Rebranding - Power in a Name
It was while I was cooking that it hit me, I needed to rebrand myself. I had put it off for years at this point and had all the excuses for sticking with my old brand. I didn’t have time, energy, or the desire to rebrand. What I had was working well enough for me and I was too established to change it. It would be such a pain and waste to throw away business cards and other promotional work with my old brand on it.
This time I could feel just how weak those excuses really were. This time I felt something shifting. I realized that before this year I hadn’t had a true path or vision for my work. That had changed. I had a new direction, one that finally felt like it fit me and the path I’ve been trying to find, and with it, I felt the call to create a brand that would fit me better, that would be truer.
As I cut vegetables I casually mentioned the idea to my husband. He agreed that it sounded like a good idea. Before he finished speaking I’d messaged a dozen friends with questions and ideas. I knew I wanted something mythologically based. Bees were too Utah but maybe cicadas or scarabs? How deep into mythology could I go? Specific nymphs from Greek myths? Locations? The options were growing. As thoughts were tossed around my creative process came back to me, as it always does. The visitors, the ladies, my sirens. I realized then that they were what I’d center this on.
With a new direction in mind, I jotted down the following phrase to center the feeling of my branding on and to try and keep it consistent,
“Something that feels like the TV show Fringe, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Brian Froud’s faeries had a baby. A strong, independent, female baby.”
It was mostly done as a jest but as I focused on what called to me from these sources I found truth and myself. Slowly, the name formed and the presence of it grew. I knew that I was hitting on something.
Like a selkie slipping my own seal skin, the title of 9 Sirens felt natural to me. Embracing it allowed me to let go of my past. Let go of an old name, an old identity, an old and limited version of myself and instead embrace my new life with my bones, bugs, and visitors. Now that I’m here I’m ready to let go of the art I felt I should be making (I’m looking at you, children’s book illustrations) and I’m working on making some magic unique to what sings to my soul.
I don’t know if I’ll be working with the 9 ladies again but they have shaped my process and it fits that their energy be captured by my current branding. Check out the current logos and photos of my rebranding debut:
The photos below were created by channeling @pageturnerstudios. I was supposed to have photographed some of her work this month and was itching to for some of her mountain magic. Since I was stuck at home, I grabbed what called to me and made my own assemblage.
Shout out to @j_kowallisbooks‘s books. Her books ALWAYS have witchy vibes going for them. It was past time I staged a photo showing them off. It felt especially fitting to have them next to my logo since she and my husband were the top two contributors to the name decisions (that lady can work a google search with lightning speed). Website design and strikethrough addition thanks to @daescendant_art.
