Creating Your Artist’s Style

We talk about branding, essence, and style a lot these days in the world of the performing arts, but what do they actually mean? The definition of the word “brand” that Merriam-Webster provides is “a public image, reputation, or identity conceived of as something to be marketed or promoted.”¹ So your “brand” is, in short, what you’re putting out there in the world. It is the version of yourself that you cultivate and advertise to casting directors, directors, choreographers, music artists, viewers, readers, and networks to buy and/or hire. However, the word “brand” has been overused in today’s society and has come to be viewed as disingenuous. The act of branding something can feel like putting a stamp or logo on something that is foreign to the actual thing you’re marketing. So, for the purpose of this chapter, rather than creating a “brand” to put on like a Halloween costume, we will be exploring your genuine style. Your style is what is essentially you. We will work to define and refine your style and then find a way to use it to create an original niche in your industry.

Now, we all know that we are complex and multifaceted human beings who have hundreds of layers of talents, thoughts, memories, nuances, and conflicting wants and needs that can’t be reduced down to a simple phrase like “badboy ballet dancer” or “quirky nerdy commercial actress.” I also understand that most of us have the capability to play any role or take on any challenge. However, the goal of this chapter is to find out who you are and to make that recognizable and memorable. If you start with a simple concept that describes your essence, you can cultivate an audience and then slowly peel away the onion layers of your inevitably complex self for the world to enjoy.

A good example of an artist clearly defining her style is Lady Gaga. When Lady Gaga first stepped on the music scene, she was well known for her crazy outfits and dramatic makeup. From wearing a full white fur dress, leggings, and face mask to donning full combat gear with black lines on her face, to slipping on the iconic meat dress of 2010, she has worn pretty much everything and, in addition to creating great music, she became known as an icon of outlandish fashion. Almost ten years later, she has stripped off all of the makeup, eliminated the towering platform shoes, taken up acting, and she can regularly be seen on the red carpet looking, well, pretty normal. Does she still wear crazy outfits from time to time? Sure. The fact of the matter is that she initially caught our attention with her defined style and then, once she had solidified her place in her industry, she revealed other aspects of her talents, her personality, and her artistry.

Another thing you should consider when creating your style is your target audience. What kind of person will be excited by the work you are creating? Who will be looking for a “you-type” for their project? Are you creating music that will most likely be enjoyed by teenagers or are you dancing the ballet classics for a significantly more grown up crowd? Sometimes thinking of your artistry from the outside in helps to cultivate a clearer and more specific idea of your essence. The idea is to become known for the things that make you special. Remember when we brainstormed what makes you different in chapter 7? That will definitely come into play. And when you defined your me in chapter 2? That is important, too. The goal of all of this self-exploration in relation to branding and style is simple: your target audience is an exceptional bulls--t detector. If you create and market a brand or style that is not genuinely you, people will smell it a mile away and unfollow you faster than you can say Twitter. You don’t (and shouldn’t) need to be anyone else. If you find who you are and you share it genuinely, people will flock to your authenticity.

Think of all of the companies you know that you involuntarily recognize: Nike, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Lululemon. They all have a specific logo, specific colors associated with their brand, and, most important, you know exactly what you’re getting when you enter one of their establishments or purchase one of their products. We will be working this week to make your personal artist’s style just as recognizable. You don’t have to create a logo for yourself (your face should be your logo), but your audience should know exactly what they’re getting when they see you. Are you the ephemeral ballerina who floats above earth and talks to the fairies? Or are you the gritty, sarcastic, and slightly dangerous lead singer of a punk band? Are you the geeky comedic actor who is exceptional at physical comedy? Or are you the down-to-earth spoken-word artist who isn’t afraid to tackle controversial topics? The more specific you are when you define your style, the more recognizable you become.

