A glitch in my niche

To niche or not to niche….

Is this a question? A demand? Or another attempt to crush the existence of my soul?!?!?

I know what you are saying. I am too dramatic. Also, what’s a NICHE?

Before I answer that, I would like to take a trip down memory lane (my memory).

It’s a warm, sunny morning. I am sitting in an Adirondack chair surrounded by plants on the rooftop patio. It’s 5:45 am and I can hear the birds singing as I write in my journal. This was my reality a few mornings each week last Spring.

I love plants. I enjoy being surrounded by life. There is something incredible to witness plants grow from a tiny seed. Which is why I enjoy seeing the first blooms of the season.

It is nearly time for my family to consider another attempt at gardening this summer. Last year we grew baby tomatoes alongside a variety of herbs. Some of our neighbours also maintained a garden with different vegetables. One neighbour grew Basil. Only Basil. It grew like wildfire. I witnessed the bounty of nurturing and specializing in one type of seed.

A writing NICHE (pronounced as either NEESH or NITCH) is used to define a specific topic or content type an individual chooses to focus on. Writing only about BASIL would be considered a niche. Some also use the term niche to define the format type one chooses to specialize in.

451 days ago, I began writing again after a long hiatus. I started with daily journaling and freewriting. One would define this as being a “generalist.” I wrote what was on my mind. Sometimes it was parts of a fictional story, other times it was a vivid memory of an event, and other times I would document a dream in which I don't know where it originated. For me, it was just important to get it out. It felt great.

I wanted to meet other writers so I dove into the “interesting” and ever-so-positive Twitterverse. The first few writers, marketers and “content creators” I engaged with could have easily turned me off my path as they kept insisting that ALL writers must have a niche. Without a niche, I was told, nobody would take me seriously. Without a niche, I should just quit.

I felt discouraged as my fears and tears tried to creep in. I didn’t want to be anyone’s BASIL. I didn't know how. What to do?

A select few were persuasive in telling others a niche was mandatory for writers. At one point I was even told I was being selfish for wanting to write whatever I wanted.

These people stomped on my garden!

I didn’t understand the “selfish” comments. Was it truly selfishness or something else? Was it their own fears of writing being projected onto others? Or was it their uber self-confidence of what worked for them being absorbed by my fears?

As confused as I was by this noise along the path, I kept writing. I continued to follow my gut daily. I became more transparent about my writing journey. Through my transparency, I was introduced to another crop of writers claiming to be nicheless. Some of them touted the opposite verbiage - you will fail as a writer if you DO choose a niche!

I wrote through the confusion and discouragement alongside my fears of not finding a niche I felt comfortable with. Yet, I knew I needed to find a way that worked for me, regardless of others’ labels.

I have never been a one-topic or one-stream kind of writer. That doesn’t make me unfocused. I enjoy exploring, experimenting and learning new ways of doing things. When I try to write more about one topic, many other topics intersect. When I write about parenting, it is interwoven with themes of time management, education, health care, budgeting, sleep hacks and work/life balance. A poem about fear may touch on creativity, exploration, vulnerability and kindness. The idea of one niche no longer made sense.

My writing topics and style intersect from multiple directions and are shared at a junction. I couldn’t see it at first due to the noise and many clouds of fear that covered my path. It is still coming together.

So… what am I trying to say here?

Like many creators, we are inspired by the world around us to build beautiful stories. It's the seed of aspiration, the initial dream, that germinates and flourishes as you continue to follow your passion. Some creators share their germination stories. The more I wrote, the more times I documented and shared parts of mine.

Just as the harvest from our garden came to an end last year, I wrote out how I felt torn apart by the noise. I wrote four more lines and moved on:

I continue to grow. My journey is my own. On Twitter I call myself a “4ever evolving creator & creative,” and I stick by this. Some may say I have a glitch in my niche. I would rather say I am LIFE SHOWCASING… for now.

In the meantime, I am excited to hear the birds chirping earlier each day as the temperature gets warmer. Soon I will be taking advantage of the morning sunshine on the rooftop patio, surrounded by lovely plant energy.

Continue to grow and mind your own garden, fellow creators!

Enjoy each bloom along the way.

~Naddy/Nadine