"Writers write"

I've taken some coaching classes recently from a friend of mine: http://www.myvoiceoftruthcoaching.com/index.html. We did five sessions and started a process I hope to continue later on down the line. Something she said to me though, stuck in my head and I wanted to muse on it some more.

We were talking about taking time for yourself, "me time" and pursuing dreams. Now, I've mentioned in this blog here before how I've always held fast to the dream of maybe one day being a "writer". I shared this with her and she pointed out that it didn't really matter what my degree was in "writers write", that the goal of being a writer was a simple as....writing. I had to really think about that some.

I write, this dinky little blog is writing. I write out stories with a good friend of mine OL in role playing situations. I write ideas. I write in journals. I make character sketches of just about everybody I meet as a potential story character. I have pages and pages of ideas. I write charts for work. I write letters. But...am I a "writer"?

I guess this goes into the same vein of thought as "am I an artist?" when I have no formal art training, and paint girls I learned to draw online from other untrained artsy folk, using craft paint and scrap book stencils. Does this make me an "artist"?

Some would say "HELL NO." I don't sell art, thereby making my living by my trade. I don't sell my writing, therefore professionally I am not a 'writer'. But...aren't I? In my heart I'd still say that is my dream, the ultimate "What I want to be when I grow up". So where does that leave me now? How do you define yourself  by dreams?

Just something to muse about.