next step is. Twenty minutes, once a week.

This helps two-fold. One: it creates accountability. And two: it’s inspiring. Watching someone, just like you, chip away at their passions, will only encourage you to keep going too.

2. Do The Thing

It’s pure logic. If you are sitting around dreaming of creating, but you never do it . . . you won’t feel any identity shift. You have to create.

Yes, it’s that simple.

Pick a time each week for your outlet. Actual days and times. Start with one day for thirty minutes and let it grow with you. And the best part? In the beginning, you don’t need to actually produce something. Just create a rhythm.

It’s not about perfection. It’s about setting correct expectations for yourself and your time. And mostly, it’s about honoring your inner self. If you want to be a creative, then you have to carve out time to do it.

Then every time you question “Am I a creative?” you can literally look at your calendar and go, YES I AM!

If you want to read more about cultivating a creative routine, check out this musing.

3. Document the Facts

Another tool that helped me came from a fellow author, Camille Pagan. It’s keeping an Evidence List of the instances you felt confident in your craft.

This is a tool I used a lot when publishing my first book. I had a sheet of paper that said “I am a writer” at the top, and every time someone told me they were excited for my story, or I had a good experience sharing about it, I wrote it down.

This list grew over time and became a True North while creating. If I was feeling down about my work, or wondering if I should create at all, I would look at that list. It would remind me of my skill and the people out there genuinely excited for it.

The Evidence List is a personal cheerleader to keep going, and one based in factual situations your brain can’t refute.

To create an Evidence list, start with a blank sheet of paper, and write across the top. “I am a ____”, filled in with your goal identity. Then put that bad boy somewhere you will see it. Add to it each time you get a reminder you are on the right path creating. And buckle up to be impressed by how often your community is rooting for you.

If writing is your jam, the Book Release Planner freebie has a template for this Evidence List ready to go for you. Head over to the Keen Musings freebies page to download.

When it comes to my creative identity, I am a Creative with a capital C. Yes, storytelling is my passion, but I am always experimenting in something. It brings me so much joy to mix and match creative outlets.

I wanted to lean into that.

As a thank you for those who have preordered Wrecked and Rising, I created a ten-page digital booklet with a behind-the-scenes look at writing the book. It includes stories of my time in Bermuda, photos I took along the way, and watercolor sketches I did.

If you preorder either a physical or e-book version of Wrecked and Rising, you can click the button below to send a copy of your receipt, and I will send it your way. I can’t wait to share this with you!

Feeling a creative identity in your bones is always a work in process. So tell me, what are you looking to solidify this year? I am buzzing to know what wonderful thing you are making time for.

Keep on creating,

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