Rebranding Myself

For the past few years, I’ve labeled myself as a fiction writer. I’ve tried to brand myself as a novelist, even though my first book was a book of poetry. But the truth is I don’t read poetry and novels as much as you would imagine a novelist or poet would. In fact, most of the books I read are nonfiction in the category of self-help or spirituality. Every now and then, I’ll pick up a memoir or a nonfiction book recounting some historical event. I’ve even been reading a book on film art. These are the books that line the bookcase shelves in my living room. You won’t find a fiction novel there. So after much soul searching and meditation, I’ve decided to rebrand myself again. 

 I’ve always been a writer. Even when I was a child, I kept a diary. I still journal my thoughts, often writing what I plan to accomplish for the day. Some would call this a practice of mindfulness. But this is simply how my brain works. Writing is how I process my emotions and the world around me. Writing is how I get my ideas out of my brain and incubate for later. And much of my writing isn’t fictional but philosophical and observational. I spend much of my time watching commentary videos on YouTube and listening to informational and philosophical podcasts. Rarely do I engage in fiction. 

So why did I publish a novel? Because I wanted to try my hand at it. And it was a big accomplishment for me. I’m glad I did it. But fiction novels aren’t the only thing I want to be known for. I’ve always kept my thoughts hidden on how I felt about the world unless someone asked me. But I always wanted to share them and never found the right vehicle to do so. 

What actually happened is that I boxed myself into one form of creative expression, thinking that I needed more education and credentials in order to talk about the changes in society. I needed to have a firm grasp of psychology in order to comment about the mental struggles I see other people dealing with. But if young adults in social media and YouTube can talk in depth about social and political topics, and make sense with the research they’ve done, what’s stopping me? Spiritual and personal development topics are what I study and try to infuse in my novels. I want my words to feel inspirational but also helpful in a deep level. And while I’m not saying I’ll stop writing novels, I am expanding my focus to my real-life topics. I’m giving myself permission to explore my voice in a way that feels more authentic to me. 

So not only am I a novelist. But I’m a writer and philosopher as well. Some may not understand what this means right away. And I’m still exploring this new creative focus. But I have a better idea of what I want to talk about and how I want to go about it. 

Stay tuned for the transformation and rebrand.