Branding is a permanent scarring. A burning of hair and flesh. It is a sign of ownership. It turns an animal into an object, and sometimes even a product. I grew up around livestock. This was the only kind of branding I was aware of in the 80’s. At least consciously.
As a child in that pre-internet era, I was unconsciously persuaded by an endless array of psychological branding. Branding via advertisements advised me what toothpaste to use, what toys to buy, what cereal to eat, what cartoons to watch. Fortunately I was but a child, and had no fortune to squander on the temptations of the material world.
Check out this fun little article by VistaPrint: “The history of branding (and what it can teach us)”. You’ll surely identify certain connections to your own patterns of development.
As for me, I matured into a consumer of branded goods. I grew into a seller of internationally sourced products and foods. I studied a particular brand of writing. As I became more aware of what a brand is, in terms of logo and features, I lost my apprehension for the brutal and irritating forms of branding that had haunted me in my youth. I learned to see branding in a whole new light when I found out that everyone has a brand of their very own, as indicated through the way they choose to express their identity.
I recently read a short story, “Speech Sounds”, by the revolutionary author, Ocavia Butler. Here she ushers her readers into a post-apocalyptic world where people are afflicted with a contagion that causes them to either lose their ability to read or their ability to write. Children are immune (maybe because they are so natural and intuitive). Due to the affliction, adults who are surviving this intense world have determined that the way to express who they are instead of sharing a name, is to wear a symbol on their person. Each bears a necklace that reveals the symbol of who they are.
I am a writer, dreamer, musician, creator, nurturer and nature-er. My medallion would feature piano keys surrounded by ferns. What brand of person are you? What would your symbol be?
Take 5 minutes to free-write some ideas. Who are you?
Hold your symbol closely. Imagine it is sitting in your palm. You are looking down at it. What do you see? When you let it go, it falls to hang from its cord, somewhere close to your heart.
The wonderful thing about distilling your very existence into a medallion is that you have to be simple. You can’t share every little detail of your life story. You select any facet of yourself, any era of your life to hone in on. This could eliminate the less pleasant elements. Maybe you learned from some experience or phase in your life, but see it now as a former stepping stone rather than a part of your present-day story. You get to choose!
How would you market yourself to persuade people to talk to you, to consider you, to trust you, to purchase your wares or services? Here is a very insightful piece about branding in marketing, coming to you from Allie Decker at Hubspot: “What is branding? Understanding its importance in 2024”. Comb through the chapters and graphs, and see what shines for you today.
With all the modern technology waiting to serve us, it is easy to access brand-creation tools. You can design a symbol for yourself in a matter of minutes. You don’t even need to be a welder. Your medallion could be a virtual one—a digital one—rather than the sort worn by characters in an ancient or post-apocalyptic story.
The ultimate question is: What do you want people to know about you at first glance?
Branding in terms of identity is both limiting and liberating. However, brands can change over time. If you want, you can invent a whole new brand for yourself. You evolve over time. It makes sense your brand does too.
Amanda Chatham put out a helpful article on the WIXblog last year: “Your complete guide to social media branding (and 13 expert tips)”. Think about the way you present yourself to the world, and then think about the way you have shifted over time. Have there been eras, trends, or even complete transformations?
It’s important to be certain before making a brand change. Sometimes we are in the very midst of developing afresh. We could come off as wishy-washy or unreliable if we change our public brand constantly. Take plenty of time to ponder. It’s no rush. Better to make a good choice than to make a fast choice and then keep revising it over and over.
In order to create your unique personal brand, you should feel good about the way you express yourself. Also, you should express yourself authentically.
How can you express yourself? How do you access your creative side?
According to MasterClass, you need some time to yourself—some uninterrupted time to think your own thoughts. Read more about self-expression in the MasterClass wellness article: “Self-expression examples and tips: How to express yourself”.
I also believe that you can get a clearer sense of who you are by moving into new spaces, to experience how you feel and what you retain despite your surroundings. You can become desensitized by the familiar and the mundane. Something new can be a refreshing wake up. Immersing in the unfamiliar, you will most likely grasp tightly to the one thing that is familiar—yourself. You might re-discover parts of yourself that you had forgotten about.
Notice who you are with your family and who you are with your friends. Where are there overlaps? What elements of you are common across all fields? These are most likely the genuine elements of the brand that is you.
You might be closer to realizing your own personal brand than you even fathomed. Or you might be on the path to awakening a new brand. The fact of the matter is, and cliché as it may be, you’ve got to look within in order to find yourself. Listen to your corazón. The answers will come. And you will be enlightened from the inside out!
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