I’ve always felt odd calling myself a marketer. My degree is in journalism, and I gave that a go for a few years early in my career. But I realized early on that while I was a pretty good writer, I wasn’t a very good journalist.

I eventually made what would be a permanent transition into marketing roles; and now, more than 15 year later, I really still see myself as a writer — not a marketer. I’ve mostly maintained those foundational, journalistic tenets toward the work, and have fully embraced a fact-based, customer-first, meat-and-potatoes approach to marketing. Whether because of ignorance or stubbornness or something else altogether, I never really shifted my mindset to what might be considered a more typical, creativity-driven marketing approach.

This has led to my butting heads with those more, let’s say, ambitious marketers who saw every brief as an opportunity for greatness while I saw every brief as an opportunity for not rocking the boat. Yes, there’s a place for ambition and a place for practicality. And there is a balance I’m often still trying to find between calling out what I see as the obvious truth and seeking first to understand. More than once in my life I’ve justified my position by saying “But I’m not wrong.” And more than once in my life the response has been “But you’re also not happy.”

What I am sure of is that marketing isn’t special — and marketers and executives alike should stop treating it as if it is.

My years of experience have finally coalesced into a book: Marketing Isn’t Special (coming soon). The book captures what seem to me as conflicts, inconsistencies, and broken priorities in today’s marketing world. I wrote it to hopefully persuade both those doing the day-to-day delivery and those overseeing the work to consider a different perspective. I wrote it to help marketers and leaders cut through the nonsense and refocus on what actually works. I wrote it to give you something to point to and say “O.k. Let’s maybe give that a try for a while.”

If you’re just starting out in marketing, you might feel pressure to reinvent the wheel at every turn. I’ve been there, and you don’t have to. If you’re a marketing leader chasing that next creative high, there are other options out there. If you’re an executive with preconceived notions about what marketing has to be, or maybe even questioning its value, it’s time to reassess those perspectives.

Ultimately, I’d hope we can all see value in marketing efforts that aren’t scrambling for the flashiest idea, but confidently engaging in a way that connects with current and potential customers.

I’ll be providing regular updates about the book, my journey to publish it and to market it, on LinkedIn.