“Writing poems won’t earn you a living.”
“You are just wasting your time on Instagram.”
There were a lot of suggestions and opinions thrown my way when I started posting my poems on Instagram. Some appreciated what I did and some were just puzzled and posed questions like “what would you get posting your work on Instagram? Will you be able to earn doing this?”
People were right. When have people been wrong? Never.
But I kept doing what I did. I wrote and wrote and wrote. I put my words on display. I exposed my vulnerability.
I was an Engineer. I still am, at least that’s what my degree says. But I introduce myself as a writer to everyone because I got to choose writing as my profession, and thanks to Instagram (and to my will to keep heading forward).
Now here is how my life changed...
It was not a sunny day. I didn’t almost hop while walking. I didn’t smile at people. I wasn’t in my best of clothes. And, I never knew that a phone call would turn all these negatives into positives. An acquaintance on the phone asked if I wanted to become a full-time writer. Apparently, his boss read a couple of my poems on Instagram and was beyond impressed. I was dumbfounded at the question and in no more than a couple of seconds, I found my lips moving to say (read as scream) YES.
He then told me that his boss who runs a digital marketing company requires a skilled content writer. I believed that I was skilled but at anything more than poetry? I wasn’t sure. But in no time, I was called for the interview. I appeared for it and got asked for a portfolio. I didn’t have any. I didn’t have anything that would serve as a testimonial. I showed the interviewer my poems on Instagram, and she didn’t seem unclear before offering me a handsome package as a permanent content writing.
It has been 8 months and I can confidently say that I am skilled at writing more than just poetry. My boss loves my work. And I love my job.
I didn’t need a portfolio to prove my skills, and you don’t need one too. I persisted with I loved and you can too. It was poetry for me and it can be anything else for you. Just keep heading in the right direction because it is possible that the destination finds you before you find it.
