When I graduated from the College of Charleston in 2005 with a degree in English and Creative Writing, and dreams of becoming a published novelist, our commencement speaker's big message was: brand yourself.
At the time, that message was demoralizing. I walked around afterward like a rogue Sylvia Plath balking at the idea of branding myself. Scoffing at it. Being miffed that I didn't get to hear something more inspiring on my big day.
In my early twenties, (and as a child of the grunge 90s and 2000s), I interpreted "brand yourself" as synonymous with putting on an act, becoming someone you aren’t in order to sell yourself—a complete departure from the uncompromising literary writer I aspired to be. It felt like the opposite of authenticity, like trading in myself for a mask.
But as I’ve grown in my career and helped a few people and organizations find and design their brands (ironic, I know), I’ve realized that branding doesn’t have to mean creating a façade. In fact, the most powerful brands are the ones that show their true colors—those that reveal who they are at their core, without pretense. Branding, when done right, isn’t armor, fakery, or cheap glitter. It’s a window. It’s about being authentic, embracing what makes you unique, and sharing that with the world in a way that both resonates with and serves that same world.
And that’s what I help others do. Through my design, my strategic vision, and my creative skills, paired with a deep sense of empathy and curiosity, I help people and businesses show the world who they truly are—authentically, and without compromise.
Because that’s where the connection happens.
Web copy
Copyediting
SEO
Ghostwriting
Corporate communications
Messaging and branding
Content writing and design