Shaping my brand story as a writer, with Sarah Robertson

A free challenge that helps to get to the heart of your business.

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Dec 09, 2023

Last year, I connected with Sarah online, and since then we have followed each other’s work and words, in a companionship sort of way, where support is the core element. I was instantly captivated with Sarah’s approach to work, a gentle, slow and seasonal way, that is both nurturing and inspiring. So, when an email ticked in, with Shape Your Brand Story in the subject line, I was my best version of curious.

Before introducing you to the challenge and sharing my learnings, I want to introduce Sarah, and let you know why I am doing this.

Sarah Robertson

is the brand designer and creative mentor behind These Are the Days, who helps independent businesses develop their own voice and story. Sarah’s guidance is gentle, nurturing, and what I would define as a bit of magic. This magic is possible because there is space for it, with this gentle way of creating and bringing a personal voice to your business. This is also reflected in her thoughtful and nurturing pieces on

Brand Seasons

that soothe the slow souls, creating inpiration for those who need a slower work pace, myself included.

So, how is this something for me?

I have always had a hard time with self-worth, and this has definitively been a contributing factor for burning out. My dream of slowing down, become more emotionally sustainable, and finding a balance with work, has been growing. Maybe drawing from these examples, like Sarah’s, that show us that it is possible to work gently. This challenge became the perfect occasion to explore that dream, to create a foundation for my brand as a writer.

This comes at a time, where I am investing more time writing here, on Substack, while I slowly finish my poetry collection, which I have been working on for the last few years. I hope it becomes a book in the near future, hopefully next year.

My aim is to know what and who this writer is. What do I stand for as writer? And so, Sarah’s challenge went from inviting, to becoming the means to a growth process.

Shape Your Brand Story

— by Sarah Robertson

Sarah divides the challenge into three parts, Vision, Values and Voice, which spreads out over three weeks. In each section, Sarah shares her experience and asks meaningful questions, that helps you create your story, your brand story. At the end, you will have covered both the why and the how, but also what makes your brand you.

I suggest you have a notebook at hand, there will most likely be something that sparks new ideas, that you don’t want to forget.

This started as an autumnal challenge, but Sarah has made into an opportunity you can do whenever you need it.

Vision

Your Brand Vision stems from your 'why'.
Why does your business exist? Why are you starting this project? Why is your creative practice important to you? This 'why' is about beliefs and ideals, a vital part of your story.

So, to find the why, I wanted to find the start. When did I trully start writing poetry as an adult, and it was actually in Scotland, on a solo trip, deep in the highlands. It was there that I wrote my first poem, about 6 years ago. It was about belonging, feeling at home, having the space to feel myself, and it was inspired by wilderness and the freedom I felt. Since then, I have probably written 500 poems, some for myself, some to be included in my book, and others were a necessary outlet.

I have always been a person with many feelings, and poetry allowed me to put it in writing. I think the importance of sharing these feelings in writing is to allow others the space to do the same, to normalise you are so sensitive and make it a compliment, instead of criticism. Perhaps, equally for myself, as it’s a narrative I am trying to move away from. Also, to support and empower, something I felt was missing in my teenage years, when my feelings where always too much and it made me feel lonely.

Around the time I wrote my first poems, I remember writing down that my goal for my book was that if someone read it, and they felt comforted by even only by one poem, I would have fulfilled me goal. When I broaden this, to what I am writing on Substack, I think I would like my writing to feel honest and authentic, natural and seasonal, like a home, where you are always welcome and safe.

And so, I reached the final step in this chapter, a vision board. I opted for a digital one for now. If you’d like to know more on how to do one, read about Sarah’s guide to vision boarding.

Values

Brand values are the beliefs that influence your actions and the ideals that give meaning to your brand. These are backed up by guiding principles, which describe ‘how’ you fulfil these values.

On the second week, Sarah prompted to find my values. What does Nadja stand for?, I thought. Whatever company I own, book I write, service I provide, it should align with who I am. And so, the words authentic and honest (aligned with the last chapter), respect, and tender came out.

Authentic and honest, because I will only share what is part of me and what I believe and know.
Respect because having regard to other people’s (and your own) feelings and wishes, is truly important.
Lastly, I believe that tender is the way forward, making space for all of us, without assumptions and with kindness.

From others, I would like that my writing brand can be described as approachable, balanced, thoughful and familiar.

I jotted a few other words down, that were meaningful to me:

Voice

Your brand voice is YOUR unique tone and style. It's "how" you share and tell your story - the flow of your words, language and personality rolled into one.

This made me think about how my voice changes with mood, depending on the language I am speaking (poliglot here), or whom I am speaking to. This lead me to think about how my spoken voice can differ from me written one.

As Sarah unfolds this last chapter, I had to think about what language resonates with my readers, and it is without a doubt when it is heartfelt, personal and honest. It is when I tap into that depth, that my writing becomes relatable and valuable to read. It is also when I write things that I enjoy writing about that I get better results and feedback. Authenticity and personal joy melted into one. Being nothing more or less than yourself. The cliché just be yourself start to make sense. Thanks, Sarah!

Then, I was asked to find works related to my values, to create a word bank. It started with a word for each, and soon after a first wave, followed by a second one, which resulted in this:

Authentic and honest: reliable, trustworthy, reality, belief, identity as an empath, seasonal, genuine, acceptance, dreams, life, nature, courage, feelings.
Respect: acknowledge, space for difference, individuality, openness, thoughtfulness, attentiveness, compassion, fair, narrative, boundaries, inclusion, gut feelings.
Tender: familiar, strength, nostalgia, approachable, gentle, kind, slow, magic, stories, warmth, balance, human glow, nostalgia, towards inner voice.

Create phrases and messages: use your values and your word choices to begin developing a common vocabulary. You could focus on a tagline, your bio for social media plus a few brand phrases that you can thread into content to reinforce the messages you want to share.

I am still crafting my messages, as I continue the journey that Sarah ignited. Most times, I need ideas to sit for a while, and suddenly they get mapped in my mind. This is the stage I am in now, and what a lovely feeling it is. I tell myself ‘I trust the words will come when they are ready’.

This last chapter, tied the bow on the last two. Unconsciously, I ended up adding layers after layers from the first to the third chapter, until these words are embedded in my language.

As I finish this challenge, I feel like I have a lot of words and feelings I can convert into a base of what I want to convey. As I develop this brand, I can continue to add on, and complete some of the questions that went unanswered, as I realise this is a process and I am still in the early stages.

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This is for you, if you have
… an idea you want to explore
… a business and need a refresh on values and brand
… a personal brand you want to cement
… don’t have any of the above, but want to reconnect with you values and be creative