A colleague of mine recently told me that she’d seen some of the artwork I’ve been posting on Instagram and that “if this marketing thing doesn’t work out for you, you could make it as an artist!”
I laughed, because I majored in Art in college (and Business, so I could eat). “Of course I can draw!” I thought. It struck me as odd that this person didn’t know that about me. But the more I thought about it, I realized that a lot of people in my life don’t know that about me. It got me thinking about identity.
Ten years ago, I was known as an artist. I taught puppetry classes. I worked with several school theatre programs as well as the local community theatre, where I would do everything from set painting to directing to participating in the shows. I designed posters, had an Etsy store, crocheted and knitted gifts for friends. My puppets had appeared on an Emmy-award winning TV show and toured the White House as a part of a program the Obamas had around healthy eating. Basically, if you knew me, the first thing that would come to mind was “Oh, Candice! She’s so artistic.”
A decade later, while it’s funny to me that no one knows that about me now, it makes a lot of sense. I’ve moved to a different state. I work primarily remotely with clients that stretch up and down the East Coast instead of everyday interactions in an office. If I polled the people I work with now, they’d probably say that I was the go-to for “all things Google,” meaning digital marketing. Or maybe they’d think “She’s the one who keeps our website running” or “She handles my advertising and email newsletters.”
The funny thing is… that artist is still there. Most people just don’t see her anymore. These days, she lives in a notebook by my desk lamp, where I doodle and let my brain wander while working through client problems.
Ten years ago, I was so proud of being known as an artist. But for a long time now, I haven’t felt sure who I am without that.
Where does our identity live? Is it in the things we do, the things we share, or the inner things we value? In an age where so much of our lives are encouraged (if not demanded) by society to be shared online, I think it’s important to not discount the inner identity we have, in all the avenues it lives: in our spiritual formation, in our family dynamics, within the relationship with inner selves.
Having dwelled on all this for this broadcast, I think it’s appropriate to share some pieces of my identity with you: Hi, I’m Candice. I’m an artist, a past teacher, a maker of things, a constant explorer of digital communication and all its tools. I believe in a God of miracles and healing, and I deeply love my family, my friends, and my pets.
Who were you 10 or 20 years ago? What parts of that person are still with you today? I’d love to know more about you and your story.
PS – the quote card on my desk is from one of my favorite artists, Britchida. Check out their work for images that help make the inexplicable visible and accessible.
