On Branding: Your Art-Form, Your Self
by Rachel Pintarelli
Being a lifelong creative, I’ve always had a passion for championing the fictional tales in my mind by bringing them to the page. As a copywriter, I mirror this passion for my clients. I build the stories of who they are and what they do. And for each page I have filled with fiction, I have matched it, acting as a full-time professional wordsmith and storyteller for the past two years.
These two passions, the creative and the copywriting, often lived in separate rooms. Strangers to each other, although linked in every way. Eventually, I built a bridge from one plane of creativity to the other and transformed this one great love, writing, into a career.
But how?
Branding. Well, not just any branding, personal branding. I broke down the walls and combined the divided spaces in my heart and head with good ole fashion personal branding.
But what is that? Glad you asked.
By definition, personal branding is how you promote yourself and your services or product to the world. Your unique combination of skills, experience, and personality is woven together in every element of your communication, whether it is visual or the written word. It is how you present yourself to those you want to reach by telling your story day after day. Successful personal branding will differentiate you from those in your field, ensuring you are never lost in a sea of sameness. It allows you to build trust and familiarity with those that begin to follow along on your journey, eventually investing in what you create.
And that is what I did and continue to do. My creative day to day self no longer hides behind words like "authentic". I’ve escaped the cookie-cutter popular perfection of how to market oneself. Instead, I share my stories, the struggles, successes, random joys, and the mundane lows. A real me that is far from blemish-free. I do all of this in ADDITION to the work I love. The win here is that it has brought me, my tribe—those drawn to my energy and vibe, those I'm meant to serve.
As creatives, we are often told that the money will follow if we do what we love. That may be true, but not without work. Not without investing in the idea that people will want to know WHO it is behind the product or service offered. Yes, selling toothpaste and selling your artform may seem like two different things, and they are...but in the end, people want to connect to other people, not a product. Whether it is toothpaste or your latest short story, your audience will want to know WHO produced it and see if they connect to you, your brand, as a person.
As someone who has a magically diverse history as a creative and a marketing professional, bridging this gap came slightly easier for me. Fundamentally, to sell your art (whatever form that may be painting, words, sculptures, performance), you must incorporate yourself into the marketing piece of what it is you produce. You could be the most wicked of wordsmiths, but if you aren't promoting your work somehow, how will it ever be seen?
That is where brand comes in. The personal branding of self starts with putting yourself, not just the product, out into the world. It doesn't have to be an over-complicated process, but it does involve effort, a consistent and courageous effort that can deliver and pay off when committed to.
So how do you get started? Through sharing stories. These can be shared on your website via a blog or even just one really well done, really active social media platform (Instagram is a personal favorite).
Think about your who: Who inspires you? Who are your clients/customers?
Think about your what: What is it you do? What is it that drives you?
Think about your where: Where do you live? Where do you exist and roam as a creative?
Think about your why: Why did you begin? Why do you continue?
Think about your how: How did you begin? How do you continue on?
Free write your answers and then pull from this archive of stories each day and share them with the world. Asking yourself these questions acts as a catalyst for sharing yourself and what you offer as a creative.
It takes courage, but being brave in your brand will make all the difference in the world.
