Autumn is a good time for career invention. But that doesn’t mean you should.
After the searing heat of summer, autumn has finally arrived: hooray! But while the weather might be more relaxed, a lot of us are getting itchy feet. One anonymous creative writes: “Every September, without fail, I get the itch to reinvent myself.
“It’s the back-to-school feeling, I think,” they continue. “New pencil case energy. But this year it’s hit harder than ever. I’ve spent the past week sketching a new portfolio, rewriting my bio, even toying with a new name for my whole practice.
“Part of it feels properly exciting. My style has been shifting all year, and the work I want to make doesn’t quite match the work I’m known for. Maybe this is the moment to commit. But another part of me wonders what I’m actually doing. Things have been slower than I’d like, and a rebrand is a lovely, absorbing project that conveniently isn’t pitching, or emailing art directors, or doing any of the scary stuff. It feels productive. I’m just not sure it is.”
So how do you tell the difference? Is rebranding yourself a good use of your time, or just a way to feel in control, in a world that feels out of control? To hear a range of perspectives, we asked our community via Instagram and The Studio, our own free-to-join private network. We share some of their best pieces of advice below.
Examine your motives
The question of whether to rebrand yourself is a dilemma that hits home every autumn for fantasy author and creative advisor Samantha Garner. “The New Pencil Case Energy is always so strong!” she exclaims. “Over the years, though, I’ve had to ask myself, am I reinventing towards something, or away from something like boredom, anxiety or FOMO? And will reinventing actually solve any of the issues I think it will? Sometimes big change helps, but more often than not I’m just being distracted by something shiny.”
For Samantha, the key question is this. “Are you moving towards a new direction because you’ve evolved and your old positioning no longer fits? Or are you running away from something that feels scary?”
Caroline Addison, founder of England’s North, adds a further note of caution. “There’s loads of research that shows creatives get bored of their brand long before other people do,” she says. “Just look at how many rebrands have been reversed!”
It’s a fair point. You might be sick of your branding, but much of your audience might only have just encountered it. Even if they haven’t, they might love it anyway. In that case, changing it overnight might mean losing the attention of the one person who’s about to offer your work.
So ask yourself honestly: what makes you think your branding isn’t working anymore? If there’s a clear, identifiable reason, fine. If not, then why mess with what works?
The experimental approach
Let’s assume you have a clear reason to rebrand. Maybe the initial branding was rushed, when you got bundled out of a job and flung into freelance, and had to launch something super-quickly. Or maybe you’ve recently added new skills to your resume, specialised in a particular sector, or pivoted to a different career entirely.
At this point, you may have a clear need to rebrand. But you still don’t want to alienate or lose your existing clients, followers and audience. In which case, maybe you just need to take a more subtle approach: a refresh rather than a rebrand.
As creative director and consultant Paul Leon notes: “There’s rebranding and there’s rebranding. You don’t have to rebuild the house when you get antsy: you could redecorate the interior, buy some new furniture, change up your art, or move things around to get them in the best places. It’s not always about tearing out the foundations. Sometimes you have to build, support and tweak what you have.”
Samantha has a framework for this. “If I really feel like evolving something, then I try to broaden the scale,” she explains. “Maybe I do something small like rewrite my bio now, but decide to spend the next few months trying out a new direction alongside my usual work. If I’m still excited about the new stuff after that time, then I take that as a sign that it’s something to pursue more deeply.”
Want to go further, faster? As artist and illustrator Paul Garland suggests, you could simply launch a secondary brand. “A pseudonym is always a good option if you’re worried about losing current clients,” he suggests. “Play and experiment, then promote it separately from your current named work, and see which generates the most interest.”
Ultimately, only you know whether now is the right time to revamp your personal brand or leave well alone. As multidisciplinary designer Rikki Janae puts it: “Either decision is a potential risk. You stay the same, you risk things slowing down. If you change, you risk losing some of your followers and clients.” Basically, you just have to choose and stick with it.
The important thing is: just be honest with yourself. And if that’s difficult, maybe try imagining yourself as an entirely separate person: a client asking for your input. What advice would you give to “them”? The answer will soon reveal itself.