Emily Patton 101

Hi. My name is Emily Patton. Well, I think it is. And this is my identity crisis. Maybe. I’m a journalist. Well, I thought I was. Right now I am blogging at my computer. So I guess you could call me a blogger. But wait, can’t I be both? Who am I, really?

Mark Glaser asks us this question in his article: Am I a Journalist or Blogger? And honestly, I have never taken a moment to really define myself, what I am or who am I, really? I never found it a necessity…. (until this very instance.)

I grew up sitting on my father’s knee as he told me I could be anything I wanted to be. Anything. Such a wonderful thought. There were no limitations to that statement. Anything. An astronaut. A jockey. A pizza deliverer. A writer. Clear distinct separate definitions of who I could be in this life.

Fast forward ten years. Suddenly, the outlook of the world changes when you are sitting on your dad’s lap as a child to walking down the halls of a high school. The jock. The nerd. The cheerleader. The good girl. Labels. Clear distinct separate definitions of who people say you are for four years.

So here I am. Survived high school with little scars and the sticky labels never staying. Grown up with dreams swarming my head. But what is that telling you? I never have believed in labels or confining definitions that others assign you —- after all most of the time that is just not who you see yourself as or who you are… But hold the phone a minute! Why are we letting these people dictate OUR OWN identity? I mean its our own, it is not there’s. After all its only relevant to us, not others. We all realize this is a definite problem. Thus, I provide a solution (Get ready).

Define yourself (Yeah, that’s the big miracle working solution). Ridiculous sounding, correct? Yeah, I know. I’ve always had the hardest time defining myself. Why? Most of the time I was all those things. Some days I was venturing to the moon with my older brother when he would give me a double bounce on the trampoline, or a jockey riding my horses like we were storming home in the Derby (in 6 days, I should add, cannot wait). Other days I was picking up a pizza with my mom or sitting in the back yard writing a novel. I was so much of a jock when someone handed me a pair of running shoes, the football team’s loudest cheerleader in the stands every Friday night, the front- row- seat- in – class- nerd, and the good girl who did not have to go party to have a good time. I was a bit of each and continue to take on a few more aliases as the years pass by.

So who am I, really?

I am a journalist. Yet I proceed on typing this blog post.

People argue that the definition of a blogger is someone who keeps a blog. The definition of a reporter is someone who reports the news. So that would make a journalist someone who keeps a journal? Well, not exactly…. a journalist is someone who can keep a journal, diary, or daily record of events. A journalist can keep a record of events whether online, magazines, newspapers, or blogs. As the job market continues to grapple, the competition increases for that person who can do it all. Employers, meet a journalist. And maybe that’s perhaps why I find such a passion in the journalism field. I am enabled to be a bit of everything: a blogger, a social net worker, a columnist, a photographer, or E. all of the above. I can have infinite childhood dreams come true or write about a new product description of non-stick labels teenagers use in high school.

Before this blog post, I never took a second glance at the word. Sure, I’d call myself a journalism student, but I had forgotten what that means. And knowing the clarification, past all the ambiguity and vagueness —– well you just beat someone to a career opportunity by better knowing your job description.

Sometimes you need to define yourself, not for other people, but for yourself. Forget how others view you. How do you view yourself? Understand your identity. Reiterate your objective. What you want to accomplish. Who you are not. Who you would like to become. The definition takes you a step back to reexamine who you are, really. And you become better because of it. Period. The end.

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