When I first started my business I was told how to start a business and how to run a business. One of the first things I discovered was that I needed to set myself apart. I took several webinar courses on branding:
- Branding is key – It is important to stand out, particularly from those who sell the same types of things that I do.
- Find your colors – I needed to limit my color palette to something that blended well together, but didn’t deter others or blend in too much.
- Be consistent – It is best to post very regularly, and to keep posting, especially at the beginning. Sometimes people needed to see something twenty times before they actually clicked on my product.
While all of this is really good—and has helped me immensely to shore up how I present myself—over the last several months I have found it best to lean into my creativity, even when it comes to sharing my brand.
What I don’t do:
- I don’t always match the exact color
- I don’t stick to the same font
- I don’t include enough “solid” graphics
- I don’t have just an art platform or just a writing platform
And this is perfect for me! I have learned that by sharing my creative ideas, I can better express my personality and all the rest shines through. I’ve found simpler ways that work for me to meet the brand side while still digging into my creative side!
>>My posts are more professional, but don’t nag for others to buy.
>>I include my own work process while still matching my four brand colors.
>>I am enthusiastic in how I present stuff, and it means that sometimes my presentation is going to be messy.
As I show my real life, I hope to encourage those who think, I wish I could do that, and show them a way that is possible. Lots of effort? Yes! But have I tailored it to how I can best work and still achieve the professionalism that I want? Yes. Do I have more to learn? Absolutely! But as I was reminded in my business book refresher, if I get something wrong, it means I’m on my way to learning something new. I want to ALWAYS be learning!
My Favorite Business Go-tos:
Canva for branding and social media setup
Edits for stringing together videos quickly
SCRL for creating cute, professional-looking collages
Meta Business Suite for scheduling my social media
Bonnie Christine for teaching me how to be smart and creative in my art
Pinterest for growing the eyeballs on my creativity
Procreate for allowing me to be creative and to jump from device to device easily.
Spoonflower for expanding my surface pattern designs
Adobe Illustrator for finalizing surface pattern designs, logos, and book illustrations
Pushing ahead,
Hannah Marie.