The Things We Forget We Can Do

Someone once told me I have a secret talent in writing.

At the time, I thought they were just being kind. It never even crossed my mind that it was actually something deep inside me.

I was too busy trying to be the person I thought I was supposed to be.

When people see one part of you over and over again, they start to believe that’s all you are. And after a while, so do you.

They don’t see the full picture.
They see what’s right in front of them.

And somewhere along the way, you stop showing them the rest.

I’ve experienced this myself.

In my last position, I wasn’t even in a design role. Design was one part of what I did.

I planned and executed campaigns. I managed content and communications. I worked across marketing initiatives. I analysed performance. I supported internal engagement. I collaborated with different teams. I worked on strategy, messaging, photography, presentations and, yes, design.

And I did well.

But somehow, by the end, my work had been reduced to:

“We don’t really have a need for design work.”

And I remember thinking: But that’s not even what I was doing.

It wasn’t really about the recognition. It was about how quickly we can become the thing someone else has decided we are.

Because once you’ve been placed in a category, everything else you bring can become invisible.

And that’s the part that scares me. Not that someone might misunderstand me. But that, after enough time, I might start misunderstanding myself.