Who am I?
I am
a woman, a writer, a mother, a lover
a daughter, a sister, a friend
a blogger, a grandchild, a girl, a smileran optimist, a kid
a researcher, a German, a thinker
a dreamer, a doer
a looser, a winner
a grownup
a political scientist, a Parisian
an expat, a cousin, a neighbour
a teacher, an immigrant
a voice
tall, young, learning, lost, trilingual
blonde, older, eclectic
a parent, a fan, a person
lazy, short-sighted
a female, a European
an adult
doubting, trusting
a reader, a buyer, a listener, a talker, an adventurer
a tutor, a helper, a Master Degree holder
a freelance professional, a political scientist
loving, supporting
an optimist
an entrepreneur, a traveller
myself
DIFFERENT
constantly striving to figure out who I am
I am Solveig
I was
a vegetarian
a baby, a school kid, an intern
a DJ, a radio host
a waitress, a violin student, a high school teacher
an actress
illiterate
a middle school volleyballer
longing for Harry Potter to be true
a great-granddaughter
a babysitter, a CD collector
a white blonde
a concert goer
…
I am Solveig and I am human
I want to print business cards this week, and started to wonder if I should include a professional title or not, then the above started flooding my brain.
I always struggle to pinpoint exactly who I am. Can I only define myself through my profession, my family, or my highest degree? I have the feeling people too often get defined by their profession, but there might be something underneath that will define them a lot more than what they currently do as a job. I also think that we are always changing, learning and evolving.
The picture that I have included with this post is there to give you, my reader an image of me. It was taken by my dad in December.
Who are you?
© Solveig Werner 2016. All rights reserved.
Solveig Werner 
I really hate to break it to you, but I don’t think all of that will fit on a printed card. Well, it might, but nobody would be able to read it without a microscope 😉 Great list! It is impossible to define yourself as a list, but it sure fits a lot better than a single blurb – I am NOT an IT program manager, though I do that as a job.
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well I did not say it in the end of this post, but I got thinking abut how we are always defined by what we do but not always by who we are… When they published the list of the people who died in the terrorist attack, they included for everyone what their profession was, and I thought that this probably was not the person deep inside… same when my daughter was born on her birth certificate it says our current professions, at weddings they do that too, so if you get married and are working in a job you really don’t like the professional title will stay on your marriage contract forever, well that’s how it works in France…
I see you as a writer, a blogger, a dog owner, a musician, a friend… but not as an IT program manager 🙂
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I get where you are coming from 100% and I agree. Sometimes the news channels here will have a friend or family member talk about a victim and they do say so much more than what they did for work. I want to be remembered for so much more – those things you listed and more. So perhaps I need to make a list like yours but for Trent, not Solveig.
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you should 🙂 it let’S you explore yourself a bit more. maybe if you do it too this post will spike a new trend, your name is close enough already 🙂
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If I do a list I will link back to yours. So maybe a new trend will be born 🙂
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we’ll see 🙂
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Oh my gosh, I just wrote this exact post today! (Expect without the pretty poem form and it’s online, not business cards.) But still… Yes! This is so difficult. Right now, I am struggling big time with what to put on profiles, bios, etc. Who Am I? (That was even my title – which I will change.) 😉 I don’t know who I am. As you said, are we defined by who we are or what we do? How do we separate it? We are human. I don’t know…
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It is always so touch to pinpoint who we are. Thank you for linking back to my post, I did read it on my phone when I was incapable of concentrating (distractions…) but I will read it again. In the end I guess it boils down to you being you.
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Yes. Be you. Because there is only one “you”. 😄
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Love this. Anthony recently printed up calling cards with contact information and a photo of his face. That’s it. I loved how it didn’t even bother trying to boil a person down to one title, calling on its recipient(s) to instead recall discussion and feelings.
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Well I must confess I did not put a title under my name in the end. German teacher and blogger might have been a bit strange and writer maybe a bit too pretentious. It has my contact details, blog address on it now, so people might actually wonder what I do (if I have not told them) and might actually have a look at my blog, who knows?
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We like you!!!!!❤️
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Oh thank you! I do like you too!
I am not sure, but have I asked you if you want to be my guest for the traditions series? I would definitely love to have you share a tradition or two 🙂
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You haven’t, but with pleasure! Tell me what you want
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Oh anything really, but I will send you my guidelines (towards the beginning of the coming week as I am about to go to bed and traveling over the weekend), so that you can have an idea of what I am looking for.
