The Legitimacy of Titles

Classes have ended and I'm going to blog.

At the grand old age of 53, my mom began pursuing a path for which she had planted the seeds long ago. 53 and she is blooming into a talented, locally successful writer. I admire and am in perpetual awe of her energy, her dedication, her zest for life. I can only hope that in 32 years I love learning and pursuing new adventures as much as she does.
An interesting thing was, one snowy day over Christmas break we were sitting in the family room, sharing the big leather chair by the fireplace. She was reading aloud to me from her writing journal, sharing her ideas for future stories and articles. I thought they all sounded fantastic- "you're a writer, mum!" She smiled, said hesitatingly, "oh no, not yet." She was reluctant to bestow upon herself the title of "writer" until she had been published in a noteworthy source, until she had received recognition. This made me start to think. At what point can one call themself something? When is it legitimate to print a title under one's name on a business card?


I taught piano lessons all through high school, mostly to little children around the neighborhood. I started off in 9th grade charging $5/lesson, gradually increasing the price until it hit $10 my senior year. Am I a "piano teacher"? I received no formal instruction, notwithstanding the years of private lessons which I ended by middle school. I do not know if I am qualified. I do not know if my little business of a neighborhood piano studio was even legal. All I know is I got paid to sit by my piano bench for several hours per week, gently correcting the little hands that painstakingly searched for the right notes. I witnessed a lot of discouragement during those years. But there were triumphs as well- when those kids showed up for lessons and proudly played through the songs they worked so hard on, I felt like a piano teacher. Can I be one without a music PhD and years of theory classes? As an adult, would I be taken seriously?



I love taking pictures. I love cameras. I love lenses. I love making people look good in pictures. I love noticing details. When I modeled as a kid, I was often more intrigued by what the photographers were doing than the clothes I had to pose in. And I knew that I would rather be behind the camera than in front of it. So where does that leave me? Everything I know about 'taking pictures' is self-taught, or from tips from scouring photography books in Barnes & Noble. But I do not feel quite brave enough to say, "I am a photographer". What I do is taking pictures, not photography. I would not feel comfortable charging people for a portrait session even when they love the results. There's no training or classes to speak of, and fancy equipment? I manage without. For all intents & purposes, I am a picture-taker. Not that other word...yet.



This can be applied to many other skills and talents and hobbies- like, when does a person who likes to draw become An Artist? Perhaps it's when they first get paid. Or maybe it's just when they feel like they're good enough.