“Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”—Jeff Bezos
THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE KNOWN FOR
The creators you admire have more to them than the boxes you place them in. There are more sides to Shakespeare than playwrights, Steve Jobs than technological innovations, and Walt Disney than Mickey Mouse. Often, these remarkable creative geniuses possess a wide range of skills, experiences, and passions that go beyond the realms of their most famous accomplishments. The deeper I researched their lives, the more multifaceted they became.
Unfortunately, they’re not commonly known for their personal lives. They’re known for their quotes, creations, and ideologies. These contributions encompass their personal brands. It’s an uncomfortable truth creators face when going down their path to success. Their life and personality have so many facets, yet there are only a few things that people know them for. Most times, it’s difficult even to count all the things they’re known for on one hand.
Living with this fact is tough, but harnessing it can be helpful. If you know that everybody you meet will label you with three things, control what those things are. If you do this effectively, you will orchestrate a powerful personal brand.
CREATING A LASTING IMPRESSION IN A COMPETITIVE WORLD
In today’s increasingly competitive world, establishing and maintaining a personal brand is more important than ever. Since every human is creative, every creative industry is saturated with creators trying to make a name for themselves. That’s why you shouldn’t try to be everything to everybody. Your brand is the culmination of all the core things you want to be known for that will help you stand out from the crowd.
A personal brand is a simple, concise way of communicating who you are and what you stand for, making it easier for others to recognize and remember you. At its core, your personal brand should be a single, powerful sentence that encapsulates your identity, your style, your target audience, and the message you want to convey.
What’s the core sentence people say when they share your creations? It can’t be a long list of things. You have to earn that by building a long-term relationship with your fans. At the beginning of your journey, it’s best to choose a simplified identity that embodies who you are. What’s your name? Is it your real name or an alias, because it shouldn’t be both? What style of art, music, or dance do you create? If it’s a unique style, name it. Who is your target audience? Don’t say “everybody.” Is it heartbroken teenage girls, or is it middle-aged men seeking motivation? Whoever it is, narrow it down to a clear group of people. What’s the message you’re sending to this group of people? Okay, now take your message, and tweak it until it’s one powerful sentence. These answers will help you craft a simplified identity that accurately represents who you are and what you do.