Wait! Don’t click away, creatives. You may think a brand in the traditional sense isn’t for you. And you’re right (sort of). You’re a person, not some corporate entity, right? But if you think you don’t have to worry about your brand as a professional artist, I’ve got news for you: it already exists.
When you share your art, people perceive it (and you) based on the information they have. But are those people getting the full picture? Is it what you want them to see? And most importantly: do you feel good about how you’re presenting yourself?
Finding authentic expression is just one benefit of building a brand on your beliefs. When done right, your brand can act as your moral compass that informs every aspect of your creative life, including making important decisions.
So roll up your sleeves and join me for an excavation to discover self expression that feels great and aligns everything you do with who you are.
Brand Begins with Belief: The Worksheet
Use this worksheet to define your beliefs and build your brand.
Download the WorksheetDefine Your Beliefs
It would be rude to throw you into the pits of self-discovery without some tools to help you unearth those difficult-to-define values. Use this framework with Exercise 1 to begin putting into words the intangibles that make you (and your artwork) so amazing.
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1
Reflect on Your Creative Origins
To start uncovering your values and explain how they guide your life and your artistic practice, you need to take a trip down memory lane. Linking your artistic pursuits back to the vivid, personal stories of your past is an exercise in remembering why you’re unique as a person and an artist.
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2
Identify Your Emotional Drivers
Gut reactions are big clues that point to values. When you feel something strongly (annoyed, fired up, or protective) that’s a sign that you care. The trick is to pay attention: notice when those feelings pop up and ask yourself why. Those underlying reasons are telling you something about yourself.
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3
Extract Your Underlying Belief Statements
At this point, you’re going to start noticing some patterns that can be turned into belief statements. Beliefs are stronger when stated this way because they’re not tentative ideas, but firm and non-negotiable convictions. Here are a few examples for inspiration:
- “Art should make people feel less alone.”
- “Creative work should challenge comfortable narratives.”
- “Craft and patience matter in a world that moves fast.”
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4
Distill Your Core Values
The final step is to distill everything down to a set of three to five core values. These words should be an ethical foundation that informs every decision you make about art, your practice, and the construction of your brand. Here are a few examples for inspiration:
- Respect for nature
- Cultural memory
- Playfulness
Be Discerning
This phase of the process is not just the exercise of looking inward, but considering what should be shared outwardly. That means considering who is going to see it.
Prioritize the Essentials
Just like any first impression, you can’t possibly present everything at once. And you may not want to either.
When narrowing down to the essentials, be sure to ask why. Why is it important to put that value first? Which values will resonate the most with your audience? Why?
By looking at your values from an external perspective, you may notice some interesting shifts in what to put first.
Build Your Brand
By now Exercise 1 is full of ah-ha moments, personal stories, bold belief statements, and essential core values. You’ve unearthed content gold. It’s tempting to jump straight to sharing.
But hold that thought. Remember, your brand is more than your social media posts or a blurb on your portfolio. The next step is to create a framework that will support everything you put out into the world. Creating continuity comes from being thoughtful about how you go about applying the brand
Use this framework with Exercise 2 to build an external expression of your deeply-held beliefs.
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1
Describe Your Brand Personality
Adjectives are going to be your best friend for figuring out how your beliefs can show up in how you present yourself. The good news is that you’re not starting from scratch.
Using Exercise 1, you can identify keywords that feel like good candidates. These words are your starting point for building a distinct, authentic brand voice and tone.
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2
Define Your Brand Voice
Knowing what to say is one thing, but how you say it matters too. Your brand voice is a collection of adjectives that describe how you speak or write. When used effectively, brand voice should help set some rules for how to go about crafting messaging.
For example, a brand voice that is “punchy,” “concise,” or “casual” could mean:
- Using everyday language; avoiding jargon
- Using short sentences, speaking directly to the reader; avoiding being long-winded
- Using lots of punctuation; playing with formatting
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3
Define Your Brand Tone
Figuring out what visuals to choose to represent yourself is just another exercise in assigning adjectives a job. Your brand tone is a group of descriptive words that help you choose visuals that are aligned with your beliefs and identity.
For example, a brand tone that is “bold,” “funky,” or “gritty” could mean:
- Using warm colors rooted in orange and reds, avoiding pastel or light hues, chunky fonts, groovy serif fonts
- Using layered stylized photos with light flare filters, flower pattern backgrounds
- Using lots of individual elements together to create a scrapbook feel with high-contrast “sticker” elements for callouts
Make It Real
Who is going to actually start creating those visuals and writing that website copy? You don’t have to do it alone.
Outsource Brand Work Using Your Guidelines
Having clear, documented brand guidelines makes it a breeze to work with a professional to bring your brand to life. Your designer or copywriter is going to be thrilled to have so much direction up front!
Not only will it help them hit the ground running, brand guidelines will also streamline the review process. When you’re reviewing the materials they create for you, you’ll be able to clearly communicate exactly why something does or does not align with your brand vision.
Live Your Brand
There are a lot of different ways that your brand can show up in the world: your website, social media, your event materials, and even how you dress. This step may have felt overwhelming in the past, but now you have something to guide you.
When you finish the worksheet, you’ll have more than just words on a page. You’ll have articulated who you are and what you believe. You’ll have a framework for how to present yourself in a way that rings true in the best way. And best of all, you’ll understand why.
After doing this deep work, you can trust yourself because you know yourself. Because your beliefs will be the beacon lighting the way.
Brand Begins with Belief: The Office Hour
Join our office hour with Emma Tuftin on Tuesday, May 26 at 3:00 pm CT to access brand guidance tailored to your creative practice and context in a small-group session.
