On two occasions recently, I found myself feeling internally defensive about my chosen career as a copywriter.
The first time, the president of another agency asked me what I do at my agency. When I said I was a copywriter she sighed, “Sometimes I wish I was still just a writer.” I know she meant me no harm; it was more a reflection of her own busy workload and I suppose a desire to return to less stressful, easier days as a writer. Still, it stuck in my crawl.
On the second occasion, I was lunching with a group of agency coworkers, discussing past jobs. An art director was lamenting about a previous position at another agency where he worked for a creative director who, as he put it, was “just a writer.” In other words, he wasn’t qualified to be a creative director, overseeing the work of designers. This may be true – I don’t know the guy or anything about his experience or talent. But it struck me as a derogatory statement about writers in general; i.e., “he can’t be my boss… he can’t have creative oversight… he’s just a writer.”
“Just a writer.” It’s a demeaning sentiment, whether intentional or not. It’s that little word “just” that makes all the difference. Just a writer; nothing more.
Thankfully, I have enough pride in my work and my position that I don’t take it too seriously. But every now and then it sneaks up on me and leaves me feeling... “just” a little annoyed.
