Initially, I didn't want to establish a brand. "I'm a writer!" I said. "No one will take me seriously." "Who am I supposed to be, an "influencer"?"

Yeah, I was THAT girl. The one who thought that having a social media "brand" was one step above being an IG model*. I refused to believe that it could actually help me.

Standing in the shower this morning, I realized something. I realized that I needed to do more branding. If I plan to take myself seriously, I need the marketing.

Then it hit me.

I didn't take myself seriously...

AND

I was afraid of branding because it requires a level of accountability.

A level I wasn't quite ready for. On the Fourth, I was hanging out with one of my good friends and his friends at a gathering. I didn't tell him, but I felt like a poseur. Here I am, the higher ed professional, trying to hold conversation with those who hold conversations, be they verbal or written, for a living. Still, I was inspired and impressed by this crowd. "I'll never break in," I thought. I wondered what they did that I didn't.

They committed. I didn't. Unlike the Honey Comb Moms, I treated my writing as a hobby, not a business.

So here I am. If you've noticed today, I created a new IG account: @monicakaysharp (that's easy enough, right?), and locked my personal account. I'll still post my writing on my personal account, but I have a permanent home for them. @forever.sharp will just be a fan.

*Yes, I understand that not wanting to be an IG model is steeped in respectability and internalized misogyny--I never said I was perfect. But I am working on it.