BRAND STORY CREATION |
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A brand story is more than just simple content. The brand story goes beyond what’s written in the copy on a website, the text in a brochure or the presentation used to pitch to investors or customers. It is the narrative that informs what your target market believes about you on an emotional level.
The story is a complete picture made up of facts, feelings and interpretations, which means that part of your story isn’t even told by you. Everything you do, each element of your business or brand, from the colors and texture of your logo and business card, to the staff you hire is an extension of your brand story and every element should reflect the truth about your brand back to your audience. If you want to build a successful, sustainable business and a brand that will inspire loyalty beyond reason, you have to start with your story.
Client: Mary Novak
Background Information
Mary approached me to help her with her personal story concerning her daughters' tragic death. I felt honored she asked me to help. The following article entitled the Art of Transition is designed to tell Mary's story in a simple direct way and tie that into the business she is working on. It is essentially her brand story. Mary is truly a strong person and I like to think working on this project together helped her heal.
“The Art of Transition”
In many ways, life is a series of transitions. Sometimes we glide through effortlessly, other times we become stuck and struggle to find the strength to let go and move forward.
While away at college studying for a nursing career, my daughter Lauren, struggling with issues of debilitating anxiety and deep depression, decided to take a break and return home to confront her many challenges. As part of the healing process she so badly needed, she found herself searching for ways to make sense of things and begin the process of recovery. In her search, she found this transition demanded that she and I, as both her mother and caregiver, find and adapt to new roles. Needless to say this was a difficult time for us both.
Then, as so often happens in life, things began to change when by chance she met Tony, an accomplished young artist. As a means of dealing with her many challenges, Tony suggested she explore a creative outlet.
So, Lauren, tentatively at first, started to paint and connect to the creative process – it seemed to spark a sense of purpose in her life. With each passing day, I could sense her growing passion and intensity; over a period of nine months, she produced some 20 images. I watched my daughter heal and grow as she painted her first pieces, ‘Chaos’ through her last ‘Orchid’. One by one, we found just the right resting spot in our home for each of her pieces. It seemed the act of creating these paintings enabled her to confront her fears and anxieties, empowering her to move beyond them.
Through this exploration of art, Lauren began to heal; she returned to college renewed and focused – ready to resume life and pursue her dream of becoming a nurse.
I thought we had made it through and the worst was over; however, shortly after returning to college, Lauren died tragically of an adverse reaction to her medication. Devastated, I found myself repeatedly wandering from room to room, and surrounded by her paintings, I began experiencing the sense of freedom she must have felt as she created her art. As I looked at the fractured circles, dancing intersections, and sensual images, I began to appreciate that these were expressions of Lauren letting go of her anxiety and depression and putting faith in the flow of life. Now, just as it did for her, her art was making it possible for me to transition through my grief and regain the much needed faith and courage I needed to move forward.
Launching “Art Transition” is allowing me to celebrate Lauren’s life by sharing with others her gentle, yet determined spirit. My hope is that her work will live on and serve as an inspiration to those who have either lost their own way or lost a loved one. Her powerful images serve to remind us all of the struggles we share in letting go of our fears and anxieties – both real and imagined – and enable us to live the life we dream of.
Artist’s Profile
Lauren Novak, an American artist, was born in Oakland, California; she made her home in Boston and Philadelphia and briefly studied abroad in Singapore and Europe. Her art stems from abstractionism, and is deeply influenced by the mysticism of the East, akin to painters such as Mark Tobey and Jackson Pollock. Her colorful works, sometimes strong, other times soft and ethereal, reveal a passion and sense of freedom that reflect the sensuality of life through organic forms and textures.
In 2004, Lauren Novak died tragically at the age of 21, but her art continues to be both recognized and collected.
Lauren’s Legacy
Lauren always had a keen interest in helping children in need, and in her name, 10% of all sales of her art will be given to those charitable organizations devoted to bettering the lives of children afflicted with anxiety and depressive disorders.