Branding for Creatives + Creators (build brand like crazy)
You do not create your personal brand, you share it. Your creative brand already exists — it’s who you are, naturally. By trying to “create” or craft it, you end up distorting it.
This is where great branding for creatives starts: focus on the work, not the brand.
My whole thesis for personal branding (and good content) is aim to be punk.
Punk was a reaction to (and a fight against) overly polished, elaborate music, as if to bring back the human element, with unfiltered rawness and authenticity.
This is a great freaking strategy.
Because I am human and this is solo branding. I’m messy and spontaneous, and I refuse to wear a suit dictating how I do things.
Branding should be fun — a great creative act that feels natural, aligned and intuitive.
Modern creatorship — artsy branding — is punk. So just do you.
What Is Creative Branding?
Creative branding is the act of sharing your ideas, craft and creations online — resulting in a public identity and reputation.
It’s the vibe you give off. It’s your reputation, skills, expertise and personality — it’s you. The goal with creative branding (with any branding) is to become known for what makes you you.
It’s like “regular” branding, but for individuals — no corporate BS here. Personal branding takes into account the unique goals, values, lifestyle and challenges that creatives face.
Creative branding is for:
Artists
Authors
Musicians
Art galleries
Dance studios
Fashion brands
Content creators
Bloggers and writers
Crafters
Anyone doing creative work
Explore more:
➤ How to Succeed as a Creator
Branding for Creatives (the benefits)
Claim your style and epic uniqueness
Get more fans
Credibility, trust and authority
Differentiate and stand out
Clarify your artist identity
You cannot be copied
Boost confidence
Be more findable
Be memorable
It’s good fun
Elements of A Creative Brand
I am many things, all layered on top of each other.
You
You are the brand. Even if you’re anonymous or using an alter ego, there’s an element of you involved.
So infuse your story, voice, values, passions and experiences into your brand. Because the world doesn’t need another copy. It needs you.
Your Journey
Story is everything. It’s what makes your brand memorable and unique.
Even if you’re just starting out, you have a unique experience to share. Successful creative brands usually have a story people can follow or connect with.
So share your journey — even especially the awkward and real parts.
Explore more:
➤ Creatorship = The Hero’s Journey
Your Thing
Your thing is your craft — your art.
This is the creative asset that people can hear, see, watch, buy or consume in some way. If you’re a painter, this could be your artwork. If you’re a musician, it’s your music. And if you’re a writer, it’s your blog or your books.
So what’s your thing?
Your Look
Your look is your visual identity — your aesthetic. It’s the external image you have and includes things like your brand colors, fonts and individual style.
It’s one of the first things people notice about you and often what first comes to mind when they think about you. So it’s important (but also fun).
I talk more about building visual identity just below.
Explore more:
➤ Fashion + Creativity
Your Assets
Your personal brand needs assets and a digital nome. This includes your social media account, content, products, email list and website.
I talk more about setting this part of your brand up in step 5 below.
Kick-Ass Personal Branding for Creatives (8 real tips)
1. Never Try to be Perfect
“Perfect” is the most unrelatable, unremarkable and uncreative thing you could possibly do. So don’t try to do that.
“Perfect” strips away the very thing that makes you authentic — the thing that is brand.
The thing that people actually want —the story, your quirks and all the beautiful messy stuff in between.
So throw away your templates and cravings for a polished look. Disrupt and stumble with a freaking smile. Remember, this is punk.
This is your story — no one else’s. No algorithm can measure you.
Never try to be perfect.
2. Stop Caring About Your Brand
This is the secret sauce. Stop caring so dang much about your brand, and start caring about your creative work instead.
I shared my thesis in the intro. Branding and content is punk and you do not create your personal brand, you simply share it.
Your branding exists, naturally. So the more you try to “create” it, the more you try to control it, eventually distorting it — to fit into some mold or notion of what you think you should be or represent.
What a travesty!
So the best path to honest creative branding is to not focus on the branding itself and instead focus on the creative work.
Your work tells the best story. Your colors, tone and mission can shine through later. You don’t need to do much more.
The rest of the tips in this post are more practical. But just keep these first two ideas top of mind.
3. Know (own) Thyself
Your creative brand starts with self awareness and knowing what makes you epic. Nobody wants a polished filtered version of you.
