This year I began writing regular columns for the NPPA’s News Photographer magazine. Here is my first piece, discussing how my journalistic efforts have never been restricted to my work in the newsroom.

My business card says I’m a reporter. So does my voice when I call a potential interview subject. I want to introduce myself with the simplest, most authoritative description of what I do for employment. “Reporter” meets that threshold.

But it doesn’t feel complete. Like most of my colleagues in journalism, I stopped doing one job long ago.

Yes, I am a reporter. For nearly nine years, I have produced packages, presented live shots, and covered everything from the city council to the Super Bowl for WXIA-TV in Atlanta.

But I am also a photographer. I shoot my own stories and have done so since entering the business as a one-person sports department in Sioux City, Iowa.

I am an editor. I have swung from tape-to-tape to Avid Newscutter to Edius 8.0. I can prepare a 90-second report in 20 minutes, but I’d rather spend hours – and sometimes days – poring over a four-minute masterpiece.

I am a graphic artist. For years, Photoshop intimidated me. This past year I pushed myself to learn the basics. Same with After Effects. I produce animations and creative presentations that slide into various stories.

I am a social media user and digital advocate. I need to be. Facebook didn’t exist when I entered the business. Today it delivers more than 90% of my station’s page views, so I must include it in my workflow. And it pays off.

The roles continue outside of the newsroom. I am a blogger, writing weekly entries about the journalism world for my Telling the Story blog since 2013. I am a podcaster, clearing 60 episodes of long-form interviews with luminaries in the field. I am a student, working towards an MFA in narrative nonfiction at the University of Georgia’s journalism school. I am a speaker, giving presentations at multiple conferences and workshops every year. (I also co-directed one – the NPPA Southeast Storytelling workshop – in 2016.) I am even an author. I spent two years writing, editing, and finding a publisher for The Solo Video Journalist, a how-to guide for one-person crews that has become required reading for broadcast classes at various colleges.

With this piece, I add another title: magazine columnist. I did not envision it, but I welcome the privilege and opportunity to reach and spotlight my peers and fellow NPPA members.

My job title has never defined my vision. It has never dictated my passion. I would much rather explore many avenues than be confined to one lane. When I think of the journalists I admire most, I see a similar outlook. I see print photojournalists using their talents to shoot weddings, produce portraits, and build Instagram followings. I see TV photojournalists pushing themselves to write scripts. I see TV reporters clamoring to use After Effects.

Why shouldn’t they? Why shouldn’t we take advantage of the fluidity and shrinking barrier to entry that has, for so long, felt like a threat? Why shouldn’t we savor all of the opportunities provided by our field?

In a recent Twitter thread, Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery criticized how our industry clings to systems and distinctions unrecognized by our viewers and readers. “For a long time,” he wrote, “I’ve thought media’s biggest mistake is assuming our audiences understand … how we do our jobs.” For example, “We have spent decades chest-beating about how ‘objective’ our reporting and reporters are … while simultaneously publishing editorial sections that, by design, are not objective. We get the difference. [It’s a] mistake to assume everyone does.”

Lines have blurred across journalism. This is not new. I graduated college nearly 15 years ago, before social media and camera-phones upended the TV workflow. But I still heard the warnings from professors:

No one knows what the future of journalism looks like.

You better be ready to do it all.

Don’t get into this business if you don’t love it.

I do love this business. But I have also watched it drain so many talented journalists of their passion and ambition. I see the downside to the do-it-all mindset and know it’s not for everyone. I fear we will overload storytellers who might excel at one skill rather than tread water at three. I worry we will fail to attract the brightest minds to undertake the challenging but necessary work our profession provides.

I see hope in the journalists who lean into the chaos. I will use this space to provide examples of journalists who take on multiple roles and find a way to thrive. I will introduce you to colleagues and peers who have found their passion in ways they hadn’t expected. I welcome suggestions and feedback; you can message me on Facebook or Twitter, or e-mail me at matt@tellingthestoryblog.com.

Mostly I look forward to contributing to an association I have long valued and respected … in yet another new title. I’m all in.

The Solo Video Journalist is available for purchase. You can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the publisher’s web site.

Matt Pearl is the author of the Telling the Story blog and podcast. Feel free to comment below or e-mail Matt at matt@tellingthestoryblog.com. You can also follow Matt on Facebook and Twitter.