Hey team,
I’ve seen a few new subscribers join - welcome! I’m humbled and grateful to have you. I want to be helpful, so let me know how the content lands and if it’s useful. My mission is to create a space for openness, connection and conversation - I’m always keen to hear feedback so please send me a message if you have thoughts :)
This week’s word is “evolve”.
Let’s get stuck in!
Tish xx
The brand marketing bit
I chat to clients frequently about evolving as a brand. When we build a brand we build brand guidelines. These serve as the foundation of who you are. They are the standards and rules an organisation uses to maintain brand consistency across channels. They’re really important as they are a reflection of you and your creation, but they also act as an onboarding guide for anyone who touches or works on the brand. If you give someone your guidelines, you’ll onboard anyone into your world. How you look, speak, talk, converse and what your values are.
Like humans, brands change and grow. Therefore, your guidelines need to reflect these changes. I like to think of guidelines as a living and breathing document. Whether it’s the start of a new year or a time that feels right to reflect, reviewing your guidelines regularly will help you stay on track with how you’re showing up and moving towards your vision and mission.
Seeing this as an evolution gives you permission to show up as yourself today, and know that things will change, but we have to start somewhere. Evolving is soft, curious, courageous and open. This is exciting and fun!
The self refection bit
This time of year is always a bit weird. Similar to Black Friday, I almost feel a bit anxious when I read some content online. I feel like I have to do all these things before the new year and if I don’t, I’m already behind and I haven’t even started.
In the last few years, I’ve slowly moved away from what marketing and the world tells me to do or feel. Instead I’m trying to check in with myself and how I actually feel. There’s this invisible pressure that we’ve become accustomed to around the new year and January and what that means for us. The end of year is a natural time to reflect, and I think that’s great and it makes a lot of sense to me. But the idea that we choose times to do things instead of connecting with ourselves and doing them when they feel right to us, seems disconnected and lacks longevity.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s great to have a goal and plan, but if we place unrealistic expectations on ourselves at a certain time of year, we’re making life pretty miserable, setting ourselves up for failure which isn’t fun.
Instead, how about we look at ourselves as ever evolving, developing gradually. Make time to check in with yourself but do it gently, with soft and ease and when it feels right. There’s not one time or date where you have to do something - do it when it makes sense for you. Take time to think about your values, what you care about, what’s important to you and then apply that to your ambitions, goals or dreams.