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If You Want to Be an Artist or Writer, You Might Need a “Cover Story”
If People Asking What You Do For Work Bothers You, a “Cover Story” Might Help You Beat Impostor Syndrome
During my first year as a full-time writer, figuring out how to answer the question “So, what do you do,” literally drove me back to therapy. Saying, “I’m a writer,” made me feel like an impostor.
Sometimes that anxiety spiraled into an existential crisis, made me question my life decisions, and, worst of all, it prevented me from doing my best work.
When people ask what you do, sometimes they’re just making small talk, but sometimes they’re trying to find out where you rank in the social hierarchy. Society seems to rank creative people just above the unemployed.
Should I care? No. Do I care? Yes. It hurts.
If you’re a creative — a writer, an artist, a musician, etc, you’ve probably felt this pain. I asked an author friend how he handles the question. Do you know what he told me? He just nodded, smiled, and said, “You need a Cover Story.”
A Cover Story is an answer to the question, “What do you do for work?” that hides what you actually do.
