Who I am and Why I Write

How writing has helped me on a journey of healing and re-discovering joy in life

The author on a family trip five years ago

Hi there! I’ve been on Medium for awhile but never really written a post on who I am or why I write here. After a couple years on Medium, it suddenly felt like an important post to write, both personally and as a writer.

Who I am

I’m Katie. At my best, I’m incredibly curious, excited about life, musical, energetic, b̶u̶l̶l̶h̶e̶a̶d̶e̶d̶ strong-willed, and creative when it comes to impractical adventures or experiments. My friends might describe me as someone who invites strangers I meet in cafes on roadtrips or who studies German “for fun” and then moves across the world to “see what happens.” Whether that makes me eccentric, weird, or happily out of touch with reality, it’s how I see myself.

Photos from winter and summer walks with a good friend on two very happy days

It’s also a version of myself that I deeply miss.

I started writing a few years ago when my health — and along with it, those parts of my identity — fell apart and I needed a way to make sense of it.

How My Health Fell Apart — and Led Me To Writing