Brand-Building Ins and Outs of 2024
The things I'm saying "no" to in 2024, and hope others do, too.
There’s this SNL skit I love—Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang join Weekend Update as two Trend Forecasters. They roll in clad in black and white costumes with bleach blonde hair and talk about the most insane, typically nonexistent, trends that are either “in” or “out” during the respective season.
My list of 2024 trends is kind of like that in the sense that none of these items are trends. They’re just things I’ve found myself doing or doing too much. It’s hard to say they’re “in” or “out.” But in my world, there are things that I’m trying to do more of (create! hold boundaries! be patient!) and there are some dirty habits I’ve developed that need to “Go to Bed, Bitch!”
OUT: Windows of Opportunity
I almost didn’t write this article. I thought, “This is a great idea, but it’s the second week of January and I missed my window.” I felt like I was too late to share anything relating to the new year because we are *checks watch* just over 200 hours into an 8784-hour year.
I can’t tell you how many ideas I’ve let go of with the mysterious *window of opportunity* serving as my scapegoat. It’s frustrating because the ideas keep lingering in my mind and some even wake me up at night. That’s probably because I still feel like I have something to say, to share, to create, but I didn’t do it because…why? Not enough people would see it? It wouldn’t go viral? It wouldn’t get traction?
This year, I’m saying goodbye to “I’m too late” and saying hello to doing it anyway.
I’m excited to join
on her Creative Compost Virtual FieldTrip through Creative Mornings to get some of these ideas and unfinished projects out of my mind!IN: I’m When I’m Supposed to Be
As a kid, my family would visit my grandparents in a suburb of a suburb of Cleveland a few times a year. Bright and early, my sisters and I would pile into the car. I would fall asleep as soon as I stretched across the backseat, but when we stopped for breakfast, I only had one thing on my mind. “How much longer?”
The drive was around six hours long and our only entertainment was a book (if you didn’t get car sick), a CD player, or each other. And that was not enough for me. All I wanted was to get there. It’s not like visiting my grandparents was that exciting, either. Though, it was fun to climb trees, ride bikes, and listen to my mom reminisce about her childhood in that tiny town. I just didn’t want to be in the car anymore.
So, from the backseat, I’d shout “How much longer?!” and my mom or dad would tell me that five minutes had passed since the last time I asked. We’d eventually arrive (I knew we were close once I saw the llama farms sprinkled across rural Ohio). Then three days later, we’d pile into the car and drive home and I’d continue to ask, “How much longer?”
This narrative still holds, especially as a brand strategist. I’m constantly asking myself to look forward, to plan, and to think ahead. But with that comes the inability to celebrate what’s happening right now. I don’t take the time to soak it in. I’m constantly thinking about what one, five, or ten years down the road looks like. So, this year, I’m adopting a mantra to keep myself present — I’m when I’m supposed to be.
No more rushing toward milestones that don’t mean anything. I’m done sprinting to the finish line just to start a new race. I’m taking time to focus on what’s happening now—in my work, in my life, in my community—and trying to let go of some of the anxiety that comes with what’s to come.