As I work on updating my website and emerge from this hibernation I’ve been in for many years, I keep wracking my brain around to figure out how to brand myself. I feel silly. Finding the right words to accurately describe what I do to others is a strange task because when I place them all together, they appear random. I’ve been feeling frustrated lately because it seems like we live in a world that pressures us to be just one thing. From an early age, we’re asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” as if we’re supposed to pick one path and stick to it forever. The expectation is to be either an artist or a scientist, an opera singer or an astronaut—never both. But the truth is, people are so much more complex than that. We’re capable of wearing many hats and excelling in more than one area, yet society seems to discourage us from embracing that.
This pressure to choose just one identity feels so limiting. It’s as though we’re put into boxes for the convenience of others, to make us easier to define or categorize. But those boxes don’t account for how dynamic we are. Why can’t someone love art and science? Why is it surprising when someone blends logic and creativity? History is full of people who have done exactly that. Think of Leonardo da Vinci, who was both an artist and an inventor, or Hedy Lamarr, who was an actress and a groundbreaking scientist. These examples show that it’s possible to be multifaceted, and yet we’re still encouraged to specialize, to pick a lane, and to stay there.
For me, it feels stifling. I’ve always had diverse interests and passions, and they don’t fit neatly into a single label. I don’t want to have to choose between them, and I don’t think I should have to. Human beings are so much richer than one role or one profession. I think we should be celebrating the fact that we can explore different facets of ourselves and grow in multiple directions. Life isn’t a straight path; it’s a complex, winding journey, and the beauty lies in the fact that we can reinvent ourselves and evolve.
I’ve also realized that this isn’t just about external pressure—it’s also about reframing the way we see success. For so long, I’ve thought about success in terms of being the best at one thing. But now, I’m starting to shift my perspective. Instead of asking myself, “Am I the best at this?” I’m trying to ask, “Am I living a life that feels authentic and fulfilling?” That shift has been freeing, because it lets me embrace all the things that make me who I am without feeling like I have to sacrifice one passion for another.
I want to rewrite the narrative. I want us to celebrate the opera singer who loves astrophysics, the software engineer who creates art, or the psychologist who moonlights as a chef. I also want to celebrate the people who don’t want to be any of these things and reject hustle culture because there is beauty in living for the moment. These aren’t contradictions—they’re expressions of the full spectrum of who we are. Wearing many hats doesn’t make us less committed to what we do; it makes us more whole. We were never meant to be just one thing, and it’s time we started honoring that complexity.
For now, I remain an autistic neurodiversity activist who studies genocide and dabbles in musical theater, dances ballet, plays piano, teaches children, and whatever else I want to do because that’s me. I wear many hats and that’s okay. That’s enough.
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