Brand 'Me'...

I am all too aware that a majority of my friends, and indeed possibly people reading this blog, are in some way connected to the arts. I myself am deeply involved and have been steeping within for a good ten years now (yes, seriously, it's flown by). I have always been at odds with the arts world as my education presented it as a colourful, vibrant world full of psychology, philosophy, lesbians and thespians yet my corporate experience showed me that, to be a success, one needs to pull focus to ones specific useful niche within a larger context. It's all very clear and simple, however I have never felt that those in the arts really 'got' that, and so end up a little damp and miserable, left out in the proverbial cold.

I spent years trying to pull myself into focus and present myself as a 'brand', something those in the marketing world will understand much better than I. It is a means of selling yourself and showing others that you fit into a nice little space in their psyche. If I ran into a room dressed in a top hat, stilettos, a tight skirt and a puffer jacket screaming 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem', I would probably be escorted from the premises rather quickly, however if I enter that same room in a sharp suit, slick haircut and muttering updates on my next exciting film project, I'm more likely to attract the right kind of attention (and possibly remain in the building).

After weighing up the decisions of how to present myself, I am still shaping it, however I have a far better understanding of myself as a result. I now know I am an avid and able writer. I now know I am extremely good at what I do. I know I don't take criticism well and I know where I want to be (and what I want to be doing) in a years time. It's all still me, but a clearer, less messy me. A me I can package and mass produce.

All in all, Brand 'Me' isn't just about getting the right kind of attention (although it helps hugely), it's about defining yourself on a professional and personal level which will then show through far clearer. Perhaps I'm writing this to further refine my own perceptions of myself, but even if I am, hopefully, it might help someone else. Someone in the arts perhaps. Someone who knows they are more than an actor, writer, producer, dancer or singer but just can't put their finger on why.

Just for the record, a top hat, stilettos, a puffer jacket and a tight skirt isn't a good look. Not that I've tried. Ahem.