From 'Musings in Writing' to 'Moss & Amber'
Insight into changing my publication name, the process, elements + resources.
Dear you,
With September and the seasonal shift, something shifted in me as well. Autumn does that to me, it makes me feel abundant, capable, and creative. It is as I have all the answers without searching for them. This makes it the perfect time to do and act on something I have thought about for a while, changing the name of my publication.
For a long time, Musings in Writing suited my purpose as I discovered Substack, and found my way. However, it is not a name that reflects my writing, my brand. It’s not personal. I started the creative process behind this change, just to see if I would come up with a name that suited my purpose.
After mulling this over, I decided to ask the Substack community if it was wise, possible and welcomed any tips. I was met with a lot of positiveness, which made it easier to start dreaming. I would like to especially thank
, for advising me to involve you in this change, be transparent and explain, and , for her support on branding.And so, I want to introduce you moss & amber, the new name that aligns with who I am and what this publication is about. Tomorrow, I will make the official change, and the next letter will be updated accordingly. For now, I would like to take you through the process of how I found the name, and the resources I used.
The process
I wanted my brand here to feel soft, seasonal, natural and authentic, something that feels like home with candlelight or a walk in the woods. Gently so. I tried to structure myself around what I already knew and what I had already worked on, while paying close attention to my gut feeling.
1. Words & elements
As a first step, I decided to go to back to my brand work with the help of
’s Shape Your Story Brand challenge, which I shared in the below post last year. I was reminded of the path I wanted to go down.
I found again words of meaning to me, and used them as my northern star. I wrote down elements and words that meant something to me. This took some days, but they weren’t hard to find as I have been exploring this for my unpublished book too. I wrote down these words of comfort: meadow, seasons, olive, mist, moss, candle, fir and amber. And on a separate sheet, I mixed and coupled the words together. I had a list to start with. But was it complete?
2. Vision board
On
’s suggestion, I made a mood or vision board. It clarifies and inspires, and this was no different. As I lacked old magazines to clip in, I made use of Pinterest once more, and slowly created this board:
3. Research
I googled the words I had found above, to find their meaning and what they represented. It was important that, not only did I like the element or word, but that it stood for something that aligned with me and what I want to convey.
Amber symbolises protection, cleansing, and renewal. It also embodies an ancient energy and natural warmth. Since I was child, I have been occasionally roaming fields and beaches, to find a little piece of amber, which I have not (yet) found. It feels like I found it through my writing. It is present in my poetry and in the book I will publish (some practical things need to be in order first).
Fir has been connected to strength, constancy and immortality. I understand that, as I sense that kind of power when I set foot in a fir forest. Tall and reliable they stand. They remind me of my scandinavian roots, like birch.
Meadows are a symbol for tranquility, natural beauty and a sense of peace. As a seeker of peace and calm, this made perfect sense. I have always loved how the words feels when I say it, it feels mellow, like laying on the grass and feeling the freedom of doing nothing, while nature takes care of you.
Mist, in my mind, is connected to the mystic and magical. A metaphor for a veil, and in a way a reminded that you don’t have to see the whole picture to move forward. I see it as an eternal symbol for things we do not see, but we perhaps feel.
Moss represents renewal, resilience and the interconnectedness of all living things. This resonated with me, because it reminds of my childhood, of forests, of softness, but I also the representation of everything is interconnected. In hindsight, I see that things are woven together, as we create the tapestry that is our story. Things that happened 15 years ago, are braided with things today.
Olive symbolises peace and friendship, and it’s intertwined with my last name, as ‘oliveira’ means olive tree. I grew up along side olive trees, playing and resting in its calm shadow. We also had an ancient one by our first house. It felt like an obvious choice.
I had my list of possible names and now their meanings too, still unaware of my future choice.
4. Visualising + listening
I still couldn’t visualise the name, nor how to know it was the right one. I let it lay, occasionally opening my journal with the different name combinations.
As I browsed Pinterest, a few bookshop fronts came up and I had an idea. I asked myself “if I had a bookshop, what would I call it?”. I imagined all the different names in big letters on the front of a bookshop. This helped me untangle the longer names and make them shorter, more to the point.
I followed this with saying each name out loud, while listening to how it felt to say it and how it sounded. I went through the list a few times, and took a little break. On the last round, I could already hear that moss & amber was the one that filled me with glimmer. It was shorter, and the words really spoke to me, leaving magic on my lips and mind. It was decided.
I asked a friend what she thought, but in consciousness that I had the answer to this. She found moss & amber perfect too, confirming what I already knew, this was it.
5. Design
Lastly, I had to create a logo and headers that also felt like home. I really tried to honor my bookshop idea, as it felt right and cosy, as if each post was yet another book on my shelf.
I kept the font, which still was what I exactly wanted. I added the dark green for moss, while keeping the dusty yellow to symbolise amber. In some of the designs, I used linen as the backdrop, because it reflected this softness I wanted. After some days of crafting, testing, and letting it lay, I found what felt right:
Resources + tips
- ’s Shape Your Brand Story challenge + Substack .
Pinterest moodboarding.
Links: If your publication link + username also need to be changed, remember to fix all the possible broken links you might get. In my case, it was very easy, as my link consists of my name + substack.com.
Announcement: let your readers know your process by taking them on the journey with you.
Inform: In the weeks after, add a little note at the start of each post, to ease the transition and your readers to be able to find you.
I am looking forward to this new chapter, where I feel more like myself on here, with a name that feels like home, or a bookshop.
This is such a beautiful name which so wonderfully sums up all that you offer the community here ✨🍂
Oh I love this glimpse behind-the-scenes, Nadja! Just beautiful. And I’m delighted the Brand Seasons resources have supported you in some way. Excited for this change 💛