so you’re the
Creatress
YOU MIGHT HAVE KNOWN THIS ABOUT YOURSELF FOR AGES, OR IT COULD BE A TOTAL SURPRISE.
Either way, before we dig into the specifics of what this means for you and your business, I want to give you a quick overview of what an archetype actually is…
Woohoo! Good for you!
An archetype is universally familiar character or situation that transcends time, place, culture, gender and age. It represents an eternal truth.
- John Howard-Spink
“
Basically, an archetype is an element of the human experience that’s so universal, we all relate to it without even thinking.
These archetypes are deeply embedded in our psyches – so much so that we’re often not even aware that they’re influencing our thoughts and feelings.
A Brand Archetype?
That’s when you consciously anchor your brand to one of these deeply embedded universal themes.
AND WHY (THE HECK) WOULD WE DO THAT?
Well, when your brand is in alignment with who you are as a person – i.e. your true archetype – your business starts generating momentum and attracting customers on a level that previously seemed unattainable.
It’s also a way to get your brand to do all the heavy lifting for you – so that you can show up as your true self, and start making the kind of impact (and income) you want, without feeling like you’re pushing a big-ass boulder uphill.
So without further ado, LET’S DIVE INTO HOW TO MAKE YOUR BRAND ARCHETYPE WORK FOR YOU…
03
Your archetype is part of a family.
Your archetype does not define or limit you. Rather, it’s a lens that can help you better understand yourself and the people who are attracted to you and your work.
It can also help you avoid common challenges that may crop up, and help you feel less alone in your struggles.
02
There are HEAPS of different archetypes.
More than 60 in fact. But broadly speaking, they can be broken into 12 ‘families’ – The Adventuress, The Mischief Maker, The Lover, The Sage, The Alchemist, The Creatress, The Girl Next Door, The Queen, The Badass, The Heroine, The Pure Heart, and (of course) The Nurturer.
01
You can have more than one archetype.
In fact, most of us do. You’ll usually have one main archetype that serves as your primary category, then some secondary and tertiary ones. We’ll be delving into your primary archetype today.
A few quick facts…
What it
means
Creatress
to be
YOU’RE AT YOUR BEST WHEN:
You’re knee-deep in creation mode. You’re using your imagination. You’re engaged in non-linear thinking.
YOU’RE DRIVEN BY:
A deep-seated yearning to express yourself, to make things, to bring an idea to life, and to achieve outcomes.
YOU LIKE TO:
Be in environments that are aesthetically pleasing to you. Learn new skills. Think outside the… cubic parallelogram.
Famous CREATRESSESS
Elizabeth Gilbert
Author of Eat Pray Love (and, like, a bajillion other books)
Frida Kahlo
Mexican Painter and Visionary known for her Self-Portraits that deal with themes like identity, the human body, and death.
Shonda Rhimes
Creator of Grey’s Anatomy (and, like, a bajillion other TV shows)
Zoe Foster Blake
Author, Entrepreneur, Maker of many things
Betsey Johnson
American Fashion Designer best known for her feminine and whimsical designs.
The Creatress
as a business owner
ABOUT YOU, THE CREATRESS:
YOU’RE CREATIVE. (DUH!)
You want to put your own spin on everything. You enjoy pushing boundaries and reinventing stuff that others might not even notice.
YOU LIKE MAKING THINGS.
…Whether it’s something tangible (like books, art, code, websites, software) or something esoteric (like coming up with new ways of doing things or brainstorming new plans for the future).
The feeling you get from bringing an idea to life is like crack to you.
The flipside, though, is that if you spend too much time in non-creation mode – like doing admin, staring at spread sheets, or engaged in pointless meetings – you can start going a little crazy.
YOU HAVE LOADS OF IDEAS.
And many of them excite the pants off you.
But sometimes, having ‘all the ideas’ can be a burden – especially when you don’t know which one to choose or where to start. This can lead to frustration, and can leave you feeling powerless and ineffectual.
SOLUTIONS INCLUDE:
Understand that just because you’ve had an idea (even if it’s a fan-fricking-tastic one), doesn’t mean you have to take action on it straight away. Especially if it detracts from your current project.
Start a ‘Not for now’ list. Every time you get an idea that doesn’t fit within your current mission or schedule, capture it on a ‘not for now’ list, and revisit it later. Make peace with the fact that you can’t do everything at once.
Break your projects down into bite-sized chunks, and celebrate each time you tick one off your list. Building this sense of achievement and progress into your work patterns can help you stay focused on your current project.
YOU STRUGGLE WITH PERFECTIONISM.
Sometimes you can get frustrated that the work you’re doing doesn’t match the high standard you’ve set for yourself… so you struggle to get started, or you stop working altogether.
This can turn into a one-way ticket straight to Procrastination-Ville (with regular day trips to Sabotage City and Gloom Town).
TO AVOID THIS PITFALL:
Come back to YOU, and stop imagining how your work is going to be perceived by the world.
Build routine into your workday. Rather than waiting for inspiration to strike, develop the habit of sitting down at your desk at a certain time each day, even if you’re not quite “feeling it”.
