Every quarter, I like to do an episode on the podcast (and a blog post) where I answer questions from members of the Brand Your Passion Collective.

In this Q&A, I'm answering 6 questions around building your brand offline, what motivates me daily, where I find inspiration, how I switch off from work, and my approach to handling burnout, plus a fun question at the end! These are real questions from real creatives in our community with practical answers you can use today.

Here are your questions answered!

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It’s Q&A time!

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Question 1:

"With branding offline, what does that look like for other creatives? I understand the importance of social media, having a newsletter, etc., but what about in real life? How do people extend their reach outside of the internet?"‍

I think the key thing with any kind of marketing is it's all about connecting with other people. So whether you're thinking about online or offline, it's like, how can I build these networks that I have, these connections that I have, this audience, this community, how can I grow my connections and grow my community?

Let me share with you a bunch of things I’ve learned along the way and that other real-life artists have shared with me on the podcast, and hopefully they will spark some ideas for you!

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Collaborating with Other Artists

Whether it's a combined exhibition, an event you put on together, a workshop, you work on a collection together, or you promote each other's online things, collaborating with other artists is a great way to maximize and increase your reach.

You get your work in front of their audience and they get their work in front of your audience, so it's beneficial for both of you.

People love to see other people working together, what you’re creating together, and the behind the scenes of how you're collaborating.

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Event-Based Strategies

The next few are all really about events, so you can combine them all. We have attending events, speaking at events, and hosting your very own events.

Attending events is the easiest one out of all of these. I mean it's not super easy 'cause you have to go and introduce yourself to people and all of that stuff, but attending events is a perfect way to meet new people, to grow your community, to connect with other creatives, to talk about your work, to hear about other people's work, talk about collaborations, and maybe meet a new client or customer.

Speaking at events is also a great option because it gets you in front of everybody as the somewhat centre of attention. Whether you’re the keynote speaker or you're on a panel, it’s a great idea because you are going to be able to specifically talk about your work, your story, and your brand. So keep an eye out for speaking events and reach out and say, "Hey, are you looking for speakers? I can talk about XYZ. I'd love to be a part of this event!"

Hosting your own events - if the first two options don’t tickle your fancy, you can host your own events. You could do a workshop, you could do a more hands-on crafting workshop, you could teach people something about how you run your business or a skill that they can do, or you could do a networking event. There are really unlimited ideas for your own events!

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Markets and Conventions

Related to events are markets or conventions. Places where you can physically showcase your work for people in the flesh. Whether it’s a local event where you live, or at a big convention in your country or someone else in the world - you can reach a whole new audience! People from all over come to these events and will hopefully discover your work.

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Coworking Spaces or Studio Spaces

These are great for so many reasons! You get to meet new people and connect with people who can help you with your business, and cheer you on so you don't feel so alone as a creative. I did this for many years in a shared studio and it was amazing! I've met some of my best friends there and I've met people who I've worked with, and collaborated with. So many great things came from working in coworking studio spaces!

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Local Shop Partnerships

You could put flyers or business cards or any kind of information about your business into local shops. There might be local creative shops or local shops that are adjacent to creative things that you could ask if you can put something in their store that tells people about your work, about the products that you make, and the services you have. I would think about where do my people go in my local community? Where do they hang out? Where do they shop? Where do they spend time? And could I reach out to those people or go in and talk to them and say, "Hey, could I put a poster up or could I leave you a flyer or a business card?"

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Connecting with Potential Wholesalers

Wholesale is a great way to get your work in front of a whole group of new people because people will be coming into those shops and browsing and looking at stuff, and hopefully discover your work and buy it!

Scout out what shops are around in your local area or outside of your local area that you really want to be in. And then you can go and talk to those people, go and connect with them, go and talk to them about selling your stuff in their shop.

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What you can do:

• Collaborate with other artists on exhibitions, events, or collections
• Attend local events to network and meet potential clients
• Reach out to event organizers about speaking opportunities
• Host your own workshops, talks, or networking events
• Apply for tables at markets and conventions
• Join coworking spaces or shared studios
• Partner with local shops to display your information
• Research and connect with potential wholesale partners

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Question 2:

"What gets you out of bed in the morning?"

I struggle sometimes mostly because I'm not a morning person. I'm a sleepy girly and I love to be in bed. However, there are two things that do get me out of bed.

