Confessions of a Photo Newb: Branding

I have a multi-faceted purpose for this discussion. So please bear with me. The biggest moitivation to 'confess' is so that someone else who may come across this, a fellow newb, they could find it useful.

Branding & Website: I've probably changed my watermarks, my logos, my website look and feel... like five-six times in the past year and a half. I havent' found anything that I am absolutely in LOVE with. I have felt inconsistent and... kind of thinking, "If I don't take my brand seriously, my viewers won't either!" So I sat down for... a good six months just thinking about what I wanted to offer, what I wanted to portray, and the character I was putting out into the world.

I asked Becker on AskDane, if his brand stayed true to his first vision, or if it had evolved. I am SO glad to hear that it was an evolution. Because... I have felt like... maybe I am not as committed to this biz because I haven't made a decision I could stick with. (Haha, is my logic clear here, or was it just me?)

I read books. Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk, Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel, and I am currently reading Linchpin by Seth Godin. Talk about inspiration.

Personal Brand: More than a logo. More than a website. More than the look and feel. It's all about who you are and what you bring to the table. When I say Jessica Claire, what do you think of? SHOOTSAC! Wear your lenses! (Not like I've ever met her, but I would venture out to say, she probably has an awesome shoe collection, because she is thinking about girls like me who are tired of that bulky black camera bag.)

I changed my 'look' and 'logo' so much because I was so focused on what I wanted to LOOK like to people. It wasn't until recently that I thought about what I wanted to OFFER people. What I bring to the table that sets me apart from others.

My Mission: For half a year I stopped taking clients and stopped promoting myself because I knew that I wanted to offer more, and much, much better. I knew that i hadn't invested my time in refining my craft and understanding the industry.

I initially did a VLOG about it..

My Brand: I hope that potential clients see honesty, integrity, and passion in my work. That they see I didn't just pick up a camera and called myself a photographer. Abigail Adams said, "Learning isn't attained by chance. It is sought for with great ardor and dilligence." I hope that I have lived that.

Fellow Newbies, take a look at yourselves and your motives. Look at what you want to offer the world. Don't bank on your talent and forget about the ardor and dilligence that goes into the equation too. Develop a personal brand that you are proud of. Remember that it is a process, you can evolve.

Well this has been long. But I did say 'confessions.'

Have a blessed day everyone!!!

Let me know some of your confessions, mistakes as a newb, lessons learned, etc.