Most times, when I tell people in the legal field that I run a personal blog, one of the first questions I get is “so do you think that you’d ever do that full time?” My answer has always been that I don’t see it for myself. It seems like there’s always a lot of talk about taking influencing full time, and not much is said from those who don’t share those goals. So I figured I’d delve a little deeper into why full time creating and influencing isn’t a goal of mine right now.
Reason #1: I Want to Be a Lawyer
I don’t know if you’ve checked, but as you can imagine, law school is expensive. It is certainly not the type of thing that you do, just to say you have a J.D. So yes, I decided to go to law school because I want to be a lawyer and that remains true even now. On top of that, there are numerous black women social media influencers who are also full-time attorneys like @simplycyn, @marcherobinson, and @lifeinbeverlyheels who serve as excellent reminders of what it looks like to be a lawyer who also creates content outside of their full time jobs.
Reason #2: I’m Not That Into Working with Brands
Hear me out before you think I’m trying to say I don’t like working with brands. My blog and my voice on Instagram started from just sharing parts of my life. I like makeup and skincare. I like working out. I love Jesus. I’m in law school. I used to be a teacher. I’m a Black woman. If brands naturally fit into any of those categories and want to work with me, great. But I truly do enjoy sharing what I want to share more than I enjoy promoting a product on my platform inorganically. I currently say no to tons of sometimes appealing offers to work with brands because I’m just like “this is not it for me”. And I have the luxury to do that because Instagram and blogging is not my primary source of income. (Yes, I’m aware that working with brands is not the only part of influencing! E-books, courses, products, etc. are all sources of income for influencers outside of social media. But none of that appeals to me at this point in time!)
Reason #3: I am Multi-faceted and Multi-talented
Yes. I own it. I can accept the fact that a set of skills and talents usually cross over into different industries and career paths. I say this with the utmost humility: I know myself well enough to know that I can do anything I set my mind to do. That doesn’t mean I should do anything and everything. But it also doesn’t mean that I can’t do both a traditional career and social media influencing. See reason #1 for some stellar examples of Black women who are already doing it.
Reason #4: I Don’t Really Have a Desire To
I’m a firm believer that the things I genuinely desire for myself are things that God has placed in my heart to desire. Right now, I have no deep desire to ever take influencing full time. The keyword is right now. Life is always full of changes. If God places a desire in my heart or leads me through a different path, that’s the path I will follow. So if you’re reading this, please don’t keep me beholden to the stance I’ve taken in this post alone if I switch up. The point is right now, I have faith that I’m exactly where I am supposed to be at this time in life: pursuing a legal career while having fun as a social media creator as well.
Those are four reasons why full-time influencing isn’t a goal of mine. But of course, this is in no way meant to put down or comment on the people who do it full time. I think it is an incredible thing to be able to walk and move in your purpose—whatever that may be for you.
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!'” Isaiah 6:8
