Stay productive with these 5 habits

Magnet Me via Unspalsh

Let’s not pretend that we’re productive 100% of the time. We all know we have the same amount of time in a day as Beyonce, but let’s face it - sometimes we just can’t even.

“I’m not a morning person” does this sound familiar to you? (that’s me, btw) Chances are you’ve said it before. You’ve seen multiple articles telling you, “This CEO gets up every day at 5 am,” and you think; maybe you would be a mogul by now if you were an early bird. But don’t start rewinding your alarm just yet. The fact is we have multiple unproductive slumps because, well, we’re human. Social media hasn’t helped one bit with procrastination at our fingertips, but being in a creative field can also make this extra difficult. We can’t just turn that creative tap on and off between 9 and 5 and expect to produce the most revolutionary outcomes regularly. So how do we stop those pre-coffee blank stares or the mindless scrolling through our social media feeds? Here are a few handy tips that might get you back on track.

1. Stop working

Crazy, but hear me out. The reason your mind is wandering is that you’re in a creative rut. Or you might just be bored with whatever you’re working on (which is totally fine, by the way). So don’t force it; step back, take your eyes away for 5 minutes and just stop thinking about it. It’s like turning yourself OFF and ON again, restart that system and let the creative juices flow.

2. Get Moving

Ok, step one isn’t working for you. You got back into that rut. You need to get off your butt and move those legs! Our best ideas always come to us when our body is in movement. This isn’t just an excuse to wander around your workspace; this is science, (think IDEO problem solving). Rather than sitting with our bodies in passive mode, sending the shut-down signal to our brains, there is a direct correlation between creativity and productivity when we get upright. So one way to break out of ‘too-tired-to-do’ routine is to think on our feet for a bit.

Georgia De Lotz via Unsplash

3. Stop distractions

Don’t allow distractions during work - that includes being the distractor yourself. To start, try putting your phone slightly out of reach or turning off Slack notifications. At the same time, you work so you don’t get sidetracked by every witty GIF popping up. Finally, close all the tabs, browsers, and applications you don’t need - you can’t work with a messy desk, so how can you work with a cluttered desktop. So, organise your workspace so there’s less clutter - let “tidy desktop, tidy mind” be your new mantra.

4. Think big

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Sometimes attention to detail is your enemy! Sure, it’s great to say you have it in a job interview, and it’s helpful in a plethora of circumstances. Still, when you’ve been staring at the same project on your screen for ten minutes, thinking, “how can I possibly? There’s just too much,” that’s when you need to step back from the micro and look at the macro. Think about the big picture and ask yourself:

• What is it that I am trying to achieve?

• Do I have a list of priorities I need to set?

• Divide tasks based on importance, not just urgency.

• Are there any pain points or blockers that I can reach out to others for some guidance?

5. Know your workflow

You’re a morning person and want to message me at 6 am - no worries, but don’t expect a reply. Knowing when your productivity is likely at its peak helps others understand your flow. Know when you need in-the-zone time or when you’re ready to collaborate and problem-solve to achieve your best work, utilising your peak productivity times. There is no right or wrong formula for the average person; you’re the only one that can figure it out. Be protective of your workflow; if you know your best time for being creative is in the middle of the day, clear your calendar - don’t schedule any meetings for that time. That’s your focus time. Let that energy carry you throughout the day.

Brooke Cagle via Unsplash

Productivity is about how much you can create and deliver.

These are only five simple ways that you can keep your mind on track. Still, there are so many more out there. Talk to your circle about managing their productivity - sharing is the best way to get personalised suggestions. Don’t be that person that forces themselves up at 5 am only to crash at 9. Gone are the days of bragging about a 12hr day because being ‘busy’ doesn’t mean you’re productive.

Own your future - Creative Mentoring for Women

Image credit: Jing Xi Lau from Unsplash

The concept of mentoring is not a new one. In fact, the idea dates back 2000 years to Homer's epic poem, The Iliad. If your knowledge of ancient Greek poetry is a little dusty, here's a brief recap:

Athena, the goddess of wisdom, disguises herself as Mentor to act as both a teacher and guardian to Odysseus' son, Telemachus. Under Mentor's (Athena's) guidance and wisdom, Odysseus and with his son by his side, slaughter the enemy and make a triumphant return back home to Ithaca. Now the question remains, how much of a role did Mentor play in Odysseus' success?

