Who's a writer?

Since recently graduating from college with my bachelor's degree in journalism, I've been thinking, when do I get to call myself a writer? How does one finally get that title? Is it after works have been published? Is a contract with a publishing company required? Must a book be written and published? Or can the published works be fliers, pamphlets and short articles?

I've always wanted to be a writer. I've loved writing since elementary school, but I never knew what level one has to be at to be considered a writer. Now that I have a degree from a four-year college in writing, should I consider myself a writer? I love to write notes, I write in a journal, I write press releases and fliers at work, and I just started this blog. I've had articles published in my school newspaper and the student magazine, but does that count? Do I have to be a "writer" in the real world before I can call myself one?

Do writers of best-selling novels consider themselves to be writers? The term is so general. Everyone writes. I guess it depends on whether the person writing likes to write or not. Maybe the term "writer" applies to those who love to write their thoughts down. People who love to express their feelings through visible words that others can read and connect through. People who have a list of blog topics for each night of the week. People who have notepads by their night stands and on their coffee tables in case they think of something that must be written immediately. People who are working on writing a book because they've always wanted to. And people who can't wait to get home from work to write about their day to their journal.

I'm one of those people. I'm a writer.