How to Rebuild Any Creative Identity (Lessons from a Writer’s Comeback)

Have you ever felt that you lost your identity?

Identity isn’t lost, it’s unmade.

When the habits that define us erode, we don’t just feel stuck; we forget who we were. I spent 60 days rebuilding mine, and the process revealed three counterintuitive truths about reclaiming any identity:

• Consistency isn’t about perfection; it’s about showing up.

• Triggers aren’t gimmicks; they’re shortcuts to discipline.

• Pressure isn’t motivation; it’s the enemy of habit.

Here’s how I did it, and how you can too.

Last summer, my writing routine was interrupted, and I struggled to get back on track. My day job had completely burned me out. I lost the priorities I had set for my writing. It went from being an escape to becoming work itself. Thus causing me to feel that I had lost my identity as a writer, painfully.

Over the past 60 days or so, I've been rebuilding my identity, and I've learned a great deal from the process.

My reset came from realizing I no longer felt like a writer. It hit me like a truck, and it was a BIG problem. That's not identity, it's delusion.

If I identify as a writer, why wasn't I writing?

It starts with taking the right mindset. If you want to be X, you have to act like X. The gap between who you are and who you want to become isn’t fixed by motivation; it’s closed by repetition.

Set Needed Priorities

The first step is to set your priorities.

I realized writing was my lifeline, so I made it the top priority. This meant I needed a consistent routine. During the workweek, I make writing the first thing I do before my shift starts, giving me 30 to 60 minutes a day dedicated to writing. Weekends are a little more flexible, but I still keep it as early in my day as possible.

That is my most reliable shortcut to treating my writing as a top-tier priority.

Make sure I have the time to work on my writing before anything comes in to interrupt it. If I'm up early enough, no one else is around to pull me away. To be honest, this was how I had set my original routine before I had lost track.

How was I going to keep it going without failing, as I did over the summer?

Reduce Pressure

When you're rebuilding your identity, you'll want to ease the pressure on yourself. Take baby steps, start small, and keep it light.

Consistency isn't perfection; it's persistence.

When I restarted my writing routine, I needed to reduce the pressure. I didn't want it to feel like work; I wanted it to be an escape from work again. The major change was that. I set a goal to simply write. It doesn't matter what, how much, or for how long, as long as I write something. It could be a sentence, a title, or an entire article as long as I put something on the page.

This applies to any other identity change.

Take bodybuilding: Most people fail not because they lift too little, but because they quit before the habit sticks. The same goes for writing. My first goal wasn’t to produce a masterpiece; it was to open a document and type one word.

That’s how habits are built. It's not by aiming for the finish line, but by crossing it repeatedly, one step at a time.

Use Consistency to Build the Habit

The key to taking action on building your identity is to make that action a habit.

The small steps we begin with early on are what build that habit. In my case, my goal was simply to write at least one word.

I just need to show up.

Research from University College London shows that habits take an average of 66 days to form, though for complex behaviors like writing, it can take up to 254 days. The key? The more you show up, the faster and better the habit sticks.

I'm only on day 60 or so, which means I need to stay consistent and keep any pressure low for almost another 200 days.

That is why we ease that pressure and focus on showing up. The more consistent we are and the less we worry about quality or quantity, the more reliable we'll be. Thus giving us the tools to achieve the change.

That's why it must become a habit.

How do we keep the habit, though?

Use Triggers

Automatic triggers are the key to forming long-lasting habits.

What is an automatic trigger? It's an action or item that automatically primes your brain to take action on the habit you're building.

I discovered that automatic triggers, or small cues that prime your brain for action, are the secret to consistency. Mine? The first sip of coffee. Yours could be a phone alarm, a sticky note, or even the sound of a church bell (as one friend used to remind himself to get ready for work).

The point of the trigger is to make it almost subconscious. You hear, see, smell, taste the thing, and you instinctively act.

Final Notes

Consistency isn't about perfection; it's about showing up. Ease the pressure on yourself to bring long-term success.

These rules: small, imperfect, and consistent, are my blueprint for reclaiming my identity as a writer.

If you're trying to build an identity, use consistency to help you get there. And remember, don't put too much pressure on yourself, just worry about showing up and building that habit.