Letting Your Friends Market You
Photo by MARCIN CZERNIAWSKI on Unsplash
by Albert Leo
As a writer, I’m often consumed in my own headspace of the stories I want to tell. If I had my way, I would rather just spend time riffing with my characters and twist in turmoil in the worlds that I create than talk about myself. But often, even when you’re not writing, whether you’re going on an interview, or talking to a stranger, you’re finding ways to market yourself.
If you’ve ever watched an episode of Shark Tank, the sharks are ruthless about evaluations, burn rate, and sales. They’re also interested in the person as they are in the product. They’re investing in people they want to work with, just like the schools are investing in you as students. You might have invented the next iPhone, but investors still want to know who you are.
When I was finishing up the end of my master’s degree, my classmates and I were tasked to write bios for our portfolios. I had spent countless hours toiling around with several pieces of non-biographical writing, but now I had to sum up what kind of person and writer that I was. The spotlight was now on us, not our work.
I was able to provide a modest description of myself. My classmates gave sufficient descriptions in their bios as well, but there was ample room for better elucidation. So, if you find yourself stuck about how to describe who you are, you don’t have to just solely depend on yourself.
To aid us in our bios, my professor gave us a helpful exercise to write about each other on a piece of paper. When my classmates read off what they thought about me, I was flushed with flattering descriptions that deep down I knew on some level, but their words were crystallized because they knew me. I was eccentric, imaginative, a world builder. I no longer had to market myself, my classmates were.
If you’re having trouble finding out who you are, ask the people close to you. How would they describe you? This might be awkward, but push them to be honest. See if they can recount stories that correspond to a value, or maybe you can even scour your social media posts about how they write about you. You might find ideas for your essay. You probably won’t, but at least they’ll better inform you about the types of stories that might reflect the essence of who you are. Maybe your friends notice that you’re the planner of the group, always preparing new adventures and figuring out the logistics. Maybe your brother finds that you’re a mediator, always trying to show each other’s points of view to bridge relationships.
I had a student that I’d been working with for a couple of weeks, and she had always described herself as persistent. And darn it, she was in everything that she did. However, that was too general. So many other students will write that they are persistent.
From our conversations, I would describe her superpower as being an obsessive researcher. She made sure she learned every detail to educate herself, to understand the interdisciplinary web for any subject. She could have been researching volleyball, inequity, or building an organization. She was never satisfied with just examining surface level symptoms or explanations. She wanted to know the data, the opportunity and downstream effects that came because of a lack of proper planning and resources. She needed to see how that then affected the culture and public policy or implementations. Suddenly, she had a new way to look at herself.
So, utilize your friends, families, and teachers to see if they can shine a new light on you. As an Essay Narwhal, you don’t have to swim alone. Find your pod. If you get lost, your friends and family will often have a good idea of where you’re headed.