Besides, a creative brand that’s not truly you would be a sh*tty and hard journey. You’ll quit. Your personal brand should feel effortless and fully represent your lifestyle, personality, quirks, goals and passions.
After all, people want you, not someone else. All of your little nuances, fears, vulnerabilities, mistakes and weaknesses hold power.
Authenticity is the ‘you-ness’ that makes you a memorable and successful creative brand.
This is how to succeed as a creator. So here are some ways to know thyself (and totally own it):
Meditate more
Follow your intuitive pulls
How do you want to be seen?
What are your guilty pleasures?
What are your personality traits?
Identify your quirks — own your quirks
How do you act alone when no one is around?
What would you do without the pressure of money or metrics?
4. Define Your Visual Identity
Your visual identity is often the first thing people see or think of. So let’s make it good real.
While your creative assets are still what matter most, your image is a powerful thing too (luckily, it’s also creative). Fashion and creativity are great friends.
Your visual identity is made up of things like:
You logo
Your packaging
The font you use
Your editing style
Your brand colors
Your tone of voice
The images you use
Your fashion or “look”
For example, my images use a lot of layering and a mixture of script and block fonts. This is inspired by my sketchy-painting style, a chaotic brain and my pop-punk roots.
I also use a lot of deep greens and aqua blues and write with a casual tone. They’re my faves.
My personal style is what my personality and lifestyle looks like — inspired by music, travel, art, snowboarding and urban-indie fashion.
So, what’s your visual identity?
5. Create + Share
Even if you get everything in this post perfect, nobody will discover your personal brand if you’re not actually creating content and sharing it.
Creative branding requires creation — online assets for people to consume.
You need to make stuff and share your projects on social platforms or with Google (using SEO).
My absolute must-haves for growing a modern creative brand online include:
A website — I use Squarespace
A social media account — wherever you’re the most authentic
When you have a social media account, a website and content, you can build actual authority and trust in your niche. This segues perfectly into exiting opportunities like:
Collaborations
Brand partnerships
Traffic and fan growth
Reputation and recognition
Selling products, services and merch
So if you haven’t yet, launch that brand-specific social account and build your personal website.
You won’t regret it (plus it’s creative and fun).
Explore more:
➤ Vlogging / Blogging /Social Media
6. Let People Feel Your Brand
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
I think the most memorable creative brands are all just really good at emotional branding.
Because good branding is about the emotion you create in people.
Emotions support your story and make things more memorable. So how do you want people to feel when they think of you or see you?
And more practically, how do you actually infuse emotion into your creative brand? Here’s what I like to do:
Share your story
Be real — be human
Be your authentic self
Use original images / video
Speak, write and act with emotion
Know your audience and speak directly to them
Have a strong mission people can attach or relate to
And remember, a raw, unedited, imperfect phone recording probably builds more trust and brand than a polished, studio-recorded AI video.
Build relationships and real emotional connections. It’s intangible magic.
7. Be Consistent
Your creative brand should be easily recognizable regardless of the platform or piece of content.
Successful branding is consistent.
So after getting clear about your visual identity and story, stick to that script. Don’t veer off course too far, since it can confuse people (and you).
But don’t be afraid to test new things or evolve either. This is human. This is punk.
It’s all about intention and getting ever closer to your fullest and most authentic self.
But if your colors are bright yellow and dark blue, keep that same vibe in your content, accounts and assets. Consistency builds brand.
8. Play the Long Game
Establishing your creative brand takes time. So stay patient and play the long game.
Think in years — not in months.
Ignore the click-worthy YouTube titles that promise rapid results.
Because they forget to tell you just how long it actually takes to become an overnight success. Image and reputation take a long time to establish.
Brand is what happens when you keep showing up as you and adding awesome value.
This is part of why I love personal blogging. It’s a sustainable strategy and the content has a super long shelf life.
But remember, if your personal branding is a true reflection of you and your life, then it should be easy. So playing the long game is simply remembering to share it — to share you — with all of us.
Later ✌️
Creative branding is your reputation and visual identity. It’s how people feel when they see you or think about you.
I see creative branding as being punk and something that you share (not create).
Still, clarifying your visual identity and infusing emotional elements into your stuff helps a lot too. But just remember to stay patient and think in years.
Learn to love the ride. Be an explorer. Make a mess and test with curiosity.
Building your creative brand is a great creative act — so enjoy it, get weird and have some freaking fun.
