Introduction

I’ve been pondering writing this for a while, I must admit. The title is misleading, in a way, because I don’t know if I have found my voice. I mean, in a personal setting I know how I communicate with people and the same professionally, but what really is a ‘voice’? How do I go about finding it?

Let’s take this back a few steps and consider the definition of “finding your voice” as developing the skill of confidence – and trust me it’s definitely a skill – or having a perspective on something. This sounds relatively straightforward. As people, we all have an opinion on lots of different things. How strongly we believe that opinion gives us the confidence to share it publicly. But, my personal opinion on this, is it seems too simple…

Human nature is complicated. There’s so many factors that go into who we are, what drives our decisions, what gives us confidence, and what knocks us back. There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer here. We are the product of our upbringing and our interactions with the people and world around us. To then suggest that finding your voice is only about confidence and perspective really doesn’t seem right to me.

Going 'on my own'

It’s ironic really that I’ll happily write on behalf of another person or organisation, and emulate their desired tone of voice and communication style, but am unsure of my own. Not that emulating someone else’s tone or style is a bad thing - I understand the importance of adapting for different situations and audiences.

I have lots of thoughts and feelings. If you met me, you’d see I’m a ball of energy who always has something to talk about. But when it comes to writing for myself, I don’t know who I am. Perhaps working in-house means I haven’t had, or taken, the opportunity to develop my voice as much as I would have liked. 

If you see me in person, I’m not hard to miss. I’m one of those people you could lose in a car park and easily find again. I (currently!) have purple and blue hair. I wear bright colours. I wear clashing patterns. My makeup is bold and reminiscent of back when I used to listen to heavy metal. Visually, I know who I am and the vibe I want to put across.

Like I said earlier, I’m fine with communication amongst my social circle – and even with strangers in the shops, pubs, and the like (I’m always having a natter with someone I’ve never met before, it drives my fiancé insane!!). But, working as a freelancer without an organisation or someone else’s name to hide behind? I’m a bit lost.

Finding my voice as a freelancer

A big part in why I don’t think I’ve yet found my voice is fear. I fear I’ll get judged for my views, or not come across in the way I intended. I fear failure - which isn’t a problem that’s unique to me, I know. How I’m brave enough to wear some of the outfits I do but won’t commit to broadcasting my opinions, I just don’t understand.

That’s not to say I haven’t tried, mind you. From working in in-house roles, I have developed a sense of identity in my writing. When I’m messaging friends or colleagues, I always type as though I’m speaking colloquially (such as phonic interjections like oooOOooo). When writing in a more formal, or work setting, I’m keen to ensure that personality shines through the writing. This authenticity builds rapport between you and the reader - much like if you were conversing in person. You want the reader to get a sense of who you are, surely? 

Funnily enough, I remember one of my teachers from school saying my emails always made them laugh as they sounded exactly as I spoke - I love that, good! I’m glad I was able to make that impression just through a basic email. 

So what else have I been doing to find my voice?

Learning to set boundaries

I’ve learned when to say no to tasks or projects that don’t fit my skill set, or if I feel the knowledge required is beyond my remit. I’ve also learned when to not take too much on, so I can put more energy into areas where I’ll excel.

That said, I’m a very curious person; I love asking questions and learning about everything I can and why it’s so. I always research something (such as industries, topics, or concepts) for my own understanding before I definitively say no to anything.

Setting boundaries does come with confidence. I can safely say that I’ve developed the confidence in knowing what I can and can’t do*. This is the first step in finding my voice; knowing my area of expertise. 

*but I might give it a try on my own watch just to push myself that little bit further!

Writing for pleasure

Writing for myself, such as this blog, is another step towards finding my voice. Not only is writing for pleasure good general practice, but also a bit of a break away from work projects. It gives me time to think about things from a different angle engages different parts of my brain, as well as allowing me to try things just because I want to, across different formats. I’ve always enjoyed silly puns, writing greetings cards for people, and even dabbled in poetry when I was much younger. It’s a bit scary not having an organisation to hide behind and show the world my writing as me, but nothing good ever came easy!

Reading…

…and consuming other content. Reading, or watching, many different types of content means I get to experience different styles of writing, formats, tones of voice, and opinions that help me improve my own writing. Don’t be afraid to broaden your horizons and learn about everything you can, even if it’s not the most exciting or interesting topic. There’s a big world out there, making the effort to discover it helps to form our own views. This has definitely played a big part in forming my voice. 

Letting go

Again, this might be over simplified, but letting go of what you think and that fear has been a massive contributor in finding my voice. I’m not 100% of the way there, and who knows if I ever will be. Not everybody is going to like what I have to say, and that’s fine. You don’t grow and improve if you don’t sit with discomfort, or if you don’t push yourself and try (as I learned the hard way doing the London Marathon…).

Trust your gut

It can be easy to get knocked back by other people’s views on how something should sound or how it should be done. That’s fine – we’re all different. However, sometimes you make those choices for a reason you can’t always put into words. Studying languages has played a big part in the way I structure sentences or how I describe things, as well as feeding into that gut instinct when something just doesn’t feel right. Trust your gut on the decisions you make. Learning to trust my gut instinct and feel when writing content has strengthened my voice. Things might not always go as you planned, but as long as you learn from your mistakes and grow – what’s the worst that can happen?

Final thoughts

So maybe I HAVE found my voice. But my voice, especially as a freelancer, will always be changing. I will always be developing and honing my skills and learning from previous experiences. I look forward to what the future brings and comparing myself in the future to the version of myself that I am now. I’ve already come a long way in even the past year, so who knows what’s next? My journey awaits!