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I’ve always loathed the ‘and what do you do?’ Question. As a lawyer I recovered all sorts of preconceived responses, as a retired lawyer even more but all easy stereotypes. I doubt very much a list of nouns is useful, beyond human. We should all be adjectives or perhaps a few verbs.
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It’s a horrible question that should be banned from smalltalk conversations! I did not feel too good when people asked me the question at a wedding in the summer, I was without clients for the summer months and well did not feel confident enough to say that I blog. But I think that people generally want to know how you make money, not what your activities are in life, they should though.
When I was studying politics in Newcastle people would always say “Politics? So does that make you a liar?”
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They say the same to me when they know I was a lawyer!
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ah people and prejudging/jumping to conclusions…
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I am nothing and no one. I am only The Girls’ carer and have no identity of my own. I am defined by The Girls. I was. I am not and I will not be. So, it is great, you may define you – whatever “how”: any definition gives you a presence to the world and a reality. Then you will turn this “being present to the world” into something being human or not. And you will become or already are a human being and not only a function.
I am nothing and therefore no one.
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Camille, you are the personification of love, giving and beauty. Exploiting others to make a profit…is that something to be proud of? Flaunt? Or, is it more important what’s in your heart and standing up for values and love?
I have struggled in the past to define myself as a sick person or “invalid” but I soon found out people were much more interested in talking about photography, which I was doing, than work anyway. That gave me an identity and a talking point. As does my writing. I am still a bit adrift though and I am currently focusing on getting my kids settled at school and that’s taking a lot out of me and that’s okay. I don’t have to defend my choices. Money can be short term gain but long term pain if you lose the ones you love along the way.I seem to remember a quote from Jackie Kennedy-Onassis along those lines.
Take care and huge hugs all the way from Australie!
xx Rowena
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No Camille, you are definitely someone! You are not no one.
I see you as a talented young woman who is trying to find her path in a situation which she has little control about.
I think you are strong.
You are a friend!
many many hugs!
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I love your post. Made me think. When asked who I am I often tell people that I’m: a writer, a walker, a wife. I like the alliteration, but beyond that it sums up all that I do in a way that seems to make other people comfortable being around me. The funny thing is that I don’t feel limited by my answer, because it’s the truth– or at least the tip of the iceberg of the truth. Food for thought here.
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Maybe you’ll do your own post soon?
I think we are so many things, and way to often pushed to put ourselves into a teeny tiny box.
I just thought, many people don’t ask “who are you?” but “what do you do?” Maybe we need to actively want to know who someone is and not necessarily what they do…
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Good job with this little assignment you gave yourself. I’ve done a similar thing several times, in writing workshops. I think I have posted a few of them. I’m not in a good frame of mind right now but I’ll give it a try in a day or two.
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Thank you Corina. I always have a hard time pinpointing who I am, because not one word can sum it up.
I hope that you are better now. I am looking forward to your post.
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http://www.memoriesofatime.com
WHAT: Retired English/Humanities teacher; journal-er; memoirist; collector of diecast airplanes (WWII Mustangs); P-51 Lover; husband, father, son, cousin, uncle; arthritic; former stained glass artisan; reader; Kindle-er; movie lover; KIA owner; chocolate addict; 35-year resident of Florida; and, I-N-F-J.
I like to work at the computer, writing short pieces and one monthly story or anecdote. I used to tell, “If you live to 18, you’ll have enough to write about for the rest of your life.” I believe this. But older now, I have more to write. And just share. It’s part of being a ham, a self-actualizer, and a writer of recollections. I do not any longer have to write under pressure; I like to take my time. That’s all I have to say about that.
Actually, “I’m a Nobody. Who are you? Are you a Nobody, too?”
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Thank you for your comment James. You seem to be complex.
Still we are all somebody. Even a nobody is a somebody 🙂
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All your other commenters have got very philosophical. My brain is switched off already tonight, so I’ll just say – lovely photo! You look very relaxed and happy.
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Thank you Anabel! I can feel you, sometimes leaving a good comment is hard when we start to be tired… I have finally put it as my new picture 🙂
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What a nice stocktake of who you are! I might sit and do the same. It reminds me of something I did about five years ago—I sat down and made a quick summary of my life, just dot points, year-by-year. When I held it out and looked at it, I could see the years formed natural clusters—the preschool years, the rebellious teenage years, the Uni student years, the child-bearing years, etc. As I read through them, I felt all the different people I’d been. It was a really nice thing to do, and even though it was just defining me by my year at school or my job at the time, there were a lot of emotions and memories associated with those, and I could see the arc of my life and how I’d become the person I am.
