I’m curious.  I’ve interviewed a lot of people over the past 3 years and some of them knew from when they were very small what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Did you? 

At first I wanted to be an artist. Portraits were my passion, so I would draw or painted people with oils.  Sometimes I really felt like I captured their essense, but not always.  Then I wanted to be a singer.  I loved to sing and perform solos at church, but it was a little bit nerve racking. When I forgot the second verse once I just made it up, and no one but my director noticed. Dad always thought I’d be more successful as an artist than a singer, he said “you’ll marry a drummer and live in poverty.” I have a friend who is an artist and he struggles, but Dad didn’t know that. 

All my life I’ve loved stories. Reading them, writing them, telling them.  So, when I decided to begin a career writing it wasn’t such a struggle.  Don’t get me wrong, I got scads of rejections, but little by little that began to change as my writing improved.  I feel as though I paint portraits with words, and the words I write have rhythm, so it’s not so far removed from the dreams of my childhood. 

I would love to hear what you wanted to be when you grew up and if indeed that is what you are doing, so please comment.