"The key to being a good mentor is to help people become more of who they already are--not make them more like you."

Suze Orman

Mentoring: the low-down

A mentors central role is to facilitate safe and inspiring learning by instilling their skills, expertise and experience upon their mentees. Consider them as your personal Greek goddess here to lead and guide you through what may be unfamiliar territory for you, but is very much a well-trodden track for them. Your mentor shares precious knowledge and unearths hidden information and knowledge gained through years of experience.

Studies have shown that mentoring is a proven tool to help individuals reach career milestones, feel more confident in making career and business choices, and create a more harmonious work-life balance. Essentially, your mentor is your sounding board, providing you with the opportunity to reflect, assess and plan your next move. Sounds like a heavenly match!

Who makes a good mentor?

Think you have some Athena traits in you? In addition to holding an abundance of experience and knowledge in your relevant professional field, you must also be able to:

• Create a safe and non-judgemental space: You want your mentee to feel relaxed and comfortable enough to openly share and carry out honest discourse around their goals and objectives.

• Listen and question: Help your mentee get to the heart of the problem/topic/goal at hand.

• Provide valuable feedback: This is where your knowledge and experience comes into play!

• Compassionate and empathetic: You're not in the business of shattering someone's dreams and aspirations; be kind and understanding to their quest for development.

This isn't a one-sided party either, with the mentor/mentee relationship being very much mutually-beneficial. The mentor gains:

• The satisfaction of helping another.

• Interpersonal skills.

• Passing down of valuable and experiential knowledge.

• Grow a personal and professional network.

"Just start. Don't worry that you don't have all the answers yet."

Alli Webb

Who is mentoring for?

If you're looking to achieve personal and professional goals of any kind, mentoring is a valuable avenue worth pursuing. It can help you navigate areas such as:

• Planning a career change

• Accelerate career progression

• Launching a business

• How to self-promote/market oneself

• Develop new ways of working/work-flow systems

• Improve performance at work

• Seeking out leadership opportunities

• Managing additional workload/multiple professional endeavours

• Broaden your professional network

• Learn how to set goals and objectives

Now that we have a more rounded understanding of a mentor and mentee relationship, let's jump back into our Athena and Odysseus analogy...

Would Odysseus have survived without the help of Athena? There is no doubt that Athena comes to Odysseus' aid many times, providing him with the tools and strategies to protect him from his opposers. But one can also not overlook Odysseus' own bravery, which is present throughout all his adventures.

In the end, it all comes down to the individual's actions; you steer the ship, and your mentor will be your compass.

If you've been looking for a mentor, or to be a mentor, applications are now open for Series Two of our CWC Member Mentoring Program: a member-to-member mentorship program for creative women. Find out more here.

Podcasts to help you kick-start your year and crush your goals

In case you missed it, 2020 has left the building! Whether you’ve jumped into the new year head first ready to take action, or if you’re still coming out from summer hibernation mode (guilty!) we have a collection of must-listen podcasts to help kick-start your year and crush your goals. 

#GrowGetters

Image Source: Apple Podcasts

No surprises here—we’re BIG fans of #GrowGetters at Creative Women’s Circle. If you’re yet to check out Tanya and Tiffany’s podcast, the good news is, you have plenty of episodes to dive into.

#GrowGetters is the future skills podcast for smart women in business. Known for their signature digestible and fun format style of producing, and available every Wednesday, their episodes are the perfect mid-week dose of inspiration and motivation.  Tune in as Tanya and Tiffany download the latest trending work methods and models, share insider knowledge on how to grow your brand, along with bringing you the latest digital growth hacks. 

If you’re a professional woman, passionate entrepreneur, or seasoned side hustler, #GrowGetters is a must listen!

Brandfetti

Image Source: Apple Podcasts

No matter what profession or industry you work in, words are the cornerstone to conveying your message and creating an impact. But like many, finding the right words, and more importantly, knowing how to use them effectively, can leave us mystified. Enter Brandfetti.

Brandfetti is hosted by Anita Siek, the founder and Director of Wordfetti, a strategic copywriting and communications agency. The no-fluff podcast dedicates itself to helping you craft a standout brand through creative content marketing, diving deep into consumer psychology, and lifting the veil on how some of the best-known brands have built a successful brand using words. 