Number one is that I just love to create, and it sounds really simple, but I'm sure all of you listening being artists and makers and creatives will understand this. I was made to create. It's what I'm meant to be doing. And when I'm not being creative, I literally don't feel like myself and I don't feel like I am living.

So I wake up every day because I'm excited to create something and to see what I am going to create that day. Am I going to create some amazing content? Am I going to help someone else create something? Am I going to write an amazing email? What am I going to create?

Right now, the way I create is through the content that I make and through how I help all of you and the brands that I help design. I just get excited about what I'm going to create today and the fact that I get to wake up and create something, like how cool is that?

The second thing that gets me out of bed is my vision to make the world a more creative place, one brand at a time. That's a simplified version of everything that I'm passionate about, which is the power of creativity. I believe so truly, deeply, madly in how powerful creativity is. It's powerful for us, the artists. It's powerful for the people who engage with our art. It's powerful for society. It's powerful for the world. It starts conversations, it brings people together. It helps people feel seen. It's cathartic for the creative.

I get up every day because I want to help all of you to be more creative so that you get to experience all of that magic. You get to create, you get to feel that catharsis of creating. You get to do what you love. And also the result of that is that the world gets more creativity, which we need so deeply.

Those are the two things, AND a really good cup of Yorkshire tea that will get me out of bed too.

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Question 3:

"How do you find inspiration for new ideas?"

I think that my best ideas often come when I am not working. I’ll be in the shower, out for a walk, or reading a book. Pretty much, anytime I try to concentrate on something that's not work, that's usually when I get my best ideas. I think it's because that's when my brain can shut off and leave room for new ideas.

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Giving my brain space for new ideas helps me find new inspiration.

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I also bring external ideas into my brain. That often comes from listening to podcasts or reading books. However, I try to be careful with that because I don't want to overload myself with what everybody else is doing and how they’re doing things because I can get very overwhelmed and fall into the trap of comparison so I'm very selective about how that happens and the ways that I seek external ideas and inspiration.

But it's usually like listening to a podcast or reading a book will help me to be like, "Oh, okay. That's an interesting thing. That's an interesting way of doing things."  So could I do something with that in my business or with my creativity that’s similar but different?

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What you can do:

• Give your brain space by doing non-work activities like showering, walking, or reading
• Selectively consume external content like podcasts and books
• Be mindful not to overwhelm yourself with too much input
• Look for interesting approaches you could adapt to your own work
• Avoid comparison traps by being selective about what you consume

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Question 4:

"How do you switch off?"

There are a couple of ways that I switch from work mode to chill out mode.

Number one is that I try to not work in the evenings or weekends. This is very personal to different people, but I find that I need to set boundaries with myself on when I'm working to allow my brain to switch off because otherwise it will never switch off. And that's how I get overwhelmed and burnt out and exhausted is by not giving my brain the space that it needs to relax and switch off.

It also takes a while for my brain to shut off. If I don't give myself the whole weekend or I don't take off a longer period of time, every now and then, my brain gets really built up with too much stuff and it's hard to switch off. In saying that, there are busy seasons of life and business where I might jump on the computer to get some work done on weekends or evenings. However, I try not to as much as I can.

I also set time aside for time off throughout the year. At the beginning of the year, I put in any vacations that I know I'm going to have, but also time off to just do nothing. I try to have at least a week off every quarter, whether that's to go on a holiday or to sit at home and do nothing.

I also set boundaries with my phone to the point that I have apps on my phone that stop me from using certain apps. So sometimes I'll be like, "Oh, I want to show you this video," and then I'm like, "No, I can't because I'm locked out of TikTok right now." And that's a good thing. So I try to put systems in place with my phone so that I'm not switched on to work or marketing or social media all of the damn time.

And also getting everything out of my head somehow which is usually either on paper, in my journal, in Notion, or the Notes app. Anything I can do to get things out of my brain and onto somewhere else helps me to switch off because I'm not holding all of that stuff in my brain. I'm letting it go and I can come back to it later, right? I know where it is, I know where to find it.

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What you can do:

• Try not to work in the evenings or weekends
• Set time aside for time off throughout the year (aim for at least a week every quarter)
• Use apps to set boundaries with your phone and social media
• Get everything out of your head - use journals, Notion, or notes apps
• Give your brain longer periods to truly switch off and reset

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Question 5:

"What do you do to unwind and relax?"

I am a cosy, crafty girly so I try to do lots of things within those veins. I spend time with my partner, playing cosy video games on my Switch curled up on the couch, hiking with friend, reading fantasy books, sewing, knitting, and baking. Those are my main ways to unwind, relax and that I find comfort in outside of my business.

