I’ve blogged about this before, but the thorny matter of artists
calling themselves “aspiring artist/musician/writer” continues to sting.
This
post here reminded me, again, of the faux diminution of this word.
If you would like to do something but aren’t doing it (yet,
or ever), then you “aspire” to do or be it.
If you are doing it, you are not an aspirant. If you write, you are a writer. If you paint, you are a painter. If you compose music, you are
a composer. Perhaps you aspire to have commercial or financial success and
haven’t (yet or ever) achieved it. But you are not aspiring to be what
you are already.
Just do it. Once you do, you are.
*THE END*
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Agreed. I think many people confuse the word with having commercial success, but writers should be sensitive to the meanings of words.
ReplyDeletePrecisely. You may aspire to be traditionally published, or to have a best seller, or to win a literary award. But you are not an aspiring writer if you're already writing.
ReplyDeleteI agree about "aspiring" being inaccurate if you write. But I have a story about the challenges of talking about being a writer, which I'll put on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI agree. That makes perfect sense to me.
ReplyDeleteGood point. I aspire to make serious bucks before I retire; however, the origin of the bucks is unknown.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Junie, 😂
ReplyDeleteMirkaK (who isn't me) is again getting blocked by Blogger (what's with that, Blogger?) from posting a comment. She forwarded to my email what she tried to post:
ReplyDelete"I agree. Here's a definition for aspire: "to direct one's hopes or ambitions towards achieving something." That could mean you aspire to get published, to gain media attention, to sell lots of books. Yes, if you have not yet written anything, then you are aspiring to be a writer."