If you’re one of the many skeptics who don’t believe you should have a “brand” if you’re an artist, try naming one well-known artist who doesn’t have one. It’s hard, right? All people have a style, whether they like it or not. Sure, in a utopian society, art is all about the art and has nothing to do with the artist. That’s not the case on this planet. You can either get specific about how you would like to put yourself out into the world or you can let the world decide your style for you. It’s important to be pro-active about cultivating how you and your work are being seen in the world. Even if you don’t end up cultivating a style based on the exercises this week, you can still use them to do a little soul-searching to understand yourself a little bit better.

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY. . . .

I did a show at a large regional theater in Texas with a gentleman I will call Alan. Alan had one of the most gorgeous voices I had ever heard and was playing one of the lead characters in the musical we were performing together. After the show, people would literally throw themselves in front of our car as we were leaving to gush about the gloriousness of Alan’s voice. Alan was cool and collected, and he always graciously deflected. At this time, Alan was a stout young blond man with kind eyes and puffy hair. He looked every bit the sweet and wholesome ingenue that he was playing in the musical.

Cut to a few years later when I saw Alan on my television screen on a reality show with black hair, black eyeliner, and black nail polish, wearing all leather and slaying a rock song. He still had that same uniquely pristine voice, but he had transformed his entire style to be specific and congruent with what he could do with his beautiful voice. His style was identifiable and cool, and the style I’d call rocker chic also fit his laissez-faire personality. After that reality show and the introduction of Alan, his talents, and his new style to the world, Alan has become a very well-known artist. Okay, I’ll say it. He’s famous. Did switching up his look make him so? Absolutely not. Alan was always destined for greatness in some venue, but I believe that the adoption of a particular style that was congruent with his talents and his personality helped catapult him to be the rock star that he currently is.

DAY 1

First, let’s look back at the words you chose to describe yourself from day 5 of week 2. List your top three me words or phrases here:

1. _____________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________

Next, look back at day 2 of week 7 and list your top three attributes:

1. _____________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________

These are the six words you will use to start creating your specific description of your place in the arts industry. Set a timer for ten to fifteen minutes and start to brainstorm ways to combine as many of these aspects of you into one phrase or sentence.

_____________________________________________________

DAY 2

Next, you’ll think about what you want to do in your industry. Do you want to make people laugh? Make people address tough subjects? Do you want to beautify the world? Bring joy to as many people as possible? Look back at your why from day 2 of week 2 for inspiration. If you know why you want to pursue a career in the arts, it’s easier to discern exactly what you want to do. Set a timer for ten minutes and write out what you want to do in your industry:

_____________________________________________________

Let’s now put the two together into your statement of style. Start with the phrase that describes you, and add what you want to do as the second part of the sentence. For instance, “I am a smart, edgy, and uncompromising choreographer who wants to challenge audiences to view our planet’s environmental issues through the media of dance and projection.” Now, that is a pretty specific statement of style. Not only do we know who this person is as an artist and a human, we also know what he or she is working toward in the long run. Here’s another: “I am a kooky, freckled best-friend comedian who wants to encourage families to laugh together to build closer relationships.” Now your turn. Write your new statement of style below:

_____________________________________________________

DAY 3

You know who you are, and you know how you want to change the world with your artistry and your humanity. Today we will be deciding who your target audience is. Can people of all shapes, ages, nationalities, genders, and demographics enjoy you and your art? Sure. Is it helpful to know what demographic is most likely to be your biggest fans? Absolutely. Think about the content you will be creating, the gigs you’ll be pursuing, and your statement of style, from above. Now decide what type of person is most apt to be excited about you and your art, and fill in the blanks below to describe your ideal customer.

Age range: _____________________ years old to ______________________ years old

Gender: _____________________________________________________________

Highest level of education: _________________________________________________

Occupation: __________________________________________________________

Country of residence: _____________________________________________________

Yearly income: _______________________________________________________

Race or ethnic origin: _____________________________________________________

Your ideal customer is obviously not every person who will be interested in the things you create from now until forever, but this is a great way to verify that what you’re putting out there is on target. If, for instance, your ideal customer is a thirteen- to eighteen-year-old girl who loves ballet, you are going to approach how you word things on a social media post significantly differently than someone whose audience is made up of twenty- to thirty-two-year-old, educated men who are interested in fitness.