Recognizing that people's reactions don't belong to you is the only sane way to create. If people enjoy what you've created, terrific. If people ignore what you've created, too bad. If people misunderstand what you've created, don't sweat it. And what if people absolutely hate what you've created? What if people attack you with savage vitriol, and insult your intelligence, and malign your motives, and drag your good name through the mud? Just smile sweetly and suggest - as politely as you possibly can - that they go make their own fucking art. Then stubbornly continue making yours.
- Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic
ABOUT YOUR PEOPLE:
Like moths to a flame…
The types of people who are organically drawn to you, as a creatress, value innovation, experimentation, authenticity and uniqueness.
What this means for you:
You’re allowed to have bold ideas. To do things differently. To buck the status quo.
It’s okay to be yourself in everything you do, because the right people will find that irresistible. (And those that don’t probably aren’t a great fit for you anyway.)
Try sharing some insights into ‘how the sausage is made’ (figuratively speaking, that is. Unless you actually do make sausages, in which case (1) yum, and (2) I mean it literally).
Close the Visibility Gap
KNOWING WHAT YOUR ARCHETYPE IS ALLOWS YOU TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOU’RE PERCEIVED BY OTHERS, HOW YOU CAN WORK WITH YOUR NATURAL TENDENCIES (NOT AGAINST THEM), AND HOW YOU CAN CREATE ALIGNMENT BETWEEN YOUR INNER TRUTH AND YOUR OUTER WORK.
ABOUT YOUR CREATRESS BRAND
How to weave the Creatress Archetype into your branding
The Copy
WORDS THAT WILL TURN YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS ON INCLUDE:
CREATIVE IMAGINATION INNOVATION INVENTION UNIQUE FREEDOM FRESH CURIOSITY INDIVIDUAL NON-CONFORMIST VISION IDEA INDEPENDENCE MASTERY GENIUS INTENSE EXPRESSION ARTISTIC INGENIOUS INSPIRATIONAL FERTILE VISIONARY ORIGINAL FRESH CRAFTSMANSHIP DESIRE PROWESS VALUE SKILLED AUTHENTICITY MAKER BEAUTY AESTHETIC
Sometimes a Creatress can be a little embarrassed to talk about their creativity – after all, it comes very naturally to you. But it doesn’t come easy to errybody, so don’t be afraid to weave the above words into your About page, your Home page, your bio… anywhere where people are looking to find out more about you (and by extension, themselves).
The Look
Adventure and authenticity are your (gooseberry) jam. And your community is craving those qualities from you.
So rather than seeking to follow trends, or imitating the looks you see online, take the time to delve within and figure out what genuinely resonates with you on a heart-and-gut level.
AS the creatress, YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF DRAWN TOWARDS LOOKS THAT UTILIZE:
The Feel
ie: The Customer Experience
A massive part of branding is how your customers feel whenever they interact with you – whether that’s through a random email, a visit to your website, or as a paying customer.
As a Creatress, the people who are attracted to you value uniqueness and individuality. So do everything you can to make the customer experience feel as personalized as possible.
THIS COULD INCLUDE THINGS LIKE:
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Creatress clients are drawn to the handmade, the considered, the one-of-a-kind. Generic templates are the opposite of your brand. Audit every automated touchpoint and ask: does this feel like it was made for someone? Your opt-in confirmation, welcome email, receipts, and invoices are all opportunities to show that you actually care about the person on the other end.
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A well-chosen gift does more than delight, it signals taste. Wrap up your client experience with something tactile and beautiful. A handmade card, a print, a piece of artwork, something that says "I made this with you in mind." Bonus points if it's something they'll display rather than tuck in a drawer.
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The Creatress client doesn't just buy a product or service, she collects experiences. Think about the ritual of working with you. Is your onboarding process beautiful? Does your client portal feel like stepping into a studio? Does the offboarding feel like the end of a creative collaboration rather than just a final invoice? Every stage is a canvas.
they also enjoy when you do something unexpected, like:
Customise the copy at every customer touch-point (i.e. not defaulting to the standard template offered by your Email Service Provider or website theme). Things to think about: Your opt-in box, confirmation email, welcome email, receipts, invoices, etc.
Send your audience a peek behind the process. A short video of your workspace, a photo of a project mid-creation, a voice note explaining why you made a particular choice. Creatress clients are deeply curious about the how. Give them a window into yours.
Now You Know:
What your True Brand Archetype is and why it’s so important to your online presence.
How to amplify your natural strengths (and avoid the common pitfalls that keep so many Sages stuck).
Why you’re motivated by some things… and totally turned off by others.
And how to use your archetype to ignite your brand and attract your ideal customers – specifically through how your website looks, what you say on it, and how you make your customers feel.
Your next steps…
let’s get
ARE YOUR READY TO STOP BEING EVERYONE’S best kept secret?
visible
(visible. we wanna get visible. Let's get into VISIBLE.)
CHAMPAGNE TASTE ON A BEER BUDGET?
Squarespace and Canva
Templates
Feminine Templates designed for Impact and Conversion.
Thank you so much for taking the
Brand Archetype Quiz!
Fist bumps to you, friend, for daring to play bigger, aim higher, and dig beneath the surface.
Over the coming weeks, I’m going to be popping into your inbox with more insights as to how to make your brand archetype work for you, so keep your eyes peeled!
‘Til next time,
- ELLISSA
