CREATING A BRAND NEW YOU

Selling yourself without feeling like you’re selling your soul...
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

A playwright once offered me some advice when trying to sell my play: “ABC: Always Be Closing," he said. "What show is that from?”

 

Answer: Not Death of a Salesman, as my friend who was with me guessed.

The important takeaway said playwright was demonstrating with that Glengarry Glen Ross reference was that a playwright always needs to be selling him/herself, a truth that has had more and more resonance with me as I’ve been working to get my writing out into the world.

The other day, an actor-friend and I were talking about how sometimes we just get really tired of selling ourselves. Whether it’s writing mission statements and filling out applications or networking and auditioning, sometimes evaluating and building yourself as a brand can begin to get tiring. It’s a constant process. As you and your career evolve, so must your ‘brand’-- and it’s a job that’s never really done. Still, I’ve found it helpful to consider 3 questions to help me pinpoint how I can market myself in a way that best reflects me (without feeling like a collection of buzz words and action verbs):

1. Where am I in my career? While I know that pigeon-holing yourself in arbitrary terms like ‘emerging’ or ‘mid-career’ seems arbitrary, it at least helps give the vocabulary through which you can define yourself. What do those terms mean to you? What are the goals you have in order to ascend to the next stage? These are all things worth noting.
2. What are the characteristics of my work? Maybe you don’t have (or want) one throughline that connects all of your work, but you do have an artistic voice. Are there any common creative goals you’ve had in your work? Do you gravitate towards any particular themes? Do you write for a particular audience?
3. How do my career goals fit into the mission of this company/institution? Whenever you apply anywhere, you should always make sure that you fit the job description as much as the job fits you. What qualities do your works have that fits the company’s aesthetic? What can you offer as a collaborator that will benefit the company and your relationship with them in the longterm?

Simple as they may be, I’ve found that breaking it down like this really helps define the biggest selling points of me and my work. The story will alter slightly with every application and cover letter, but the questions can at least remain somewhat consistent. After all, selling yourself should be as easy as ABC.

KIMBERLY LEW is a playwright with two published one-act plays for high schools, as well as full-length Searching for Candi (co-written with Gabriella Miyares), which had its first production at Mt. Holyoke college in April 2011. Her latest play, Other People's Children, will have a reading on February 26th as a part of The Beautiful Soup Theater Collective's new works reading series. She also created/manages the Emerging Musical Theatre blog. www.kimberlylew.com
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Comments

[Shoshana]

I wonder if we writers/artists should just take the word "brand" out of their vocabularies. Does it really serve them? Answering the questions on your list seems the right way to go about making one's way in the world. Branding oneself as something or someone has never made any sense to me. Isn't your work the product, not you?

[Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)]

I totally agree that in an idea world, "brand" wouldn't be something we would have to think about]. But I think especially in an age where there is so much information about us out there in the ether, it's important to both be aware of the image all of that projects and to be able to create a cohesive narrative out of it. Especially in an industry that is so much about collaboration and where people not only want to invest in individual works but also careers, I think it takes a conscious effort to assess our selves and understand how to market them. I don't think "branding" (and that might not even be the most appropriate term) should ever inhibit our work, but it doesn't hurt to at least be aware of the influence it could potentially have on selling it.

[Shoshana]

I think it's more the "narrative" aspect than "brand." The word "brand" is so confusing to me when it refers to people. I think defining it as artists use it might be helpful. I prefer not to use it though and instead focus on narrative. For me, job/internship hunting became a LOT easier once I had a story (e.g. "I did this and then this, and then I realized I want to be doing this."). The same is probably true for writing opportunity hunting. My story, however, wasn't something I had to invent, it was something that naturally evolved over time. That's why I think this idea of "branding" could be detrimental to younger writers. Narratives (or, if you will, brands) take time to build and construct.

[Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)]

I think we're definitely on the same page here. I think it's more the word "branding" that seems the be the difference. And I use the term brand because, in a lot of ways, "narratives" can be used as a very pointed marketing effort-- not detracting from the work in any way, but packaging the artist and the work in a digestible, attractive way.

I agree that narratives/brands need to be developed over time-- and no part of it should be invented. But I think it's even more important for young writers to be aware of their narrative/brand so that they can find their niche in the community. For people new to the industry (theatre or otherwise), it can be hard when it seems like you have to have experience/success to gain experience/success. Being able to evaluate what you've done and what you will do can be important to get a foot in the door.