Personal Branding: The Journey of Self Discovery

Next week I will be launching my new personal brand. With that will come my blog, that acts as a portfolio for both my fantasy fiction and my lifestyle journalism.

Finding my personal brand over the last few years has been a journey of self discovery. This journey is not much different then the journey most teenagers go through when they are finding out who they are, who they want to be, and what parts of themselves are influenced by their friends. To find my own personal brand, I had to figure out what parts of my brand were influenced by the blogs and the books that I read, and what parts uniquely belonged to me.

I admit to being a victim of envy. I always wanted to be as visually astounding and popular as Gala Darling, as neat and put together as Nubby Twiglet and as wise as Steve Pavlina. What I was envying in these people were not who they were as a person, but the persona they projected online–their own personal blog. In my attempts to become something I am not, I forgot to learn how to sell myself, something that Corrine of Frock and Roll blogged about yesterday in her article, “3 Ways to Get Your Business/Blog/Clownfish Named Remus Noticed in 2011.”

I am not a fashion blogger. I do not obsess over shoes. However I do like to write contemporary fairy tales for adults. I was also trained in journalism, and I enjoy writing articles about playing this game of life. I love writing book reviews and essays on literature. I honest to goodness believe faeries are real, and I’m a Wiccan. I want my personal brand to reflect the fact that I am a grounded girl whose mind is open to all kinds of magical possibilities. Basically, I am a walking contradiction (but who isn’t?) That’s what my personal brand is. Is it pretty and clean? Not sure. Should I think of a witty tagline? Probably. Will it attract readers? Only time will tell.

For more on personal branding, read Nubby Twiglet’s The Power of Personal Branding.

Feeling worn out by blogging (like I was), read Corrine’s article, How to Recover Your Blogging Mojo on Yes and Yes.