So What’s My Story?

[angela_n_hunt]

If you read the advice out there about how to be a working artist, there’s this thing where they say talk about who you are.

Simple advice. Except what if you don’t know who you are anymore?

I’m a lot of things. Mother. Wife. Artist. Author. Madam Publisher. Filmmaker. Manager. Office drudge. None of them by themselves is all of me. Even taken all together, they’re still not all of me. They’re part of me.

They’re not who I am.

Call it a midlife crisis if that’ll make you feel better. I did turn forty last year. It’s that and it’s more and it’s less than that.

I’ve done a lot of the things I said I wanted to do when I was younger. I’ve published multiple books and short stories. I’ve had big gallery shows. I’ve shown in Europe. I’ve made multiple movies. I’ve gotten to take some rather spectacular photos. I’ve painted. I’ve sold work. I’ve learned how to do yoga and fence very poorly. I’ve met some of my childhood idols. I’ve walked fire. I’ve given birth to two daughters.

I haven’t run a triathlon yet though.

I am not the things that I do.

Which is all a long way of saying, I’ve done all these things and I find that I’m now standing around going, “Now what?”

Seriously.

Now what?

Originally published at Angela N. Hunt. You can comment here or there.

Comments

My Two Cents' Worth

[mlerules.livejournal.com]

Go the beach/mountains (whatever calls to you the most), sit down, look out, listen to the wind and the waves/branches/leaves. Wait. Be. Don't try to figure it out when out there. Just stay put and see what comes. Even if'n nothing comes, it may help settle things out that'll come to you later.

Re: My Two Cents' Worth

[angela-n-hunt.livejournal.com]

As much as I'd love to, it's not a realistic thing I can do right now. I'm hoping I'll get that sort of time in September, but right now, it's all birthdays and bar mitzvahs and weddings and getting children ready for school.

The schedule really doesn't care about the identity issues.