Have you noticed our culture’s increasing obsession with identity?

Of course, a sense of identity is necessary for humans; it tells us who we are and where we belong. But due to the rise of virtual realities and other ways of easily detaching from reality, people are becoming more and more obsessed with the idea of identity for its own sake.

The identity that is disconnected from reality, not just in the sense that it doesn’t stem from it, but also that it doesn’t even serve as the goal to work towards (and thus be brought into reality).

People saying, “Well, I want to be xyz.” Not because they know what xyz really is or what it means. But because they like the idea they have of it. The idea of how it feels to be xyz.

And since we live at a time when everyone must be called whatever they want, regardless of the actual meaning of the words, this person can thus call themselves xyz, whether they truly are xyz or not.

And there are so many reminders all around that help them maintain this delusion.

You are still a writer if…

If you have been in creative writing circles on Instagram, Tumblr, or other social media platforms, you have surely noticed posts in the style of, “You’re still a writer if…” or, “You’re still an artist if…”

Of course, these usually have good intentions. “You’re still an artist if you take a day off. You’re still a writer if you feel like your writing sucks.” They try to address the guilt and shame people may feel when not working actively on their projects, reminding them they still have plenty of time to return to their projects and that the creative energy is always available to them to do so. Which is true.

But the thing is, it’s never about the post itself - it’s about how you use it. It about how people react to it and take it as their own. It’s never the thing itself, it’s your relationship to the thing.

Which is why it is relatively easy for these same posts to enable and even encourage procrastination.

“Hey, I don’t actually have to write. I am still a writer even if I didn’t write today. Or yesterday. Or tomorrow. Or ever, really. Being a writer is about a feeling. And I feel like a writer. Therefore, I am one.”

Something dark happens when you switch from “I want to become a writer because I love to write and tell stories. I want to become a writer, therefore I will invest a lot of energy and work into developing my craft” to “I deserve to be a writer no matter how much I actually write. I deserve to have the feeling of being a writer for the sake of that feeling itself. Therefore I will do anything to harness that feeling instead of actually writing.”

And of course, I am not claiming all writers absolutely loooove the process. There is this cliche saying we have that “the worst part of writing is the actual writing part”. It’s funny. It’s comfy. It makes us feel understood when we are working on a project and don’t really feel like writing. When every word we put down seems stupid. When we are faced with the blank page and our lack of inspiration. When we just want to quit it all.

But there is a difference between:

• sometimes disliking the actual act of writing while still being aware that this is the essence of what makes someone a writer in the first place, that this is THE obstacle you need to deal with if you want to actually write a novel, screenplay, stageplay, and become a writer;

and

• being so obsessed with the idea of “being a writer” and what you believe that feels like that you detach it from what it actually means and want to chase this feeling with complete disregard for reality. This is usually combined with feeling entitled to being (and being called) a writer.

This is where AI comes in

Until not long ago, this difference didn’t really matter that much since it was an absolute necessity that someone actually writes a novel and actually publishes it in order to be a “published author”.

Most of the time, people didn’t really have to differentiate between the two and start to truly appreciate the process, because the process was the only way to achieve “being a writer”.

Yes, there was the option of hiring a ghost writer, but even in that case, that took time and there was always someone who still had to do the actual writing. (But I think we can all agree that the person who hired a ghostwriter was not an actual writer, right?)

Enter AI.

All of a sudden, it is possible to finish an entire novel in a matter of minutes. Seconds? Hours? Tbh, I have no idea how long it even takes an AI to write a novel.

All of a sudden, you can use an AI to write a novel, design your ebook, and then sell it via Amazon. And voila! You can become a published author over a weekend.

That identity you have been chasing - you can have it in seconds.

How does it feel?

Does it feel the same as the feeling after developing a novel for years, even decades, and finally publishing it after numerous rounds of revisions and edits?

You know why it doesn’t? Because the point of the creative process is never about the final product. Even though that is often the thing we are working towards and that keeps us going, it is not the essence of what it is to be a writer, of what it is to be an artist.

The essence is in the moment of creating.

The magic is in the process.

Turns out, it is about the journey, and not the destination. If only someone had told us. If only there had been like a saying about that or something.

I’m not talking about this in some moralistic sense. I am speaking as a lover of art and storytelling, as a lover of human voices.

Sure, you can become a “published author” over a weekend. Sure, you can finish a screenplay over a few hours. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to make an entire film over a weekend as well probably. Do it as much as you want for all I care.

But what’s the point?

That’s the main question: What is the point? Why do it?

To only chase the label of “being a published author”? To be able to “identify as a writer”? To be able to say, “I too have made a movie”?

To chase an idea, an identity, an illusion? To be able to pretend that this fake shadow of what you wanted is the same as the real thing?

To forget what the real thing even is?

My love note to your inner artist

My friend, your obsession with identity is destroying who you actually are.

Don’t you see how it detaches you from reality and makes you passive? How it takes you away from your body, from this moment, and how it leads to an endless feeling of unfulfilment and frustration?

Becuase “identity” in this sense is a solid thing. You are chasing a solid constant feeling - but that doesn’t exist.

You are ALIVE. You are a garden. You are vibration.

You are everchanging, everflowing, constantly evolving energy.

Instead of focusing on what you want to be, focus on what you want to do.

Let go of the idea of “being a writer” and see if you still want to write.

Let go of the idea of “being an artist” and see if you still get creative.

We don’t need people claiming to be published authors. We need people who actually write and speak and create.

That is how you show us your soul. And that is what makes us human.

——

Phew.

I’ll be honest, that last part just took an unexpectedly inspirational and motivational turn. It felt good.

I did deliberately take this to an extreme because I wanted to make a point. As I said, there is biological value in having a sense of identity - but how we relate to that is crucial. And there is a subtle, yet so incredibly significant difference in our relationship to identity that I wanted to address today.

It is this difference that dictates if your identity will be something inspiring, motivating, and empowering, or something that keeps you passive, unfulfilled, and frustrated.

Let me know what you thought of the post in the comments below. It’s a hot and potentially controversial topic, I know. But I will be happy to read your thoughts and reflections. Share them, use your voice!

Until next time,

Katja