What with all my websites (some of which have died and perhaps need resurrecting), blogs, MySpace and Facebook profiles, Linkedin blah blah blah - I've been thinking a lot about my personal brand - that is, the image of myself I want out there in the world. My work is increasingly online and while the primary way that clients still find me is through word of mouth, my online brand will become increasingly important. At the moment, it's all over the place - I was maintaining two identities (that aren't necessarily all that separate now): the professional one and the arty farty gay one. Why the separation and is it necessary? I've decided, no it's not especially as there's more crossover now, what were once my hobbies are now part of my career. The only thing that I balked at (for a millisecond) is the gay thing - some of my photographs have lesbian boobs in them after all! Then I thought, well, if a client or prospective employer has a problem with that, do I really want to work with them anyway? Hell no.
Web Worker Daily has some great posts on managing your online personal brand:
Eek! Back on the pointy end of the upper echelons of higher education for the first time in almost 10 years and hey, it feels OK so far. The only thing I think that may put me off is most of the students in my classes will be doing a Master of Commerce and the Marketing subjects are just a means to an end and not where their main focus is. I guess I kinda knew that would be the case anyways. Perhaps I should have gone for the evening class? More likelihood of Graduate Certificate in Marketing type peeps? Ah well, it's done now.
Forever on the scout for blogs authored by my sapphic sisters* I came across Les Keep it Real by Lyndsey D’Arcangelo and am particularly fond of her Notable Lesbians series.
Some I've heard of, some I haven't and it's all pretty fascinating. Here's the list so far:
- Amy Lawrence Lowell - Poet
- Lillian Parr - Football (soccer) player
- Barbara Gittings - Activist
- Audre Geraldine Lorde - Poet
- Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett Rainey - Blues Singer
- Anne Lister - Diarist
- Kathryn Ann “Kate” Fleming - Owner and executive producer at Cedar House Audio, an audio production company
- Margarethe “Grethe” Cammermeyer - Former colonel in the Washington National Guard and gay rights activist
- Charlotte Saunders Cushman - Actress
- Janis Ian - Songwriter, singer, multi-instrumental musician, columnist, and author
- Gertrude Stein - Writer
- Greta Garbo - Actress
- Mercedes de Acosta - Poet, playwright, costume designer, and socialite
*I've never known why we claim Sappho as the poster gal for lesbianism and use her name and the little Greek island she lived on do describe all things girl loving - she was bisexual after all.
I'm obviously disturbed. Which LOLcat are you?
31% Affectionate, 34% Excitable, 35% Hungry
You are a master of stealth. They never see you coming. But you always see them coming. HEY-O!Thanks Wombat Queen (I think)
Following on from the South Park self portrait, here's me in the Simpsons. Too much fun. Go over and make your own. And yes, my hair is purple now... I really must upload a pic.
I spied this advertising campaign for Taboo vodka from Portugal - I love the illustration and the simplicity of the work. The down side of the whole series though is it obviously caters to the male gaze and the male point of view.
