Building a Reputation

It's interesting to me that I've developed a reputation since moving to Michigan. Lately I've had people I didn't know come up to me and ask things like "Are you the death magic girl?" and "Are you Tara? Are you the one that wants to be a death doula?"

Yes, I am. Who are you and why do you know that?

Being noticed is very strange for me. I have lived within a deliberate cloak of invisibility for 40-odd years, protected by layers of wards that kept me off the radar. Within the past few years I've slowly started removing that cloak by actually making friends, teaching a class here and there at Great Lakes Energy Exchange (GLEE), and actually showing up at events to be sociable. Enough that people actually got to put a face to the name and associate me with things like killer dark chocolate cake and my monochromatic wardrobe.

However, just a few months ago I dropped a small selection of wards because I knew I'd have to do that thing all introverts dread -- networking. Death doulas are in short supply in Michigan. Not only do we need to get to know each other so we can make referrals, we have to get the word out to people that we exist. Over time I'll be teaching more death magic classes, working death positive events, posting links to sites and articles I find educational, and hopefully hosting a Death Cafe (which will be featured in an upcoming blog post). In time I hope to build a nice reputation both for myself and for death doulas.

In the meantime, I suppose I'll have to get used to just being noticed.

#personalposts #deathmagic #deathdoula