"I think of myself as a writer who happens to be doing his writing as an anthropologist"

Clifford Geertz's quote recommends that he watches himself as a writer first and an anthropologist secondly. He suggests that his writing is the primary emphasis of his work, which his anthropological research is second. This suggests that he is a lot more thinking about the creative process of creating than in the scientific procedure of anthropology. He is likely a lot more concerned with the creative expression of his suggestions than with the clinical accuracy of his research study. Geertz's quote also indicates that he is more interested in the imaginative aspects of his work than in the scientific elements. He is likely a lot more worried with the creative expression of his ideas than with the clinical accuracy of his research. By viewing himself as an author first and an anthropologist second, Geertz is emphasizing the value of creativity in his job. He is recommending that the innovative procedure of composing is more vital than the clinical process of anthropology.