StartUp Creative

Image Source: Apple Podcasts

Business coach and founder of StartUp Creative, Kaylene Langford, shares authentic and raw startup stories from the frontline of successful businesses. Episodes are jam-packed with actionable advice, resources, inspiration and recommendations for startups, freelancers and entrepreneurs.

The podcast features interviews from creative women such as Lunch Lady co-founder, Kate Berry and Seed & Sprout founder Sophie Kovic. Listeners are left feeling empowered in the knowledge that managing a business you love isn’t a dream for the future, but something that can be achieved now through persistence, sleep deprivation and a reckless renegade spirit of possibility and positivity. 

The Emily Osmond Show

Image Source: Apple Podcasts

If you’ve been searching for a podcast that blends marketing, mindset and money, then The Emily Osmond Show is for you.

With episodes released bi-weekly, listeners can geek out on practical strategies for business and career success, and indulge in shared candid stories from some of your favourite brands and entrepreneurs (hint: check out the Raw and Real episode if you’re a Lisa Messenger fan!). Emily’s episodes are honest and inspiring and have become known as the go-to for relatable and actionable resources for small business owners.

Vogue Codes:

Image Source: Apple Podcasts

The Vogue Codes podcast series hosts an array of leading female founders and entrepreneurs to unveil what it takes to succeed in the worlds of tech, fashion and beauty. 

Vogue Codes inception came from a desire to break down the stigma around women in STEM, and inspire them to look towards careers in science, technology and engineering. The podcast series follows from the 2019 and 2020 event series, where an incredible range of women deliver inspiring keynotes and panel discussions on a range of topics, all to encourage women to explore careers in the tech industry. 

Vogue Codes is the perfect accompaniment on your morning walk with easily digestible episodes to motivate you at the onset of a busy workday, week or in our case, a new year!

Meet Lizzie Archer, Creative Director at The Elsewhere Co.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a country girl at heart. I grew up on a beautiful sheep farm in central west NSW. I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I studied a BA Media (Hons) at Macquarie University, Sydney, majoring in Film and Television production—I originally wanted to be a film director!

I’m based in Melbourne and am a full-time business owner plus full-time mum to two boys. I love to travel (looking forward to being able to do this again one day) and I believe in living an adventurous life—always learning, exploring and living joyfully. I’m always on the look-out for my next adventure!

I have collected jewellery from all over the world and this is part of the reason I created wallets with space specifically to store jewellery! I’m passionate about sustainable fashion and believe that designers have a responsibility to understand the materials they work with—how they were made, who made them, their performance, longevity, environmental and social impact and end of life. This takes time, energy and in most instances is more expensive than mainstream alternatives but it’s really rewarding to see that my designs offer a significant step change towards a more sustainable fashion industry.

What is your current business?

I’m the designer and founder behind sustainable accessories brand, The Elsewhere Co. - a luxury label inspiring freedom seekers around the world to escape the every day through a design philosophy that rejects all that’s ordinary, lacklustre and thoughtlessly produced.

How would you describe your career so far and how did you get into this industry?

My career has been a journey! I’ve done lots of different things and have learnt a lot along the way! At university, I studied Media majoring in film and television production but landed a career in product management and marketing where I worked for several consumer goods brands within Australia and the UK. I also studied interior design whilst living and working in London. My corporate roles gave me experience in developing and launching large scale product ranges, however, I always knew I wanted to be working more creatively in an environment where I didn’t have to compromise on my design vision and values.

I left my job in London to take a year off travelling through Europe and South East Asia back to Australia. I collected jewellery throughout my travels but was having trouble storing it safely in my backpack. Whilst in Cambodia, I fell in love with the beauty of artisan hand-loomed silk and upon returning to Melbourne, I enrolled in a short textile design course at RMIT and developed my very first collection of luxury silk jewellery rolls. From there I’ve developed the brand and collections you see today.

What does a typical workday look like for you? 

I’m constantly juggling my roles as a mum and business owner, so every day is different! I work between 7-9 am in the morning whilst my husband gets my eldest son ready for school—this is when I get my priority things done. Throughout the day I look after my 4-year-old and do bits and pieces when he’s happy playing— things like packing orders, preparing stock for retailers, designing and visiting retailers. We do a daily scooter ride to deliver orders to the post office! Then it’s school pick-up, chores and dinner prep. I sit down again at 6 pm to do my social media for the day, then after everyone’s in bed I’ll do another hour of work before relaxing at the end of the evening. I complete any big projects on a Saturday when my husband looks after our boys!

