Many years ago I knew a young barista who enjoyed photography. He didn’t have any fancy equipment and he hadn’t taken any classes on the subject. But he was keen to learn, and when he wasn’t pulling shots behind the counter, he was outside taking pictures with his phone and with an inexpensive digital camera he’d saved up for.
Then one day I went into my favorite coffee shop, and instead of us talking about our favorite books, he told me he was going to pursue his dream of photography. Within a few weeks, he’d quit his job, packed his car, and moved to the Bay Area to pursue his passion. I kept in touch with his progress by watching for his pictures to appear in Instagram, which was still relatively new and unknown to the masses at the time.
And as I watched him grow in his craft, I watched his following grow. In the years since, his hobby has become his career. He’s gone from only shooting captivating nature stills to also producing stunning photo and video work for some major companies around the world.
The power to sway
In the early days of social media, our feeds were limited to our friends, family, and acquaintances sharing pictures from their latest outing or special events. As social media has grown in popularity over the years, so has the term “influencer.” These are the individuals who have carefully cultivated feeds that focus on a specific topic, like home décor, travel, fashion, or a form of art.
These are the people that we follow for ideas and inspiration or to live vicariously through. But sometimes those posts have the opposite affect we’re looking for. They can leave us feeling like we’re lacking in some way, which can in turn lead to feelings of insecurity, anxiety, or depression.
MW defines influence as “the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways. To sway.” It also defines the word as “the act or power of producing an effect with apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command.”
So following that definition, an influencer is someone who is in a position to plant suggestions that can affect how others respond to certain situations.
Whether we’re fully comfortable with the idea or not, we as writers are influencers as well. Don’t believe me? Just think about the writers who have influenced your own writing journey. Something about the words they wrote and the stories they shared inspired you and prompted a desire in you to explore new possibilities, to create new ideas, and to write words of your own.
As a writer, one question I always want to ask myself before I post or publish anything is: Am I using my influence to benefit others or to benefit myself?
I’ll admit, there are times I post things because I want to feel good about something, or because I want to look accomplished in some way. But the glow of that moment is fleeting in the long run, and if I’m spending all my time chasing after the adoration of virtual fans, I’ll never be able to accomplish what it is I first set out to do when I decided to call myself a writer.
My goal was and is to write stories that encourage and inspire others to pursue who they were created to be, because there no doubt in my mind that every single person who draws breath in this world was born with a purpose.
Sure, awards and publications credits, and tangible proof of our work are all good things, but I am convinced that we as writers can’t go wrong if we are considering the needs of our readers first. Everything else is icing on the cake.
How will you use your influence?
Like my friend the photographer, social media has become my way to practice in public. The more I write and share publicly, the more I’ve grown in my determination to focus on the things that matter most to my craft. And as I’ve begun to develop those skills, I’ve in turn had more opportunities to do what I enjoy doing professionally.
I still haven’t published a book. I still don’t have agent. And I’m still not sending out any queries. And that’s okay. What I have done is encouraged others in their own writing—both as a blog writer and as an editor. And, from some of the comments and DMs others have posted on things I’ve shared online, I’ve discovered that the encouraging influence I hope to cultivate is beginning to take root in all my writing.
Once I started realizing that the words that I write and share have the ability to impact how others view their life—for better or for ill—I began to look at my writing through entirely different lens. Because I know what it’s like to feel little, insignificant, or like I don’t really matter, the last thing I ever want to do is cause another to feel that same grief.
This doesn’t mean I won’t make mistakes or say the wrong thing, but it does mean that when I sit down to write, I always want to keep needs of others in mind. And I always want to ask myself if the words I’m sharing are beneficial to others or better left unsaid.
When all is said and done, have you considered the influence you have as a writer? What are some ways that you can put it to use to edify and inspire others this week?
Write boldly and with courage, my friends!
Jen
Image by Sofia Iivarinen from Pixabay