you are only what people think you are
your image is who you are.
maybe it's the palatable part of what you show off to the world; whether you're a company, or whether you're a person. it's your look, your swag, it's the sounds you make, the way you speak. in the most ideal situation, you'd even like to make people wonder how good you smell and feel. and maybe, after breaking down all those levels of intimacy, from sight to touch, you'd like to have the other person want to taste you so bad they couldn't help but want to moose lick you up the cheek.
i came to this revelation after watching the-dream in concert. sure, he's a damn good crooner and he's got good lyrics to back that up. but that's pretty much it. he is good. nothing super outstanding, like anyone who's vocally trained since they were 4 years old.
but what i noticed was the image he gave off. he's "the american dream" for god's sake! he's what your parents want you to be when you grow up!
his tracks have the flavor of prince. his lyrics, the real content of his music, are up to date with the regular rapperisms of today of "shawty", enough cuss words that you wouldn't take home to your mama, with a little irony thrown in of, "i luv your girl". and the wit, mixed with the prince-laced beats, gives him this image of bein' a down homie but a damn good lover. he's got swag, and he makes the ladies want to rip his clothes off and smell, touch, and taste him. and when you get past all that, he does have good musical content to back that all up.
so this is what made me think. how is this any different from branding for companies?
starbucks sells coffee. it's good coffee nonetheless, but the coffee itself isn't better than any other java joint around. but it had a goal: to be the best damn experience you can have while drinking a coffee. enjoy it and read the paper. use their wi-fi and lounge in their comfy seating. the art, the walls, the floors, the lighting, all gives a nice ambience to the place. this encourages people to stay there and stay awhile. and all the people there create a vibrant dynamic to the place.
now: is this covering up the coffee? no, it's enhancing the experience so that the drinker associates coffee with all of these good sensations that he gets when he opens the doors and walks inside. from sight to smell to taste, all of his senses are stimulated, and all in good ways.
so it just makes me think that to be successful in ourselves, you really just have to give off a certain persona. like, you have to be a good person. but you also have to have good content to back it up. i feel like everyone is a good person, though. but if you want to be noticed, if you want to go 'out of the box', if you want that edge, then you have to create some sort of image about yourself that portrays that. like the-dream does. i mean, if he looked like a dork, spitting his prince-laced raps, it would be a very confused image. this would probably be an image that just doesn't work. would he be as famous as he is today? doubtful.
as they say, you are only what people think you are. and i don't think it's bad at all. everyone puts off some sort of image. it's your job to make the best of it. embrace the idea that your image is everyone's first taste of who you really are. it's your job to create the persona that you want to give to the world.
you have a story that you want to tell? be it.
maybe it's the palatable part of what you show off to the world; whether you're a company, or whether you're a person. it's your look, your swag, it's the sounds you make, the way you speak. in the most ideal situation, you'd even like to make people wonder how good you smell and feel. and maybe, after breaking down all those levels of intimacy, from sight to touch, you'd like to have the other person want to taste you so bad they couldn't help but want to moose lick you up the cheek.
i came to this revelation after watching the-dream in concert. sure, he's a damn good crooner and he's got good lyrics to back that up. but that's pretty much it. he is good. nothing super outstanding, like anyone who's vocally trained since they were 4 years old.
but what i noticed was the image he gave off. he's "the american dream" for god's sake! he's what your parents want you to be when you grow up!
his tracks have the flavor of prince. his lyrics, the real content of his music, are up to date with the regular rapperisms of today of "shawty", enough cuss words that you wouldn't take home to your mama, with a little irony thrown in of, "i luv your girl". and the wit, mixed with the prince-laced beats, gives him this image of bein' a down homie but a damn good lover. he's got swag, and he makes the ladies want to rip his clothes off and smell, touch, and taste him. and when you get past all that, he does have good musical content to back that all up.
so this is what made me think. how is this any different from branding for companies?
starbucks sells coffee. it's good coffee nonetheless, but the coffee itself isn't better than any other java joint around. but it had a goal: to be the best damn experience you can have while drinking a coffee. enjoy it and read the paper. use their wi-fi and lounge in their comfy seating. the art, the walls, the floors, the lighting, all gives a nice ambience to the place. this encourages people to stay there and stay awhile. and all the people there create a vibrant dynamic to the place.
now: is this covering up the coffee? no, it's enhancing the experience so that the drinker associates coffee with all of these good sensations that he gets when he opens the doors and walks inside. from sight to smell to taste, all of his senses are stimulated, and all in good ways.
so it just makes me think that to be successful in ourselves, you really just have to give off a certain persona. like, you have to be a good person. but you also have to have good content to back it up. i feel like everyone is a good person, though. but if you want to be noticed, if you want to go 'out of the box', if you want that edge, then you have to create some sort of image about yourself that portrays that. like the-dream does. i mean, if he looked like a dork, spitting his prince-laced raps, it would be a very confused image. this would probably be an image that just doesn't work. would he be as famous as he is today? doubtful.
as they say, you are only what people think you are. and i don't think it's bad at all. everyone puts off some sort of image. it's your job to make the best of it. embrace the idea that your image is everyone's first taste of who you really are. it's your job to create the persona that you want to give to the world.
you have a story that you want to tell? be it.