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#WednesdayWisdom
"You are not the work you do. You are the person you are." — Toni Morrison
Morning Musings
In summer 2012, I interviewed for a copy editor role at Jet magazine. The editor-in-chief at the time told me I was a better writer than I was an editor. Needless to say, I didn't get the job.
Initially I was offended. After all, I'd spent the last two years as an assistant editor for a home & garden magazine. Then I was disappointed, because my own EIC dreams were banking on the writer-to-editor pipeline.
Eventually I did get a job there and moved to Chicago the following summer to be the digital content editor where I worked my ass trying to prove her wrong. But deep down, I knew that she was right. Writing has always been and will always be my first true love.
When Toni Morrison died in 2019, I took that as an omen that I needed to get back into writing full time. There was just one small problem--none of the outlets I enjoyed freelancing for were hiring staff writers. So I decided to give full-time freelancing a try, until something came up.
Opportunities did come up, but never quite the right fit...until my current boss slid into my DMs on LinkedIn and asked me to apply for a health & wellness reporter role at Fortune. I was weighing an editor position at the same time, which I shared with my fellow journo friend Sierra and that's when she asked me, "do you even like editing?"
Uhhh...
If I was being honest? No. I could do it and I could do it pretty darn well, but much like the five years I spent doing nonprofit PR I didn't find it as fulfilling as doing the actual writing.
I'd been conditioned to chase editor roles because that's where the money resides. Not only that, "editor" sounds much more illustrious than "writer." Or so I thought.
The truth is, as Sierra pointed out, none of that matters. She continued: "...I used to want x title at x type of co., but that now that feels more like being stuck on an outdated system and holds you back. I don't care what you call me if the work is what I want to do and the whole picture is what I want ... and it sounds like you are feeling the same but maybe have not 100% embraced it yet. It's hard because I think we feel like success is x but it's 2022 and everything is upside down and all these titles are made up and don't mean what they used to."
Like damn, homie. You didn't have to drag me like that on a random Thursday. But media right now is kind of like "Who's Line Is It Anyway?"--where everything is made up and the points don't matter.
I'm making more as a reporter than the EICs for some media nonprofits. I'm doing what I love and I get to work inside my zone of genius every day. My manager is dope and I can show up as my full authentic self.
No, I don't have a fancy editor title anymore, but so far I'm enjoying the work I do and I like the people I get to do it with. Sounds like a win-win to me.
Love,
L'Oreal
ICYMI
My first few articles for Fortune are live! See what I've been up to the last two weeks:
These are the top 10 best states for well-being, according to a survey of 500,000 Americans (NBD, but my home state of Maryland is #4!)
Nature or nurture: New study finds parents may be passing on anxiety to children
Upcoming Events
July 20 (TONIGHT): Wine and Hip Hop "Pass the Aux" Sessions. My girl Chasity Cooper aka #WineWithChas is the emcee, so you know it's going to be dope! $45
July 31: Flower Girls Meet Summer Brunch. An outdoor brunch to share love and joy in these trying times. FREE
Links I Love
1. Issa Rae on Rap Sh!t, Insecure and her "mogul era." (TODAY)
2. My family history is complicated—at every step, food played a main character (Sweet July)
3. The boundaries we set help us guard our energy. Here's how to do it (NPR)
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My Latest Obsession
I took my friend John's (aka @PlanksandPistils) first floral arrangement workshop last week and made this beauty. Isn't she gorgeous? Be sure to follow him to learn more about the next event!
Now Hiring
Editing Resident for The New York Times
Assistant Professor/Associate Professor of Writing for Columbia University
Social and Digital Media and Outreach Coordinator for the Contemporary Arts Center
Director, People Experience & Culture for MENTOR
Community Services Coordinator for YWCA Evanston/North Shore
Marketing & Communications Manager for The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City
Media Relations Specialist for Center for International Environmental Law
Marketing Specialist – Healthcare Segment Development for Walgreens
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