What has been your favourite product created to date?

Definitely my up-cycled leather wallet – it’s a world-first design which took almost 2 years to develop. It’s an entrant in this year’s Victorian Premier’s Design Awards!

“This is NO ordinary wallet. We set out to design the wallet of your dreams; a single wallet to keep you organised from work to play, trips away and everything in between –without destroying the planet. The Elsewhere Co. upcycled leather wallet is thoughtfully designed for living an adventurous life. It can be used at home or away and features an innovative concealed jewellery storage compartment, making it one of the most versatile accessories around. Crafted from upcycled leather, it imaginatively transforms waste into luxury fashion, with initial production saving approximately 100kg of leather offcuts from reaching landfill.”

It is my hope that our wallets will keep you organised for many years to come, saving you time, making your every day easier and helping you steal more moments of freedom to pursue an adventurous life – a life less ordinary.

Paradise Leather Women's Wallet

What are some of the things which inspires you?

I’m inspired by travel, art and nature. I love bold colour and you’ll notice that colour palettes play an integral role in my designs. I’m also inspired by fabrics and materials – each material has its own beauty, texture, unique properties and story of how it was made. I love working with interesting materials and finding new ways to reimagine them into luxury items.

How do you stay organised in life and business?

Work-life balance has been quite difficult as you can see from my daily routine above! It’s been particularly hard to manage this year as I was homeschooling my 6-year-old, whilst also looking after my 4-year-old. This meant that during these times I had to put my work largely on pause. Over the years of running my own business, I’ve learnt to stress less about what I can’t do and be happy with achieving my best in the time that I have available. I work hard but make sure we plan lots of holidays and fun things to do as a family!

What has 2020 taught you about yourself?

I’ve learnt the value of community this year – I’ve actually worked more collaboratively with others than in a normal year which I’ve really enjoyed.

This year people have been really collaborative and more open to connecting and supporting others. Whilst it’s been a tough sales year there have also been more opportunities and initiatives to support small businesses as well as opportunities to up-skill and be involved in the community which has been invaluable.

Just like the amazing community at Creative Women’s Circle, I’ve also had the opportunity to work with a mentor this year! I’ve found this really useful in clarifying my ideas and helping me move forward with initiatives at a much faster pace. So this is something I’ll probably continue to do going forward.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career?

Being a creative at heart; throughout my corporate career, I always found it difficult to be constantly compromising my creative vision and personal values. This meant that while I enjoyed this part of my career and learnt a lot about business, I felt frustrated much of the time. Once I got the courage to start my own business built on my personal values, I felt such a great sense of freedom. I’ve never looked back!

What do you get up to when not working?

I have family in South Coast NSW so we spend a lot of time there at the beach, swimming, bushwalking and enjoying time as a family.

Nightfall Leather Women's Wallet

How do you plan for a new year? And do you have any tips for new year goal-setting?

I like to reflect on the past year’s achievements and take time to really congratulate myself before moving onto new goals. Then I assess what worked and what didn’t!

I find the last quarter of the year is so busy and it’s often quite reactive so I like to begin the year by revisiting my core brand values and vision to see if everything is still relevant or if some areas have evolved etc. I like to bring everything back to the brand vision and values, then I start working on plans for the new year with this vision clearly in place.

 I also do a sustainability roadmap for the year ahead to ensure that each year we’re moving forward with our sustainability goals as a business. Sustainability is a constant journey!

---

Shop local this Christmas

The Elsewhere Co collection is available at Design A Space Retail Gallery.

Shop in-store at either of the Design A Space stores below and receive 20% off the upcycled leather collection.

Offer is available until 24/12/2020.

Melbourne City Store 
20 Manchester Lane,  
Melbourne VIC 3000
+61 3 9663 8991

Windsor Store
142 Chapel Street, 
Windsor VIC 3181
+61 3 9510 0144

What’s in a reflection? The beauty in looking back

Photo by nine koepher from Unsplash

My foray into the practice of self-reflection was during my first year of teaching. As a central activity in a novice teacher's professional process —and one that I initially met with great resistance—after habitual practice, I began to see tangible benefits. I quickly discovered that self-reflection is a powerful tool and one that should be part of the arsenal of any creative professional women. And what better time to look back on oneself than on the dawning of a new year.

