If you are anything like me, you developed a love for performing early on. Maybe you did plays in school or danced with a studio, or had a wonderful local performing arts program. Perhaps you spent hours listening to the Beauty and the Beast Original Broadway Cast Recording, deciding which part you wanted to go for - and maybe you got that part! Or possibly you got a different role, but still had fun singing and dancing with your closest friends! Regardless, there was a time in your life when you decided you wanted to make a career out of this passion. At this point, maybe you were under the impression that you get into a theatre program somewhere near or far. You go there and train. You sharpen your skills - train your body, voice, and mind. Somewhere along the way, you are handed your type. Potentially, this information provides clarity - confirming the path you’ve been on your whole life - and propels you in the right direction. Maybe you’re a little more like me and the idea of type feels limiting. It forces you to accept that you are one thing and not another. You feel like you need to perform your type and make decisions based on things that aren’t under your control. I remember the stress and anxiety I felt, pulling songs out of my book that I loved to sing just because I thought they didn’t fit my type. It wasn’t until I started taking headshots regularly - working with so many different kinds of artists - that I found freedom in the idea of branding.

What is branding?

Branding, in my words, is the way we choose to market ourselves. It is a series of choices we make based on the place we want to hold in our chosen industry. The freeing thing about this concept is that it belongs to and is controlled by the artist, not the industry. Think about yourself. What makes you feel unique? What individual choices do you make about your style and art when left to your own devices? If you could revolve your whole personality around one aspect, what would it be? My approach to headshots is entirely about helping clients create work that is congruent with their personal branding goals. This is achieved through specificity.

How can I be specific in my branding?

In this industry, it is so easy to compare yourself to other artists. I’ve done it! It’s survival. Humans have been trained in pattern recognition since the dawn of time. It’s natural to look at another artist and see differences and similarities. However, it can easily become harmful when those thoughts turn into critiques like “I’m not unique. I don’t fit into a niche like this person does.” Try not to think of your branding in terms of anyone else. Instead, focus on being as detailed as possible about the components of your own personality and how they could be reflected in media. Maybe you’d like to be in comedy. That’s not specific enough. Maybe you’d like to be the weird comedic friend. We can do better! Maybe you’d like to be the weird comedic friend who has the crazy idea of stealing a teacher’s car, but isn’t sure if his friends would go along with it, so he proposed the idea in a kind of casual way even though he’s secretly fully prepared to commit to a full-on heist. That’s specific! There’s a story here. Author these stories for yourself, and think about how aspects from your own life - your clothes, accessories, interests, hobbies, etc - inform these types of stories. There is no one person for any role. No one has lived your life, and therefore the experiences you bring into a character will change the outcome every single time. If you are precise in your branding, not only will your next headshots become more specific and therefore more effective, but you’ll start to see patterns in the types of work you’re seen for - and you’ll feel really good about it because you were in the driver’s seat from the start!

How is this different from type?

For some artists, it may not be! Sometimes, people are perfectly comfortable taking control of a singular-destination career. They knew early on where they were going and feel empowered taking the wheel. Owning your branding doesn’t need to be a lane change or an entire overhaul. This industry has always been a “take what works and leave behind what doesn’t” kind of place for me and I would recommend that to anyone I come into contact with. However, if you’re like me and spent the ages of 17-23 only playing older father-type characters…. it’s a little tricky to know what to do with yourself when you first begin submitting for work. This is where the freedom of branding comes in. Focus on yourself. Who are you outside of your career? What role do you play in your friendships? At your survival job? In your family? Author stories around the person you already are and bring these stories to your headshot sessions. Soon enough, you’re building a brand for yourself that doesn’t hinge on booking work to gather information about who you are as an artist. And if you don’t like it, you can change it.

If you want to start thinking about your branding goals - start with your materials: headshots, website content, social media, any fun little side projects you do, and more. Have conversations with the people in your life! See what comes to mind when they think about you. Consider the media you consume. I find that we often are drawn to media in which we want to see ourselves reflected. Take an improv class! What do you know a lot about? What other types of characters might share this knowledge? And always feel free to phone a photographer! I offer free branding consultations as an opportunity to discuss goals and interests with my clients. Together, we can plan a shoot where you feel fully represented and in charge of the outcome.