The first time I'd conceptualized my own personal brand, I was standing in a Chicago subway car grotesquely sandwiched between an older gentleman in need of a shower and an elementary school-aged boy, in need of a restroom. Mind you, I am not making any assumptions here. The 70-something gentleman was wearing an industrial onesie-you know, the kind of jumpsuit with the snaps down the front, an embroidered nametag above the heart and an ever convenient butt flap, buttoned behind him. Clearly he'd worked a long day somewhere, and upon exchanging a polite smile with me, he felt comfortable enough to remark,
"Been a long day, sweetie. Can't wait to get off this dang metro and take a shower." I sort of chuckled at his comment and proximity to me...he must have known that I couldn't wait for him to get off this dang metro, too. Meanwhile the little boy to my left held tightly onto the suspended handrail with one hand, and unapologetcially clutched his groin with the other hand.
"Ma, when are we gonna be there? I really gotta go!" His mother, pregnant and perturbed, was slumped behind him on a hard plastic seat, silencing his tantrum with a look of disapproval.
And there I was.
Standing on the same subway.
Watching the same scenery pass us by.
Breathing in the same air.
And you know, I could have used a shower and a potty break myself, but what did I really yearn for? What did I want at that moment? What would I have blurted out loud amongst the crowds of passengers? Or revealed to a stranger?
I zoned out, as I sometimes do on the subway, thinking about wants, dreams, goals and all of that fluffy-clouded reaching-for-the-moon sort of stuff. Much like other identity projects I'd worked on professionally, I could see myself as a marketing project. An opportunity for a new brand, a chance to exploit my positives and put a positive spin on my negatives. If I could shout something to the masses on the subway, what would I shout?
Immediately I thought of a freehand sketch I'd done years ago. Bluntly put, it was a tree-woman with curly hair foliage and a smile on her face. Her torso twisted and turned from the contours of her abdomen, into the grooves of a trunk. The sun beat down on her, and she swayed pleasantly in a breeze with the base of her tree rooted firmly in a grassy earth.
She was the epitomy of beauty to me. Her integration with nature made a statement about environmental stewardship, earthy instincts, groundedness, a carefree spirit, an ambient energy, evoking something human and divine, etherial and natural. She was supernatural.
......
Years after that subway experience, I sat across from a well dressed CEO of a prestigious company, interviewing for a job. After grilling me for almost 2 hours, he asked: If you could turn yourself into a brand, what would you be? What would your campaign look like? What would you say about yourself?
Cleverly I pretended that I had to ponder it. I even smiled and said, "Ooh, that is a great question. I have to think about that one..." Within a minute I had gathered that sketch in my head. Describing the tree woman, I spun off into character attributes that were hers and mine, landing on that catch phrase, "Supernatural." I laughed a little bit to portray an air of effortlessness in answering his question so vividly.
I'd like to think that my brand is what sold me to that company, or how I landed my first job after months of unemployment. (I am still waiting to hear back from them, but the interview just happened yesteday. C'mon people!) And until I can definitively tell you that my Supernatural brand really did the trick, I will just share with you that if I were on that subway again, I'd scream:
I am human; an energetic spirit.
Brazen and carefree.
I have strong roots and even stronger branches.
I dance in the wind and bask in the sun.
Super, human, tree-woman; here, now, natural.
I am SUPERNATURAL.
...And I am probably hungry. (I am always hungry. Especially since I've been waiting on this dang subway for a half hour...)
What would be your personal brand?
