I'd argue for the opposite. Don't call yourself titles. Keep your identity small [1]. Actions speak louder than words anyway. A writer writes, and a painter paints. It's easy to call yourself either of those things, and make up excuses not to produce anything.[2]
Hadn’t read that Graham post but it’s spot on (and very HN, lol).
That said, it’s not easy to see why he’s “right” if you’re operating under external validation. Getting out of that mindset is, imo, the most difficult challenge. I’ve had friends who have struggled for many years and want to change, yet are sucked back in. It doesn’t exactly help that society is oriented towards that axis.
Saying “don’t do that” isn’t very effective. Instead, I think it’s better to express those ideas more clearly and see where it takes you. For instance, “I want to be recognized by my peers because…” and then follow along until you realize that you just want to be accepted and belong, and that’s ok. But then you’ll find it substantially easier and “truer” to find good people, instead of impressing a bunch of strangers who don’t care about you even if you’re cool. And then focus on how you’re gonna spend the rest of your time without worrying about other peoples judgments.
[1] http://www.paulgraham.com/identity.html
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz4YqwH_6D0