I am not a fan of the terms “branding” or “building a personal brand” but it is the best way to describe “putting out a consistent message.” At the beginning of the year, I made some goals, one of which was to create a more cohesive online brand.
Right now I am scattered around, creatively, in many corners. Too many to keep cobweb-free, and some of which are underused or unused.
I got slightly sidetracked on Friday and pondered making an author page for myself on Facebook but then wondered if I should instead blend it with my underused Creative Miscellany page.
As I waffled, Kim helpfully pointed out, “Depends on what you are trying to do.” That comment made me realize that I didn’t know why I was so compelled to build an author page — it just seemed important.
Further reflection brought me back around to my goal of wanting a more cohesive online brand but I still have to answer some questions, the most basic of which is,
Who is Cheryl DeWolfe?
My super short Twitter bio says:
Wears many hats in Victoria, BC: library worker, writer, crafter, photographer, gardener, media addict, parent & spouse. Half of Those DeWolfes Creative.
My author bio* says:
Cheryl DeWolfe’s writing explores themes at the edges of the norm, from the very dark to the very silly. She has honed her skills through a constant stream of haiku and media reviews in between longer works.
A regular author at Life as a Human, her articles reflect her curiosity about human behavior. She is currently working on an urban haiku collection, a young adult novel, and a social media guide.
Cheryl lives in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada) where she is an avid creator and consumer of media who also appreciates the raw nature of the Pacific Ocean and the coastal rainforest.
My artist/crafter bio says:
Hello, my name is Cheryl DeWolfe, and I am a crafter. I have been a crafter since I was very young — my parents actually replaced the carpet in my bedroom with linoleum after one too many glue-and-glitter incidents.
I have dabbled in all manner of arts and crafts and have never really settled on one medium hence the name “Creative Miscellany.” Among the miscellany you are likely to find art cards, plush toys, baby hats, finger puppets, books, calendars, papercrafts, and jewelry.
I try, wherever possible, to incorporate castoffs and junk into my creations so the materials I use constantly vary. I also prefer to do my own thing rather than follow patterns or instructions which means that most of my creations are one-of-a-kind (OOAK).
I live in Victoria, British Columbia which provides plenty of inspiration — I have a very deep connection to the West Coast rainforest and the Pacific Ocean. My husband and daughter are equally creative so there is always some sort of random act of crafting going on under our roof.
There are, as you can see, some similarities but my crafty bio is far wordier (I do have a wordier author bio, too, but I prefer the 100-word version) and my Twitter bio is all over the map (which works for Twitter). Oh, and there’s my about-me section on my personal site too… which is yet another iteration.
The next question: Is my author brand significantly different from my artist/crafter/creator brand? I don’t think it is. In both cases, I work in many mediums and often (as with my Coffee Haiku and Haiku Miscellany books) my author and artist brands are fully blended.
If I do blend them… how can I do that smoothly and without confusing people? Do I need to rebrand Creative Miscellany altogether? I’d prefer not to because I really like that name (though technically it only exists as an arm of Those DeWolfes Creative).
Whether I blend or not, I still have other questions to answer: do I have a mission statement? Do I need one? What are my values? My vision? Why should people follow me or want to buy what I have created? Do I need a full-on business plan for my creative efforts? (Probably, yes — it might at least focus my efforts.) Where does my personal creative work fit inside Those DeWolfes Creative? I might need a flip chart for all this thinking and it is going to take time. I’ll check-in again in a few days.
In the meantime, if you have an opinion or can point to a helpful resource, I’d truly appreciate the input.
*This is the author bio I wrote for Sanitarium Magazine and the one I have used in the back of books most recently. Once I sort all this out, I will update my Amazon author page, too.