How to Brand Yourself as a Creative

BRANDING IS VITAL TO MAKING SURE THE RIGHT AUDIENCE IS RECEIVING YOUR MESSAGE.

Having your own brand will help you stand out from the rest of the crowd, be easily recognizable and show credibility to your potential clients.

But how do you find what your brand looks like and what language you need to use when posting on social media, write ups or blogs?

One major thing you want to remember when it comes to your brand’s language is that it has to be YOUR VOICE.

When digital marketing comes into play, making sure your text has a human element is key to connecting with your audience.  

If your text comes off programmed or cold, chances are no one is going to keep reading.

Let’s take a look at my own personal branding and how I pinpointed what fit right for me.

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH ALL THE LIGHTNING BOLTS SHANE? 

YOU KNOW WHAT’S FUNNY, BUT LIKE… NOT SO FUNNY?

When you are a great graphic designer that can pinpoint someone’s message, create a kick ass logo for them,

but when it comes to making your own you draw a blank.

I mean really brain, this the way it’s gonna be?

I’ve gone through at least 4 different logo designs since I started doing my own thing right out of college in 2004,

but none of them ever felt right.

It wasn’t until I was sitting in a meeting with Jay Ward, Bluz and Bree Stallings

(some fellow phenomenal poets and artists in Charlotte, NC)

when it hit me….

A lot… Like lightning.

WARNING FOR EVEN MORE IRONY…

 

So there we were, in a creative discussion when Jay Ward asks us

“What’s a memory that you can recall vividly?”

I knew exactly which memory I wanted to share.

RUN FOR COVER

When I was about 7 years old, some friends and I were running out of a swimming pool because it was starting to storm.

It was early evening…

The time of day where everything seems to glow.

The wind had a sweet smell and was cool across my skin.

I remember running with the towel over my head,

it was soft and wet, flapping behind me like a superhero cape.  

We were all giggling through the grass as the thunder boomed and rain began to spill from the sky.

“Ruuuuuuuunnnn!” A boy beside me yelled laughing.

Then… something incredible happened…

I WAS STRUCK

BY

LIGHTNING.

It skunked right down my backside.

Close enough to lift my body into the air.

Being young, I wasn’t old enough to be thinking

“Oh God, I could die!”

Instead...  

As my body was thrust up into the air in a static charged frazzle,

I could only think one thought…

“OH WOWWWWWW!!!! THIS IS AWESOME!!!”

Then, I landed back on my feet and kept running.

When we got to our safe base, a trailer in the campground,

we ate snacks and played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Super Nintendo (yes...I’m that old.. lol)

I NOTE IT AS ONE OF THE BEST DAYS OF MY ENTIRE LIFE.

What’s even wilder than being struck by lightning?

Bree Stallings said she was struck too… In a similar way. (There’s a poem in that, ha!)

WHEN EVERYTHING CAME TOGETHER

Not long after that meeting…

I was working on some branding for my own material when I had to ask myself

“What do I want my clients to feel?”

It hit me…

THAT.

I WANT THEM TO FEEL THAT.

STRUCK BY LIGHTING.

I want them to feel that complete and utter joy, wonder and amazement,

like being struck by lightning when everything connects,

lifted up in their own passion till it electrifies their toes.

I want them to say with a smile inside their chest that spreads from rib to rib

“WOW. THIS IS AWESOME!”

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR BRANDING…

You need to ask yourself

“What do I want my clients to feel?”

and incorporate every aspect of that into your wording, your images and your logo.

OK, BUT WHAT’S WITH THE LIGHT BULBS?

I LOVE LIGHTS. STREETLIGHTS. CAR LIGHTS. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS, HECK THE LIGHT AND LAMP DEPARTMENT IN LOWE’S…

It’s a thing of mine.

Growing up traveling, there were many nights spent driving from one state to another.

I would stare out the car window with a pillow against the door watching how the lights tanned the road in tiger stripes,

or the blue metal sheen of the tall slender ones that look like silver melted angels,

floating orbs above the street when the metal pole disappears into the dark.

I found magic looking in closed stores where fluorescent lights would make the building seem eerily beautiful and open for wonder.

In the night, light adds so much depth and shine to everything it touches.

I REALLY STRUGGLED WITH DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT I WOULD USE A LIGHT BULB IN MY LOGO.

Seemed a bit cliche, ya know “Eureka!” and all that.

But at the end of the day, I still loved lights,

and it still made sense.

If I help creatives find direction or the answers they need to overcome what has them stuck,

a light bulb and lighting just seems perfect together.

DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT

Even if you want to use a symbol in your logo that everyone has used before…

IF IT FEELS RIGHT, MAKE IT YOUR OWN.

It could actually work to your advantage if that symbol already has a meaning attached to it that is commonly recognized.

Don’t steer away from your message and what your unique talents are offering.

If it makes sense and it feels right, run with it.

DON’T FORGET THAT LOGOS EVOLVE

Major successful companies know when it’s time to update their logo, though they usually keep the same color scheme and concept.

Find out from popular sites what kind of styles are trending because they are going to be more accessible to your audience.

AND ALWAYS CONSIDER YOUR TARGET MARKET.

If you are looking to do something edgy,

but your target market is primarily stay at home grandmas…

Then an edgy design might not be the best approach.

Unless…

Your target market is grandma’s living wild in their golden years lol.

IF YOU’RE STILL STRUGGLING…

To figure out a brand that works best for you, or even what the message behind your brand could be,

don’t worry. 

It may take a while to “get struck” but lucky for you

I can help conjure the lightning bolt you need.

AS A CREATIVE COACH…

I CAN HELP YOU DISCOVER THE CONNECTION BETWEEN YOUR UNIQUE MESSAGE AND YOUR BRAND.

I have helped poets, artists and even other coaches get unstuck in their profession so they can start lighting up their business.

With over 19 years experience in the marketing field,

I can show you the steps you need to finally set up a brand that fits and get you in front of your audience.