At the end of the day, it’s most important to be genuinely and uniquely you when making any decisions relating to your style. Defining your target audience is helpful, because it provides a great reference to have when you are making decisions in the future. If you as an artist feel strongly about something that isn’t necessarily “on brand” with your “target audience,” your you always trumps them. But knowing the type of person who consumes your “product” is a good tool for further defining the materials that you will put out into the world in the future.

DAY 4

Now that you have a good idea of what your style is and who will be seeking it out, let’s decide how you will present yourself to the world. We all know that IKEA’s brand is significantly different from Restoration Hardware’s. But how do we know that? The stores both have different products, for sure, but we as consumers also see how each store presents itself on websites, publications, and social media. Today you will spend time treating yourself as you would any product in an exploratory marketing meeting. You will do some research first and then choose the colors that best represent you as an artist, the font or fonts that you think are “you,” any images that specifically speak to your brand, and any other things that might be relevant to how you want to present yourself.

This may seem like an insignificant detail (“I just want to sing well and be on Broadway. Why am I spending my time choosing a font for my résumé?” you might say.) First, you have already chosen a font. Well, a font has been chosen for you. If you have a résumé, a website, or any kind of other presence online where you have written any text, you have a font. You just probably didn’t intentionally choose it. Hopefully, this book will continue to help you be purposeful about even the small decisions that you make when it comes to your artistry. And, once you choose the look of your materials, you don’t need to continue to choose every time you create a new piece of marketing material, update your website, or send out an e-mail update to your list of contacts (we’ll talk about that in the next chapter).

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY. . . .

I created a Pinterest board for my writer’s brand that helped me immensely. I just started compiling pictures of things that made me happy and that I felt were relevant to what I was creating. Eventually, a theme emerged, and I went from there. You can create a Pinterest board, a vision board, or go to Home Depot and gather paint sample cards—whatever works for you. Remember, your choices and your brand will change over time, but if you know who you are and what you’re presenting to the world, you’ll definitely be ahead of the game. Once you start to consider your style and pay attention to your preferences, most people find that it’s actually fun. So let’s have fun and make some decisions.

Your colors:	________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________
Secondary colors:	________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________
Your font:	________________________________
Alternative font:	________________________________

Overall vibe of your materials:

(Example: Gothic graphic novel feel—black and white, with orange accents and letters that drip off the page)

_____________________________________________________

DAY 5

You’ve defined your style. Now you need to apply your ideas to your materials. Your website, your résumé, your business cards, your social media, and everything in between should tell the world who you are at first glance. If you don’t yet have a résumé, business cards, or a website, that’s great. You can start from scratch and create something awesome. If you do already have materials out there, list below the things that you have that you would like to update to reflect your redefined brand.

1. _____________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________________

5. _____________________________________________________

Now set a time line for updating the materials above:

1. _______________ will be updated by ___________________.

2. _______________ will be updated by ___________________.

3. _______________ will be updated by ___________________.

4. _______________ will be updated by ___________________.

5. _______________ will be updated by ___________________.

Finally, set an alarm in your phone or an appointment in your calendar for the dates listed above to make sure that you’ve followed through.

Defining your style may seem like a superficial product of today’s follower-driven society. In some ways, it is. But it is a necessary step that every artist should take because, whether you have chosen it or not, you already have a style. Why not be purposeful about making sure that what you are putting out into the world is reflecting the true you? When people slap a “brand” on themselves that is incongruous with their true essence, we all can sense that it is not genuine. If you take time to be thoughtful about expressing your true self, you will be one step ahead of most artists.

NOTE

1. Merriam Webster, s.v. “brand,” accessed October 11, 2019, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brand.