Self-reflection is a process where you look back on yourself and the world from the point of introspection—observing your ideas, thoughts, actions and aspirations. Not only does the practice enrich your personal life, but it can deepen your awareness around how you wish for your life to evolve. 

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards" - Steve Jobs.

Failures are our biggest teachers.

It can be easy to label 2020 as a failure in its entirety. Many of us were forced to pivot and change the way we conducted business. Here at CWC, we had to find a way to bring all our planned in-person events to a virtual setting, whilst still creating engaging experiences for our members. With forced change, also comes great learnings. For CWC, we discovered that virtual events opened up our message to those outside of the Melbourne area, allowing women world-wide to join in on the conversation; adding a richer dimension to our connection and community values.

The magic lies in self-awareness.

Dr Tasha Eurich, an organisational psychologist and Keynote speaker, explains that self-awareness results in being able to see ourselves more clearly, be more confident and creative. Eurich also argues that introspection (i.e. the practice of self-reflection) does not make someone self-aware. So how do self-awareness and self-reflection come together?

"The problem with introspection isn't that it is ineffective—it's that most people are doing it incorrectly." - Dr Tasha Eurich.

The reason for this is because many begin the practice of reflection with the question "why?". "Why did I not perform well at my last interview?" "Why did my product not take off as planned?", "Why do I always experience writer's block when I have an impending deadline?" "Why can I never stay on top of my content planning?" (These last two I am particularly familiar.)

When we ask "why" we are providing the ideal breeding conditions for negative thoughts, full of fears, insecurities and shortcomings. Instead, we must approach self-reflection through an activity of self-assessment; analysing one's strengths and weaknesses. As Eurich puts it, we should be asking "what" instead of "why". With "what" questions helping us to stay future-focussed, objective and more empowered to take action on our new insights.

Self-reflection how-to:

As you begin the practice of self-reflection this year, try asking yourself:

"What are some of my successes from the last 12 months?"

"What were some areas that I fell short?

"What has been my strengths/where have I grown?"

"What are my goals for the upcoming year?"

"What has been my biggest lesson in life or business?"

Your self-reflective practice can be as informal or formal as you like. You can journal or complete a writing exercise, meditate or take a contemplative walk amongst nature.

Insight into Action:

"The key to success is to start before you're ready." - Marie Forleo.

Any self-reflective exercise is the ideal primer for goal-setting. After all, you're in the perfect mindset to create intentional goals! Ask yourself where you want to be in the next 3, 6, 12 months and beyond? Can you identify any values present in your goals? Then use these values to steer your goals, objectives and decision making in the future.

Carol Mackay, Design Business Council, on finding your onliness

Carol Mackay, Design Business Council

Carol Mackay helps Australian creatives manage their business better - more effectively, more efficiently and more sustainably - so they can spend more time creating. After 30+ years running a graphic design firm, Carol moved from client-focused projects to consult to the design industry. Now with the Design Business Council she uses her experience, and research, to help creatives build robust, sustainable businesses, and to help businesses integrate, and profit from, design.

---

What’s the difference between personal branding and onliness?

Personal branding is how you want to be perceived by others — or as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos would say, what others say about you when you are not in the room. I prefer to use the term ‘onliness’ – comes without the history and baggage of ‘branding’.

Was your own ‘onliness’ something you instinctively understood, or did it take a lot of trial, error and experience to work out?

I’m relatively new to the importance of thinking about my ‘onliness’ and that’s mainly because I’ve worked alongside my life partner for nearly 40 years. We first worked together for someone else, then in a design studio we co-founded and now at the Design Business Council. During the design studio tenure, we had distinctly separate roles that evolved over a long period of time. Greg had his clients and I had mine. He ran the external face of the studio and I ran the internal. Our roles evolved with the business.

This changed when I closed the studio after 34 years to re-join Greg in a side-hustle we’d co-founded five years earlier. We’d dipped our toes into a venture we thought might work, and then worked hard to get it to a stage it could fund us both.

While I kept the studio going to fund the venture, Greg had had five years to assess, define and refine his new role. And he is is really, really good at what he does. When I joined him, I had to work out how I could add value. Greg and I now have overlapping roles with far less clarity.