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I love this for many reasons, but mostly because I, too, am often trying to distill myself down to one word/title, and I find it impossible. And, I am also pondering what to say on business cards. Even when I was an English Instructor, while that simplified things, it didn’t sum me up at all. I guess maybe a business card is only supposed to be one specific aspect of ourselves anyway. Will you post a picture of your card? I’d love to see it. I may try this exercise myself. (And I am STILL wishing Harry Potter, at least parts of the story, are true.)
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I found you at Donna’s party and dropped in for a visit. I loved your poem. I too don’t like the social conversation starter, ‘what do you do?’. What we do does not define us. We are human beings. As humans, we we have the functions we do and the roles we play. And ‘being’ is the attitude that we bring to the human things we do and what makes the functions and roles we play special. It makes you wonder what some of the philosophers of our time put on their business cards. Whatever you choose, I’m sure it will be just right.
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I love this so much and have often wondered the same things as you have when thinking about who i *am vs. what titles I have adopted/accepted.
You have inspired many with your questions, including me 🙂 I may just have to explore some of my self in black and white as well!
Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
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I love this post, Solveig, it reads like a meditation. Beautiful!
Years ago I did a retreat where we were paired up and a partner asked the same question again and again ‘Who are you?’ After initial labels fell away, the spaciousness that opened was amazing! Loved this 🙂
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I love how you did this, great share 🙂 ❤
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Great post, Solveig. One of the signs of a great post is how you get other people thinking and the comments are very insightful and reflective and I love that.
I have always struggled to know who I am and the reasons for that became more obvious once I was diagnosed with hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) which I’d had since birth. That had an impact on my personality and this changed after I had brain surgery and had a shunt put in to maintain the pressure in my skull. So, any sense of identity is very complicated for me.
One thing I’ve really come to appreciate and this is reflected in your poem is that we are not set in stone. We change over time. We grow up and mature and become different people and this even happens at a cellular level because our cells keep recycling.
I read a book in my 20s which really helped me understand myself a lot better and also how I fitted in with other people, It was called “Please UNderstand Me” and it was based on the Myers-Briggs personality profile and that helped. It looks at things like whether you are an introvert/extrovert, spontaneous or a planner etc. Fantastic. It also explained how I ended up constantly dating introverts and while I loved being in the thick of it at a party, my type would be in the corner most likely keeping to themselves or perhaps having a quiet chat. This was exceptionally helpful!
Here’s the link: http://www.keirsey.com/pum_2.aspx
It’s been updated since I read it.
Have to run for school pick up
xx Rowena
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Hi there Solveig > I really like your list as it encourages the reader to focus on one characteristic at a time. In this way your ‘about’ means we get to know you a bit better. I know what you mean about being stuck under one profession and that being your identity. Imagine being able to give business cards with Solveig Werner > Dreamer ha ha. Wonderful! Thanks for the post 🙂
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Hi Solveig! Popped over here from Jason’s blog. You were listed right after mine 🙂 It’s fun to see how we’re all connected as I see you over at Jay Dee’s, too. I love the poem and just read Jay Dee’s version as well. Excellent point you made at the end about being defined by our profession. I find this especially true if we’ve been in that profession for a number of years. People see me and think of me as Mr. Wood the teacher. But aren’t I more than that?
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That list is incredible. And what a great idea for a blog post – it’s so encouraging. I’ve started thinking about my own list, and I’m going to ask others to do it too. Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
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A beautiful list, and so many wonderful things on it, but yes – how we define ourselves is tricky (especially when we’re all still works in progress). Did you figure out what to put on the card? I think if I had one I’d probably have to fall back on either keeping things strictly professional (Retinal Screener/Grader, and Writer) or take it into the whimsical (Glitterbomber, Big-Dreamer, Believer in Love).
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I always struggle to define myself when I volunteer, people in the group introduce themselves, and usually mention their profession, and I’m always sat there struggling to find words to define me. I am lots of different things, and I love that I am.
What a beautiful picture, beauty inside and out. 🙂
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You wouldn’y happen to be Norwegian also? Your lovely name is typically Norwegian.
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What a lovely, and unusual way to present yourself. Love it. 🙂
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Truand you, your comment made me re-read the post and you are right it is quite unusual…
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Unusual is always good !
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I recently came across an article title on the Medium daily mailing and wondered idly how I would answer the question…without scandalizing my family or further disturbing acquaintances. I think that I might tackle the question as a writing prompt somewhere during this month of poetry writing. 😀 Enjoyed yours!
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