The Freak Show

050. Listen To This If You Keep Changing Your Branding Every Few Months

Episode 50, Troupe... FIFTY!! 🎉 We hit 1,000+ downloads, listeners in over 40 countries, and somehow, this little passion project became the marketing platform I've been most consistent with? So before we dive in, THANK YOU! None of this makes sense without you freaks on the other side. Now, let's talk about that itch... the one where you fall down a Pinterest rabbit hole, suddenly hate everything you've ever made, and start eyeing a completely new colour palette like it's going to change your life. I know a clean slate sounds really appealing, but if you keep finding yourself in love with new colours and fonts each month (perhaps each week), changing your look isn't the magic wand you think it is. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why the urge to rebrand is usually avoidance disguised as strategy ✦ The taste gap: and why it's making you hate your bran ✦ What happens to your brand recognition every time you start over ✦ The difference between an intentional rebrand and a shiny-object makeover ✦ How to know if it's time to actually rebrand TAKE THE STAGE Open your notes app and answer this honestly: What problem are you actually trying to solve by changing your brand? Is it a visibility problem? A messaging problem? A confidence problem? Write it down. Because until you name it, no new colour palette is gonna fix it. —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ THE EXTRAVAGANZA [https://www.flyingcolourscreative.com/extravaganza]: Show up online with a brand that looks as legit as the business you've already built. Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/flyingcolourscreative] ✦ Check out my Website [https://www.flyingcolourscreative.com/] ✦ Get my Uncaged [https://flyingcolourscreative.myflodesk.com/uncaged] emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 00:26 Episode 50 & 1,000+ Downloads! 01:51 Why Changing Your Visuals Isn't the Fix 04:13 The Taste Gap, Imposter Syndrome & Other Culprits 06:33 What Constantly Rebranding Actually Costs You 10:51 What Brands You Admire Do Differently 12:18 When a Rebrand Is Actually Worth It 15:12 Closing Thoughts & The Extravaganza

049. Cooking Up Controversy: Branding Hot Takes, with Aiza Cheung (Part 2)

Two brand designers discussing design hot takes? That’s what I call a front-row-worthy show! Aiza, from Studio Coya, & I got together to discuss 6 different opinions we see clowning around the online business space, and spoiler: you’ll hear “it depends…” A LOT. You’ll want to tune into Part 1 on Nourish Your Brand to get the full spectacle, and in this second part, you’ll hear why playful doesn’t mean “childish”, how to use colour as a tool, and why your social media doesn’t need to be either 100% curated Canva carousel or random photo dumps. As always, we believe the real answers are a more nuanced (and much less one-toned) than we’ve all been led to believe. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ How premium brands can absolutely still be playful, colourful & fun ✦ The problem with “professional” being code for beige, bland & personality-free ✦ When colour psychology becomes marketing fluff ✦ Why branded social media templates still matter (when they actually support your content) —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ Listen to part 1 [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5YNXSucCxuLqDpVwxhga3u?si=8b0661c0b60f49ac] on Aiza’s podcast [https://open.spotify.com/show/4b7J0LJxNBe3Ct6NJtVUCx?si=0662688fe55e4bd2]! Follow & Connect with Aiza: ✦ Follow her on ⁠Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/studiocoya/] ✦ Check out her Website [https://studiocoya.com/] ✦ Listen to the Nourish Your Brand [https://studiocoya.substack.com/] podcast Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/flyingcolourscreative] ✦ Check out my Website [https://www.flyingcolourscreative.com/] ✦ Get my Uncaged [https://flyingcolourscreative.myflodesk.com/uncaged] emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 00:46 Meet Aiza Cheung, from Studio Coya 01:59 Hot Take 1: “Premium Brands Shouldn't Be Playful & Fun” 13:19 Hot Take 2: “Colour Psychology’s Just Marketing Fluff” 26:55 Hot Take 3: “You Don't Need Branded Social Media Templates Anymore” 46:20 Closing Thoughts & Next Steps

048. The “Tortured Artist” Myth Is Sabotaging Your Creativity

Picture this: A sleep-deprived, mildly unhinged, misunderstood genius is surrounded by half-finished masterpieces with a dramatic cigarette in his hand. Locked away in a dimly lit studio, fuelled by heartbreak, existential dread, and maybe a questionable amount of red wine (or opioids). Bonus points: you dramatically stare out of a window waiting for a creative lightning bolt to hit you. Let’s be serious for a second. This whole “tortured artist” thing might sound just like any other ridiculous stereotype… but it’s also one of the most damaging beliefs STILL floating the online business space, even if you don’t see yourself as a creative. So we’re taking to Art History (I’m a Fine Arts graduate, after all) to understand how exactly this narrative shows up in your day-to-day as a service provider: — Questioning your ideas when they come “too easily” — Wearing all those late nights as a badge of honour — Pushing yourself to the edge to prove you care Plus, we can agree we should all stop romanticising burnout… right? SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ How the “tortured artist” stereotype was born in the Arts ✦ Why we romanticise burnout & where it shows up daily ✦ What this means for you (even you’re not a creative) ✦ The real reason you keep overworking & striving for more —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ Listen to “What The Art World Taught Me About Branding” for more Fine-Arts lore ✦ “BIG MAGIC [https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/books/big-magic/]: Creative Living Beyond Fear”, by Elizabeth Gilbert Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/flyingcolourscreative] ✦ Check out my Website [https://www.flyingcolourscreative.com/] ✦ Get my Uncaged [https://flyingcolourscreative.myflodesk.com/uncaged] emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 01:47 The “Tortured Artist” Stereotype That’s Still Alive, And Well 03:55 Art History Lesson, Brought To You By Van Gogh 05:37 Why It’s Easier To Romanticise Suffering Over Discipline 07:04 The Modern-Day Version: Burnout As a Badge Of Honour

