YOU ARE THE BRAND

Figure out who you are, what makes you unique as an actor, painter, whatever. That’s the first step, natch. And that can take a while…or you may grok it right away.

But after that, the next step, the important step, is to put your brand—that would be, ohhh, YOU!—out there for all the world to discover.

This is no different than starting up a business, except you're the product.

Imagine you knew someone who’d created an incredible widget—something never before seen in the world—and then they tucked this new invention away in a briefcase and just went on with their life, hardly ever showing it to anybody…apparently hoping the world would magically guess what was in the briefcase and suddenly start paying them great money for it.

Believe it or not, here in Austin, TX I meet so many uniquely talented actors and actresses who do this all the time. They don’t realize they’re a unique Brand. They don’t promote themselves. They don’t take advantage of all the myriad—usually free!—marketing opportunities available in this delightful Digital World in which we live.

In upcoming posts, I’ll examine in some detail a few of the ways artists can promote their creative endeavors.

Until then, I would encourage anyone who’s remotely in touch with their Inner Zombie to at least start thinking about the business side of their creativity. Because, in the immortal words of GODSPELL, “If your light’s under a bushel/ It’s lost something kinda crucial!”