I Am Not A Brand

I started this blog as a way to connect to people but to be truthful the main reason was that when I finally get published (which I will do some day) I would have a place where I could plug my work so you, my readers who have followed me for so long, will buy it.  I'm not saying I won't do that - in fact, I can guarantee that I will be doing it when the time comes.

But I now realise that I got it wrong.  I was trying to brand myself - I was selling myself and therefore tried to put myself in a little box.  When this first occurred to me I decided to start my other blog so that I could show myself for who I really am - a person.  But it is only in the past week, since I have started doing The Creativity Boot Camp that I have come to realise that there is so much more to the internet, and to myself.  I am discovering community and while I haven't made any friends yet, I know I have found supportive and inspiring people who I want to connect with.  I don't want to sell them anything, especially not myself.  I want to learn who I am through them.

And today I read this Manifesto by Maureen Johnson.  Here is a little of what she says but I strongly recommend you read the whole thing - you will realise that you are not a brand, that you deserve to be not only the best of yourself but just yourself especially in places such as the internet.

"The internet is made of people. People matter. This includes you. Stop trying to sell everything about yourself to everyone. Don’t just hammer away and repeat and talk at people—talk TO people. It’s organic. Make stuff for the internet that matters to you, even if it seems stupid. Do it because it’s good and feels important. Put up more cat pictures. Make more songs. Show your doodles. Give things away and take things that are free. Look at what other people are doing, not to compete, imitate, or compare . . . but because you enjoy looking at the things other people make. Don’t shove yourself into that tiny, airless box called a brand—tiny, airless boxes are for trinkets and dead people."

 I am proud to admit that I am not a brand.  I am myself.  I am a person.  And I deserve to be treated as such and so do you.  So I am going to be working on not putting myself in a little box but being myself and I hope that in doing so I will be able to inspire others and use my potential at the same time as proving that I don't have to be just one thing, and neither do you.