We recently connected with Kaitlin Oster and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kaitlin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

I didn’t realize that ideas flooded my mind in the same way David Lynch describes in his book Catching the Big Fish. Oftentimes, I’ll see an article, a picture, or just have a little idea pop into my head, and I need to write it down immediately. I find that a good idea is just as fleeting as a feeling or emotion, and if I don’t place it somewhere it’ll be lost forever. For me, the writing idea is connected to something else, like a visceral pull on my intuition, and the need to transform it into a story, or a tagline for a copywriting client, or a blog post for myself or someone else will be so overpowering that I’ll hyper-fixate until it’s done. The structure for me comes last, once that “vomit draft” is done, and then I go in and fine-tune for cohesion and effectiveness, but as far as the idea itself? I don’t often go on an active hunt, honestly.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

There’s the quote, “Whatever your life’s work, do it well.” While I like that approach, I view it backwards: “Whatever you do well, make it your life’s work.” While I consider my services a little niche – applying storytelling and creative devices on a professional scale – I have found success in the importance of helping other identify their authentic voice, whether personal or business.

I was always a fan of writing and making up stories as a kid, whether to escape, create, or both, but the pull to tell stories or create with pen and paper came naturally to me, and the medium itself is relatively easy to access as far as materials required. I wasn’t overly confident in school, and it took me until my 20s to embody what I would consider now to be my authentic voice. Part of what helped me with that was my continuation of writing stories that were based on real events in my life.

After my mom passed away when I was 20, I began writing on my grief surrounding all of it; There was a lot of displaced anger that I felt uncomfortable vocalizing to my therapist, but putting it on paper felt more like whispering a secret to a friend. I took a leap when I was 22 or 23 and shared a story of my grief on my blog, and immediately began to receive feedback from people who told me they could relate to what I went through. Without a doubt, that validation of my truth encouraged me to share more and that just built up my authentic, true voice.

Finding my authentic voice is what inspired me to combine What I Do Well with a professional approach of creative copywriting and branding services. Especially today, so many people exist on the internet, and there’s a constant push to be original, “be yourself,” and I see how difficult it can be for clients to identify their true voice when they are in a vacuum of outside social influence.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I get to see people light up when they realize they’re finally being heard. There’s a disconnect when a person’s authenticity is stifled, and it really dulls the spirit. A lot of the professional sphere relies on logistics, numbers, bottom lines, and tends to neglect the fact that even business is part of the human experience. So, when I get to work with someone, or help them mind map in a creative consultation session, there’s a distinct *snap* I see when they finally align their message with their inner voice.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

January of 2022 was the climax as far as making the decisions that led me to where I am now. I was working full-time in an unrelated field, while also in school full-time as an MFA student pursuing a degree in screenwriting. The stress was overwhelming at times, and I hit the breaking point when out to dinner with my family. I couldn’t tell if I was having a heart attack or a panic attack, but the event left me side-lined in bed for days. It was a wake-up call that I had been treading water in New York for far too long, and I decided to purchase the LLC I have now. It was a financial investment and I didn’t have too much money, so I felt like it would make me more accountable. Shortly after, I decided to move to Grand Rapids to live with one of my MFA classmates. New York has always been viewed as a place of dreams, but economically-speaking the dream was far less attainable.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://kaitlinoster.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roller_kosters/?hl=en
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/kaitlinoster
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtKA4GgzkLY