Thoughts on Branding + Rebranding

As you all know, I’ve been working on a bit of rebranding for A Place to Dwell. I shared my new focus here and my new features/blog organization here.

I thought it might be helpful to share a bit of that process with you all, especially because lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means and looks like to find and share your own unique voice with the world (through art, writing, blogging, etc.).

So what prompted my rebrand/reorganization? Well, I’ve been blogging since 2008, and naturally, I’ve evolved. That, of course, means that A Place to Dwell has evolved, too. I realized I needed to reevaluate the story of my “brand” and my mission/reason for having this space in the first place.

So, for a few weeks, I thought a lot about my passions and how they influence my life and what I create and share here at A Place to Dwell. I made lists of things I love and what inspires me. And it was in this journaling and list making and steam-of-consciousness thinking that it hit me: I love to be inspired and inspire others. I realized that if I had to narrow all of my loves and passions down to a simple statement that would be it.

Once I had arrived at that discovery, I knew I could take that and make it the essence of my blog and rebranding. That statement then led to the blog’s new focus/mission of encouraging others to live an inspired life. (P.S. I’ll be writing another post soon that shares what exactly living an inspired life means to me. :) So look for that!)

From my new mission statement/focus I was then able to flesh out how I wanted all of my content to be organized. I knew I wanted to continue to write and share about the things that inspire me (like my faith, style + fashion, art, writing, creativity, beauty, vintage treasures, etc.). It made sense to group those into categories that made it easier for readers to find inspiration, ideas, and encouragement within those topics. (So, my new categories of Inspired Faith, Inspired Art, Inspired Home, Inspired City, and Inspired Style were born.)

As I mentioned above, during this rebranding process, I’ve also been thinking a lot about finding your voice and creating unique online content (this also applies to art creation in general). I think it’s so hard to resist comparing yourself and your work to others.

During this process, I’ve had moments where I felt really excited and confident about my new direction. I know it’s very representative of me, my heart, and what I’m passionate about. But then I would have other moments where I’d doubt everything and worry that maybe it was just more of the same stuff that’s already out there in bulk in World Wide Web land.

But I think we all need to be brave when it comes to embracing WHO WE ARE and all of the unique quirks and characteristics that make us different. After all, there is no one else out there who has the exact combination of talents, loves, etc. And if we embrace these things and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, our work and creations will reflect us more truly and genuinely — and THAT will set us apart. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “create/write what YOU want to see/read.”

I’ve found some awesome posts/quotes from other creatives on this very topic. Like this great quote from a post in Promise Tangeman’s Ideas/Advice archives:

I have a unique mixture of talents, people in my life, skills, passions, training, fashion love, and I am the ONLY one that possesses that specific combination. And that is a combination that I can’t compare to anyone else. God is the only one that can craft the unique successful path for my life, if I trust him with it.

Isn’t that so good?!

Promise also wrote this awesome post about comparing yourself to others. One of the sections I love most from that post is on thankfulness.

Promise writes:

CULTIVATE A SPIRIT OF THANKFULNESS
: We are all created uniquely. No one has your *unique set* of giftings, personality, talents, passions, skill level, etc. Clearly articulate yours by jotting them down. Be thankful for them and turn your focus towards making them better. See every opportunity as something to be thankful for. Count your blessings. We all have a LOT to be thankful for. Cultivating a thankful spirit will turn your life perspective upside down.

If you’ve never read Promise’s blog, definitely check it out. It’s such a wonderful resource for creatives, and she’s super, super talented.

Well, now that this post is officially book-length, I’ll stop my rambling, but I hope you found something helpful or encouraging in my sharing about my rebranding process. It’s definitely still a work in progress, but I look forward to continuing to develop content and art to share with you here. :)