Sometimes It Really is Black and White

I have a confession to make.  You may want to have a seat. Put your La Colmbe or Starbucks down (I do not want you to spill it and burn yourself ). Mute the TV and focus.
I, Ahyana King, in 2012 (the time of high definition plasma and flat screen color as large as you want it televisions) LOVE black and white movies.
Wow, it felt good to put that out there. Go ahead, pick up your coffee, but keep the TV on mute. I want your attention for just a few minutes.
I sincerely enjoy old black and white films. There are plenty of Saturday mornings that I wake up, make breakfast (I’m a sucker for chocolate chip pancakes), climb back into bed, and am watching some movie I happened upon on Turner Classic Movie channel. I am in total bliss. Part of what I love about these films is the glamour and the stateliness of the characters- especially the lead actress. Over and over again in these films there is that one scene when the lead actress walks into room, says nothing, yet all eyes are on her. She merely stands atop a staircase, enters a boutique, or walks through the door of a building’s lobby. She enters and her presence speaks for her. Inevitablely people either know who she is or are quickly trying to find out who she is. And again, she has said nothing. She just appears and commands respect and at a minimum,  curiosity.
Okay, so what does this have to do with being a creative independent?  Let me make the connection while you take another sip of your cup of whatever it is you’re sipping.
As I sat in a meeting last week discussing a trunk show partnership I was asked if my decision to come on board was a part of branding. I said it was a part of “re-branding”. I explained how I started Phreedum a few years ago and then took a year off to really fine tune the vision and mission of the business. I knew that this time around I wanted Phreedum to...have a presence. I wanted the name to precede the owner. I wanted a brand that when people heard the name, saw its products , read the blog, or attended LIVE events, knew exactly what the brand stood for and supported or they really wanted to know about the brand.  I wanted to create a business and be the business owner that when we (the brand and I) stepped into a room we have a presence that commands curiosity and respect and what’s on the about page of the website and social media pages is really what we’re about.
This week I just want to encourage you to ask yourself if you and your brand, or you and your current work, or just you, are commanding curiosity and respect.  Is your vision and mission (personally and professionally) lining up with your behaviors?  Do you have a presence? Can you say nothing yet command intrigue?
They say that your reputation precedes you.  If yours is preceding you, are you walking graciously behind it or chasing it before it has a chance to embarrass you?


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