The other evening, I sat with two colleagues — an IT engineer and an ophtamologist — both successful, both in steady careers. As we talked shop over drinks, I felt something shift inside me. For a brief moment, my sense of self-worth dipped. Compared to them — with their structured careers and coherent stories — I felt like the “creative wanderer,” someone still piecing things together.
That moment passed quickly, but it made me think hard about something that’s been gnawing at me for a while: how much of my work truly belongs to my identity, and how much is just scaffolding?
Scaffolding Work
Scaffolding work is what keeps the lights on. It’s the stopgap project, the side gig, the client you don’t love but can’t afford to refuse. It’s the thing you do because you need a paycheck, runway, or breathing room.
It’s not glamorous, it’s not inspiring, and it doesn’t have to be. Scaffolding exists to hold up the real structure while it’s being built.
Identity Work
Identity work is different. These are the projects, ideas, and creations that feel like extensions of yourself. They’re tied to your values, your voice, your vision of the life you want to live.
For me, this shows up in the projects where I’m telling stories, building something lasting, putting my name and heart into the work. These are the bricks I actually want to see standing years from now.
Here’s where it gets tricky: scaffolding projects have a way of staining your whole inner landscape!
The Danger of Mixing Them Up
Here’s where it gets tricky: scaffolding projects have a way of staining your whole inner landscape!
When they falter, when they feel mediocre (as scaffolding often does), they can make you doubt everything, even the projects that are closest to your identity. A frustrating client call, a clunky product, an uninspiring task: suddenly the self-doubt spreads, and you start asking if the things you truly care about are worthless too.
That’s the trap!
Keeping the Walls Separate
The truth is, you need both: scaffolding buys you time, identity gives you meaning.
The key is to keep the walls separate:
- Don’t let the cracks in scaffolding convince you your foundation is broken.
- Don’t let temporary support structures define who you are.
- Don’t confuse the necessary with the essential.
The scaffolding is here so the real building can rise.
The Takeaway
Every career, every creative journey, has both parts: the projects that pay the bills, and the projects that define the soul. The trick is to recognize which is which. To honor your identity work as sacred, and treat scaffolding as practical. To know which bricks are building the cathedral, and which planks are just holding things in place.
Because in the end, no one remembers the scaffolding. But the structure you’re building — that’s what will stand.
