You’ve probably heard of people discussing their personal brand. Is it true that only solopreneurs or social media influencers may require it because of the nature of their work. Why should you “brand” yourself if you’re not running a business based on your personality? Isn’t your resumé or portfolio sufficient?

LET’S TALK ABOUT PERSONAL BRANDING.

As a youth pursuing a side hustle, you’re already busy balancing work/school and personal life while trying to focus on what you love and improving your craft. The thought of marketing yourself can feel icky, especially if you’ve never thought about it or done it before.

Forget about traditional marketing as the products that brands sell. Did you know you can create a brand for yourself too, and promote You? Marketing yourself is an essential part of running a side gig. Otherwise, how will people know who you are, what you do, and that you are the answer to their creative needs?

Spreading the word about yourself doesn’t have to be complicated.

via GIPHY

READY TO LEVEL UP? 

Armed with the success checklist below, you can communicate what you have to offer and take your passion to the next level: (What are the ways to embark on personal branding? Here are some points to fire up your brain juices:) 

1. Having a strong foundation. In this process, you should have the following:
   • Values 
     • How do you know what your personal values are? While we don’t have them written down, over the years, you’ve likely made choices to prioritise what you find important in your life. For example, if freedom is important to you, you may prioritise projects that showcase your interpretation of the theme. 
   • Interests
     • As creatives, you’re eager to market your product or service to everyone. Unfortunately marketing to everyone means marketing to no one. You’re not a department store. To kick start and grow your business, try narrowing and testing your focus to stand out! You might just quickly become the go-to person within a niche by setting yourself apart from others.
   • Purpose
     • Whether we know it or not, we each have a WHY or career purpose. Don’t know what yours is? Don’t worry – you’re not alone.
     • “Purpose” can be explained in many ways. For us, it’s about the reason that makes us wake up in the morning, what gives meaning to our life.  It can look completely different for your coworkers, friends and family. 
     • Here are some examples:
       • I plan on creating music that empowers people as I want to inspire people to love themselves more.
       • I want a safe home environment for my children to be themselves so as to build loving and supportive family members.
       • I strive for my research to make a difference in the field by making groundbreaking discoveries so that more lives can be saved. 
     • It’s time to put pen to paper (or fingers on your keyboard)! To craft your life purpose, ask yourself these questions:
       • Over the past week, which moments gave you feelings of deep satisfaction?
       • In the last six months, when did you feel most alive? What were you doing?
       • How would you spend your days being fulfilled if you never had to work again?

Vocalist and Songwriter, Ms Lou, shares her journey that included her values, interests and purpose with the participants of the *SCAPE Career Studio: Choose Your Own Adventure series

• Build your audience / Be social

We’re sure you’ve heard that social media is a fantastic way to build your personal brand. So you’re starting from zero. What’s the first step?

Being social is just that – it’s social. You can post content endlessly, but you’ll struggle to build your brand if you don’t interact with your followers.

Dedicate 15 minutes of your time every day to be active and engaged within the community. On top of following creatives that inspire you, head over to similar accounts, give a like or converse in the comments. 

It doesn’t stop here. 

With the accounts you’ve identified, research what makes them successful. What type of content are they posting? What do their fans like to see the most? If memes garner thousands of likes, you can conclude that people within your niche resonate with being silly. 

Now that you’re equipped with the basics, remember to be consistent. Even though it feels like you’re posting for no one, eventually, your fans will grow to expect your content. Capitalise on these early days to avoid the chances of them stop engaging or unfollowing you.

Let’s leave you with this: social media IS a grind.

It’s tempting to think of thousands of accounts popping and gaining a huge following overnight without putting in the same effort as you. Spend your time creating genuine content and your fans will come <3

Author, Suffian Hakim, encourages participants to use their creative flair to introduce themselves. This is the first step to knowing yourself and sharing relevant content from your inner world to build your tribe.

• Buffing up your portfolio

When it comes to presenting your creative talent, nothing can beat a portfolio that impresses and makes an impact. A resume may look like a good alternative but portfolios go beyond a dull summary of where you’ve worked and what you’ve done. Consider it as an online brag sheet that grows with you throughout your career. The bonus? Portfolios let you show and not just tell your work to potential clients.

That said, if the presentation is underwhelming, it’ll garner yawns instead of wows.

Make the first few seconds count so dazzle visitors to your digital portfolio with the achievement you’re most proud of. To keep your brand in mind long after they’ve navigated your site, feature your second best work towards the end.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.

Just How Do You Brand Yourself For A Creative Career Path? Creators Weigh-In.

Starting something new can make anyone feel nervous.

These creators have been there and done that.

Read on as author and screenwriter, Suffian Hakim, artist and founder Kelly Ser and vintage vocalist and songwriter, Miss Lou share their insights (and I’m memorising all of them):

In Ms Lou’s Choose Your Own Adventure Masterclass, budding songwriters, ended up writing (at least) a chorus of an original song with her guidance!

Blending vintage vocal stylings with modern sensibilities, Ms Lou, is a vocalist and songwriter who uses her music to spark conversations that matter from body confidence to self-esteem and independence. She takes inspiration from her work on why personal branding is important to everyone (and not only those in the creative field!)

Miss Lou: Finding a niche is very important. Initially, I said yes to every opportunity, all the cover gigs, and yes to singing anybody’s song. But I realised it’s the same when you start forming your own identity. No, I will not do certain pieces about things I don’t believe in. I will not do certain gigs where I don’t get paid enough or it’s not the right target audience I want to perform to. It’s the same no when you realise this is what I stand for because you’ll fall for everything if you don’t stand for anything.

Singaporean artist Kelly Ser’s use of bold and experimental kaleidoscopic colours and purposeful creation of tactile textures make her artwork recognisable. With her experience, she shares tips on how to brand yourself.

Kelly Ser: Although digital marketing is at its core, engaging with your audience physically through networking is important. You shouldn’t look at marketing as something in the digital realm only. Personal engagement and hi-touch points are also something to be mindful of.

From Kelly’s Instagram, you can see she showcases both her online and offline engagement 

Source: https://www.instagram.com/kellyseratelier/?hl=en

Best known for his novel, Harris Bin Potter and the Stoned Philosopher, author, Suffian Hakim’s work is heavily influenced by the experiences of living in Singapore’s HDB heartlands. When it comes to mastering who you are as a creative, we rarely see what went into getting there. His journey wasn’t easy but he emphasises it pays to be consistent.

Suffian Hakim: Even when you’ve hit the wall, never stop creating more creative stuff and be true to yourself. Owning your personal truths and embracing them was what drove me. I wasn’t as sharp or sophisticated a writer as most writers. This is who I am compared to other writers, and embracing that. I did well with writing humour. So I went full in on that. I remember writing parody after parody, finding the disconnect between western pop and Singaporean cultures. I wrote stories like Little Red Riding Tudung, and Three Shades of Brown instead of 50 Shades of Gray. And ultimately, the parody of Harry Potter went viral; I started getting invites; I had people from publishing companies, self-publishing companies, or platforms that invited me to start a campaign with them.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney.

See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

Keen to explore your creative interests as career options? Want to learn more about branding yourself to break into the creative/non-conventional careers market? Check out *SCAPE Career Studio, where they do just that to figure out what’s next!