As Blogchatter’s #MyFriendAlexa campaign trudges along through the month of October, I’m constantly thinking about potential topics to write on. I refrained from choosing a theme for this year’s campaign because I have too much on my work plate at the moment. Writing from the heart on a topic that leaps out in the thick of the moment, seemed a sound policy to adopt, if I was to successfully complete this campaign.
What’s on my work plate, you may ask?
- I write– a weekly lifestyle column for a national newspaper, the occasional Sunday feature in the same paper, articles in various lifestyle websites and news portals, captions, pitch presentations and promotional posts for an events company, legal contracts and opinions, and my blog
- I perform– videos for my social media handles, ads and promotional video campaigns for brands, hosting virtual and real events (in pre-pandemic life)
- I edit– written pieces, brand content, videos and pictures with Adobe Express edit video
- I advise– on legal issues, raising brand awareness, optimal curation of existing content, matching the right content to the right brand and correct audience
- I teach– everything I know about content creation through video courses or one-on-one personalised sessions
It’s a lot and it’s a bit all over the place, but each is an important individual skill that fits well under the large umbrella of being a “communicator”. I had decided to record my journey of being a communicator as one of the Alexa posts, and this idea was further strengthened when team Blogchatter asked us to write our “brand stories”. So, here it is – my brand story as a communicator.
I’ve been an inveterate reader from the age of six, when I discovered the joy of words reading about an “acorn” in my English textbook. I hadn’t anticipated then that words would take a firm hold of me. I wrote my first story at age eleven, with a distinct plot line and several characters, and won international recognition at age sixteen for a short story I wrote, which was one of the ‘Highly Commended’ entries in the Royal Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition. Soon after, writing took a backseat as the pursuit of studies distracted me from my path. I studied, as all Indian kids are told to, garnered the requisite grades and secured a seat in St. Stephen’s College, one of the premier educational institutions of our country.
In the third week of college, as a lark, I auditioned for a role in a small play to be directed and staged by the students and for the students, as part of our intra-college theatre festival. I was selected for the role, which emboldened me to audition for two other plays (clearly, I had a lot of free time back then!). I was selected for all three. And so began my love for creative expression through the performing arts. Three years of theatre in college, a role in a Bollywood film and many acting accolades and awards later, I was set to study Acting in the prestigious Film & Television Institute of India, in Pune. As fate would have it, the Indian kid in me took over once again, and I chose to pursue another ‘Degree’ as opposed to a Diploma. Reading law at the Faculty of Law, Delhi University was my next destination, and from there King’s College London to pursue a Master’s degree in Intellectual Property Laws.
Writing, acting and everything creative was laid by the wayside, as I proceeded on my career path as a lawyer in the Delhi High Court. I’m grateful for this education because it allowed me to be prepared for any legal hassles in my current profession and in life. However, it was only after the birth of my son and a forced sabbatical, that I returned to my former interests and hobbies of writing and creating content.
Even then, it took years before the term ‘content creator’, sat comfortably on me. Today, as a blogger, influencer, columnist, model, performer, content curator and blogging coach, I proudly call myself a communicator.
There are drawbacks to my chosen profession, as with every other. I’m terrible with time management, I stress about everything till it’s perfect, I have to constantly fight and prove myself to earn respect, and resist being taken for granted. Nevertheless, the rewards far outweigh these drawbacks.
Perhaps one of my most important realizations so far is that I’m a good teacher, because I’m patient, clear, concise and can express myself well (perks of being a good communicator!). Would you like to sample my teaching abilities for yourself? Come book a seat in my “Business of Blogging: Content Creation 101” Graphy by clicking here:
That’s my brand story – the story of ‘Noor Anand Chawla’, and everything that went into making me the communicator I am today. What is your best skill? How would you describe yourself and your brand in one term? I would love to know in the comments section.
*This is not a sponsored post. I’m taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s My Friend Alexa
**Copyright in pictures and content belongs to nooranandchawla.com and cannot be republished or repurposed without express permission of the author. As I am a copyright lawyer by profession, infringement of any kind will invite strict legal action.