Personal Brand Development.

October was a bit of a disappointment.

I'm currently working on two assignments dealing with development of a "personal" brand: how do I define myself and what kind of image do I want to put forward to others. Maybe it's the weather talking, but I feel rather strongly that my personal brand has taken a hit since last year. I'm not in an irreversible downward spiral, but I just feel as though I hit the ground running on Sept 1 and sprained something. I'm forgetful, inconsistent. Leaving things to the last minute; that's not me.

But fear not faithful Anxiolotlnauts, I can do better.

With the last six weeks ahead before the end of the third and busiest term of the Creative Communications program, I'm going to do my damnedest to do it all.

Sixty pages to go on the first draft of my novel.
An integrated marketing campaign for a prominent local jeweller.
A review of Andrew Davidson's "The Gargoyle."
A four minute short film.
Radio spots. Fundraisers. Grad Committee. Design Portfolio. Personal logo. Presentations. Speeches. Public Service Announcements. Birthdays. Socials...

It's too much. I need inspiration if I'm to guide myself and my protagonist through the woods.

Inspiration

This is a really good interview. The Onion A.V. Club's Keith Phillips interviews Robert Forster.

Forster says some pretty inspirational stuff. Here's a taste:

"You'd better do a good job, Bob," I say to myself. I realized that life is a series of moments along this arc, moments at which you can deliver excellence, or less, if you desire. But if you do deliver excellence, you get that reward, and I've built up a metaphor during this program of what you get when you deliver excellence to any job of any kind: You get the reward of self-respect and respect from others and satisfaction. And this is the real McCoy. This is untransferrable wealth. You stick this in your pocket and it's like a little nugget; it'll always be there. If you're ever wondering what to do right now, and if you're ever asking yourself, "What shall I do with this job that I've got right now?"... If I apply the simple formula that I'm going to do this job as good as I can, that and a little practice gives me excellence almost every time. And when you're delivering excellence every time, you get that reward I keep mentioning. And if you happen to be getting that reward on a frequent enough basis, you know... Those in both religious traditions, the Eastern and the Western, talk about a path: the path of righteousness. If you're getting these rewards on a frequent basis, you're on that path. And if you're one of the ones who believe in a heaven, this is the path right to it. But if you're one of the ones who believe that inner peace is the best life has to offer, you know precisely what you're doing when you wake up in the morning. You're using your life and your life experiences to understand with, and with every action you create, you deliver that understanding. You're doing what an artist does: using his life to understand and deliver that understanding with every act you create. And if you're doing that, and you're getting those rewards on a frequent enough basis, you're making the best that you can out of the life you've got to live. End of program." - Robert Forster

And if that's not enough:

"Well, you've heard of a 12-step program? I've got a three-step program. It's a whole lot easier to remember. Step three was during the period in which I was headed downward and downward. I kept thinking to myself, "This slide has got to stop." But I had an epiphany during that period, and the epiphany was the simple one, when you realize, "You know what? You're not dead yet, Bob. You can win it in the late innings. You've still got the late innings, but you can't quit. Never quit." That's step three: You're ready to die, you're waiting to die. Never quit, that's step three. Step two: You've got to have a strategy to get from where you are, which is in a deep hole, to winning it in the late innings. That's the obvious strategy. You deliver excellence to what you're doing right now, and I say excellence; I don't mean perfection. I mean the willingness to do the job as good as you can. If you're willing to do it as good as you're willing to think up to do it, that's what your mind is there for, and you deliver excellence right now, now being the only moment you can control or do anything with or be creative with. Now is the only moment you've got to work with. If you deliver excellence right now, that gives you the best shot at the best future you've got coming. That's step two. Step one: You've got to have a good attitude in order to deliver step two, because if you have a bad attitude, step two is precluded; you can't deliver excellence if you've got a bad attitude. Step one is to accept all things. "It doesn't matter that they're not giving you good jobs anymore, Bob. It doesn't matter that you don't get the Winnebago anymore, Bob. It doesn't matter that she doesn't love you anymore." Put it behind you, just like that. Your shoulders relax, you breathe easier. Suddenly you've accepted it, you've put it behind you, and you're not going to worry about that anymore, no more negativity about that. Put it behind you just like that. Acceptance gives you a good attitude. That's step one. Delivering excellence right now gives you the best shot at the best future you've got coming. That's step two. And it's not over 'til it's over, but then it's really over. Never quit. That's step three. And I promise, I use that in my own life and with my own attitudes for the years when I was doing lousy in hopes that I would have another shot at this career and do something better with it the second time than I did the first. And Quentin Tarantino came along and [American Perfekt director] Paul Chart came along, and then some others have come along, and guess what? We've got another shot at it." - Robert Forster


To summarize:

1. Put it behind you. Accept it.
2. Delivering excellence right now gives you the best shot at the best future you've got coming.
3. Never quit.

There you have it.

Pick yourself up, and mambo.

-Jay