Anyone with a successful partner knows if you don’t have clarity around your own strengths and weaknesses, if you don’t have a strong sense of your value, you will continually be overshadowed. Especially if you are second to the table. I’d come from the comfort of a role I had for 34 years into a new challenge needing completely different use of my existing skills.

“I had to find my onliness, and I had to find it quickly. It wasn’t easy.”

Is onliness important when you’re first starting out?

Being aware of your onliness is absolutely of value to a graduate. It means you can stand above the cookie-cutter folio we all graduate with, and more easily sell your value into prospective employers, in writing, in visuals and in person.

What do you think the main obstacles designers come up against when running a small business?

Stamina and sustainability. That first flush of clients may last a year, may last five but we work in a rapidly changing industry that is constantly disrupted. Identifying, adapting and managing change is constant. It takes energy and it takes stamina.

Many small business are founded by people who love what they do, but don’t necessarily love the business of what they do. Sustainability comes from employing someone to work on the business so you can continue to do what you love. If you love what you do, stamina is less of an issue. Energy comes from enjoyment.

You’ve taking your wealth of design knowledge and client-focused experience and pivoted to consulting, are you enjoying the pivot?

I am now. But it took a couple of years to be comfortable in my new role.

Comfortable working as a partnership rather than with an in-house team and running a studio. Comfortable remembering I’m now a supplier to the design industry rather than a designer and comfortable referring projects from ex-clients to other designers.

What I am enjoying is having a forum to share my experience. I would have loved to have a ‘me’ to advise me through the tough spots – that’s what I’m trying to do with others. Running a creative business is hard. Your eye is continually on billings for the end of the week/month/quarter. Having time to future plan is really difficult.

Now I am relishing having time to research better ways of running a design business. I’m relishing having time to talk to others about what they do, why they do it and how they do it. And I’m relishing having a voice to share that knowledge.

Have you had to change your onliness at all?

I am naturally a chatty, enthusiastic introvert who is most comfortable chatting one-on-one. Five-on-one sometimes. Ten-on-one max. This is not a perfect attribute for my new role in the Design Business Council, and it could be said it limited my role.

It was the personal journey map activity (I’m going to share in the Masterclass) that helped me identify what I do well, and what I don’t –  and that helped me change my thinking because I understood where I needed additional skills.

Tell me a little bit about the work you do with Womentor (on hiatus at the mo) and how important do you think mentors are to women in design? And women in general.

Mentors are important. Having the counsel of others can open opportunities and remove obstacles. I’ve not had a mentor (apart from Mary Tyler Moore and Murphy Brown :) but I am sure with one I would have worked more efficiently and more effectively.

On the other hand, I’ve mentored many, as does anyone that employs others, and especially graduate designers. I’ve mentored employees, designers within schemes like AGDA and Womentor, and as a paid gig as part of my role within DBC.

“Mentoring is sharing knowledge and that comes easily to me. I think we all have an obligation to give back to the industry. ”

Where can women find a mentor that’s right for them?

I think many women struggle to find a mentor because of their mindset. They seek someone who will give their time freely, who has the perfect balance of knowledge, character and in an aligned career. Can you see the problem?

Mentoring should be a two-way relationship. Good mentors are open to continually learning, and to new experiences yet many mentees are only interested in taking. I’ve had designers request to buy me a cup of tea only to sit opposite me with an open notebook and grill me with questions until my eyes water and my bladder almost bursts. And then they ask when we can meet again.

Knowing your onliness is about understanding how you can give back to your industry at every level. Perhaps it’s not about finding the right mentor, perhaps it’s about making connections with people with whom you have something or someone in common and with whom you think you could share something you know in return for some advice. Who would not love that?

What’s the one bit of advice you would give women in business?

Firstly, that it’s OK not to be in business. If the business is a weight around your neck, if it is not giving you joy, and you don’t like the majority of your day, then it’s absolutely OK to walk away and support the work of someone else. The world is obsessed with start-ups but having a business is hard on every level.

 It’s hard making the tough financial decisions. It’s hard to continually disrupt yourself and your business in an attempt to stay relevant and it’s hard working solo, but then it’s really hard managing other creatives.

 It is not for everyone and I don’t think enough people consider walking away. That said, the one bit of advice I would give is understand your onliness – what you do differently to others, what makes you distinct. Understanding your strengths and your weaknesses makes it easier to play to your strengths and buy skills that plug your weaknesses.