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Question 6:

"How do you cope with burnout?"

Burnout is something that I definitely have and continue to experience and not something that I haven't solved or mastered just yet.

The thing is, I love my job and I love what I do so it's really easy for me to go a bit too hard on my job and then find myself a little bit burnt out. But over the years, I have found many things to help when I do find myself in that “burnout” stage.

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1. Recognize What's Happening

This is way easier said than done. Like, "Oh, why am I feeling all of these things? Why is this feeling really hard? Why am I really tired? Why am I not excited about this?".

All of these questions that come up when you feel burnt out and the hardest thing to do in that moment is go, "I think I'm burnt out actually." That can be really difficult, but I think that's the most important first step, saying to yourself "Okay. What's happening right now is that I'm burnt out. I'm overwhelmed, I'm exhausted, I am tired." And then I can move onto the next important step…

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2. Give Myself Grace

Just because I'm feeling burnt out doesn't mean that I have done anything wrong, that I haven't done anything right enough, that I am bad at business, that I'm a bad creative, that I'm a bad partner, human, coach. I haven't done anything wrong. I haven't failed in any way. It has just happened, like things have built up and occurred and continued to happen that have meant that I am now burnt out. It's not good, but it doesn't help to blame yourself for getting to that point.

If you are feeling burnt out, here's your reminder: It's not your fault. You haven't done anything wrong. You are doing your best and giving your business all that you have, which is incredible.

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3. Figure Out Why It's Happened

Why have I got to this point? What has occurred that has meant I've reached this point? And oftentimes, I find these answers when I journal. Every weekday morning, I write down this stream of consciousness of what I'm feeling, what's going on, what I need to work on, what's in my brain.

Is it because I've taken on too many clients? Have I set the wrong deadlines? Have I agreed to too many things? Do I have lots of life things happening at the moment? What has occurred that has led to that point?

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4. Reset Systems and Boundaries

Once I've outlined that and got some clarity, I then try and figure out what I can do to change it.

Maybe it's about resetting some systems, boundaries, or routines that have probably slipped, and that's why I've got to that point. Usually for me it's like I've been working way too late or way too much. So I'm working in the evenings and the weekends, and that's usually down to I have a lot of people-pleasing tendencies. I want to do the best job that I can. I want to hit these deadlines and be as fast as I possibly can and I love to work.

Can I reset some deadlines? Can I put a limit on how many clients I take on in the future? Can I reset those boundaries with myself for not working late? Can I make sure that I have time put in my calendar or blocked out to do other things to have a break?

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5. Focus on Little Things That Bring Joy

Even if I am feeling burnt out, I'm feeling exhausted, I'm feeling tired, I can still try to start focusing on and remembering to do those little things that bring me joy. So I’m still working hard but I’m stopping in the afternoon and having a cup of tea and a little treat, or going out to work at a cafe. So I still get to do my job and I still get to do what I love, but I also get to go somewhere fun and new and eat something YUM. Or coworking with my friends. So again, still working, but I get to see my friends.

Just little things like that actually will make a really big difference because I’m doing the fun things that make it feel a lot more enjoyable.

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6. Getting Help

From my partner, my friends, my other creatives around me, just talking about it, asking for help, saying "I feel really overwhelmed right now. Can we do this on the weekend? Can I talk to you about this?" Or my assistant being like, "Can you help me with these things because I'm feeling really busy right now." However you can get some help, whether that's just talking or getting support or just getting help from the people around you.

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What you can do:

• Recognize and acknowledge when you're experiencing burnout
• Give yourself grace - it's not your fault and you haven't failed
• Journal to figure out what led to this point
• Reset systems, boundaries, and routines that may have slipped
• Focus on little things that bring you joy throughout your day
• Ask for help from partners, friends, assistants, or other creatives around you

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To wrap things up, here's a light-hearted question I just had to answer!

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Question 7:

"What is your favourite Pokémon?"

My favourite Pokémon is Bulbasaur! I know he's a little bit basic, but I love him. He's very cute and he just makes me really happy. I actually am really torn between the starters. I love Pikachu, also love Charmander. I'm a very basic girly, but I don't care. Bulbasaur's the best!

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Want to ask me questions for future episodes? Join the Brand Your Passion Collective! We have courses, an amazing community of creatives, and it's a great way to connect with other people and grow your audience.