And that’s what makes it easy to portray a successful personal brand.

---

Join us for Carol’s Masterclass on Friday November 6th at 1pm. Subscribe to her weekly article that helps designers manage their business. You can view her current work at Design Business School and see an archive of her design work at mbdesign.com.au

Tanya Garma, co-host of the #GrowGetters podcast, on crafting a personal brand

#GrowGetters Podcast is the brainchild of creative women, Tanya Garma and Tiffany Hart. Each week in their signature digestible and fun podcast, they discuss future skills to help women uncover the secrets to grow your brand and bring you the very latest in digital growth hacks.

Based in Munich, there’s nothing these two aren’t willing to share to help women grow their business. It’s just one of the reasons we’re so thrilled to have partnered with them.

You’ll be hearing lots more from them over the coming months but if you can’t wait, Tanya is speaking on the panel of our next Wine and Design event. She’s also written this post for us on the importance of personal brand.

---

So what is a 'personal brand' exactly? Your personal brand is how you express who you are, and shape people’s perceptions of you. It’s not just about having a logo - it’s about your whole package. It’s how you speak, how you look, what you post about, what you specialise in, and what you talk about.

Most importantly, it’s about what you stand for. 

It’s so critical today to really think about how you’re perceived by your desired market or audience – whether that’s an employer or your business’ desired target market. 

From a professional perspective, harnessing your personal brand will most certainly build towards creating a career advantage.

“We live in an age where the lines between your physical and digital realities are not just blurred, but essentially intertwined. What’s clear is that our representation online matters. And the opportunity to manipulate and leverage our own representation is huge. That’s where personal branding comes in. ”

Traditional brands have always needed to use novel ways to cut through the clutter and find resonance and relevance with their intended users. And people are no different. So whether you’re a CEO looking to raise your profile, or a retail assistant looking for a job, the easiest way to outshine the others in the pack is to leverage your personal brand online. 

To get started, here are three clear and easy ways you can harness your personal brand for professional success:

1) Position yourself as an expert in your field

What’s your professional field or the business that you’re in, and where do you fit in? If you have strong and credible opinions on matters in your field: share them! Is there a new angle or perspective on your industry that’s hardly been covered before: publish it! If you aren’t yet a fully-fledged expert on a topic, why not take the opportunity and talk to people who are: interview them!

LinkedIn and Medium are perfect professional platforms for you to write your thoughts in long-form. And don’t forget short-form content like posts and videos: LinkedIn loves this stuff – particularly long-form article content and videos. 

2) Fine-tune your visual aesthetic 

I’m not talking about FaceTuning the hell out of all your pics on Instagram, but presenting a consistent style that’s appropriate to the channel and audience. 

If you really want your personal brand to shine, invest in a few professionally shot photos for your profile pics on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. This is the first portal into who you are, and you want to get it right straight off the bat. This also applies to your cover images, as well as other images you post if possible. 

If you’re not a graphic designer, you can use free tools like Canva to help you create awesome images for your socials. You can even take your visual aesthetic one step further like many brands do, and consistently use colours and styles repetitiously. Doing this is deliberate, strategic and SMART!

3) Stay authentic

For your own personal brand, you need to ask yourself: what’s the unique value I bring to the world? It’s so incredibly important to stay true to who you are – building a personal brand means building on your own unique self.

Your passion will shine through in everything you put out into the world, and it’s especially true for Millennials who value authenticity above everything. For example, take two of the hottest musicians right now: Lizzo and Billie Eilish. These women are unabashedly themselves in everything they do. Not only is their music awesome, but people love them more and more for being authentically themselves. 

So don’t be tempted to carve out a personal brand that doesn’t feel good in your own skin. People will buy what you’re selling when it comes from a truly genuine place. 

When it comes to your personal brand, having a strong voice, clear guidelines around how you present yourself, and consistently putting yourself out there, are all things that will open up opportunities for you.

And if your online representation is far-reaching, and you've captured a wide audience, these opportunities are certain to be amplified. 

---

If you'd like to learn more about personal branding and other future skills topics, tune into the #GrowGetters podcast on your fave podcast app. Every week, they cover the latest business tips, digital knowledge and growth hacks to help get your business or career growing! Check them out: growgetterspodcast.com