047. How To Make Instagram Content Easier Without Overthinking, with Michelle Ong

“I look awkward on camera” “I don’t sound smart enough” “This looks terrible” “I’ll do it later” Yeah… familiar, right? Welcome to the content creation sh*t show: where nothing works as it’s supposed to, you’re constantly glued to your phone & end up feeling like full-time content creator / part-time business owner, and overall clown 🤡 You’ve been there. I’ve been there. Which is why I took a workshop called Spill The Stories back in October, to start to regain some control & confidence over ho I show in the platform that’s been my main lead-generator for the past 6 years. And you can’t even imagine my face of surprise when in this workshop I bought there’s a screenshot of my “Good mornin’” stories as an example of what good content looks like. Meanwhile I was sitting there thinking I was doing it all wrong?? So in this episode, I’m joined by Michelle from Hello Lemon (aka the queen of turning your not-so-boring everyday life into easy content and the host of said workshop) to talk about just how much we’re overthinking content creation — from how you look, to what you say, to whether your life is even “content-worthy” in the first place. Spoiler: it is. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why your normal life was never “too boring” to share ✦ There’s more to “free value” content than educational content ✦ How to think more like a creator to stop overthinking ✦ Finding the balance between low-lift vs. designed content —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ SPILL THE STORIES [https://hellolemonmedia.com/stories]: Make your Instagram Stories impossible to skip with a simple system and creative ideas. Follow & Connect with Michelle: ✦ Follow her on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/byhellolemon] ✦ Check out her Website [https://www.hellolemonmedia.com] Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/flyingcolourscreative] ✦ Check out my Website [https://www.flyingcolourscreative.com/] ✦ Get my Uncaged [https://flyingcolourscreative.myflodesk.com/uncaged] emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 02:28 Michelle’s Freak Show Audition 10:41 Why you think your life isn’t content-worthy 21:17 Thinking like a creator (instead of comparing yourself to them) 30:41 Low-lift vs. designed content & the Instagram grid debate 42:39 Navigating the messy middle of a rebrand 57:24 Online vs. offline: where your best ideas actually come from 01:05:24 Michelle’s Final Bow

046. Why Designing For “10 Years From Now” Is Holding You Back

“Why are designers so obsessed with timelessness?” This was the question Sarah Kleist [https://sarahkleist.com/] asked on her newsletter, which sparked this whole episode in the first place (yes, episode 017 Sarah Kleist). Did I feel slightly called out? Yes. Was I deeply intrigued? Also yes. ‘Cause listen: I’m the first to preach consistency. Recognition matters. Repetition matters. A brand only works if you actually use it. But I can also acknowledge that “timelessness” is the branding equivalent of being someone’s “good girl”… And you know how I feel about advice that’s served on a silver platter with a side of superiority. Besides, “timelessness” might’ve been how my Communication Design degree described a strong & durable visual identity. But they also based that analysis on case studies of big corporations and household name brands. YOU (and the clients I work with) are a creative service provider. A personal brand. An online business owner. A living, evolving human whose thinking sharpens, positioning shifts, prices rise & opinions get bolder over time. Which is a completely different design problem. I already knew the world of personal brand building was paradoxical at best (and mildly unhinged at worst), but I invite you to listen in & find out how both of these views can be true at the same time! SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ How “timeless” branding became the morally superior choice ✦ Rebranding too frequently vs. never rebranding at all ✦ Why corporate case studies are solving the wrong problem for personal brands ✦ How to build a brand system that flexes without boxing you in TAKE THE STAGE Instead of wondering if rebranding’s worth it when you’re changing & growing all the time (it is) OR if you’ll ever outgrow your brand (you will), think about it this way: ✦ Is my brand flexible enough to grow with me & help me achieve my goals? ‘Cause the only job your brand’s required to do is grow with you. It’s a living, evolving thing just like the human behind it. —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ Listen to Ep. 017 “Rebranding The Word ‘Performance’, with Sarah Kleist” [https://open.spotify.com/episode/7x5EDKfximmN737SyN3ig1?si=da800d2eef6f49fa] ✦ Subscribe to Sarah’s “Act Break” newsletter [https://sarahkleist.com/] ✦ THE COLOUR CIRCLE [https://flyingcolourscreative.myflodesk.com/colour-circle]: Bring the Canva design you’ve been (over)fiddling with for hours Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/flyingcolourscreative] ✦ Check out my Website [https://www.flyingcolourscreative.com/] ✦ Get my Uncaged [https://flyingcolourscreative.myflodesk.com/uncaged] emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 01:12 Why Are Designers So Obsessed With Timelessness? 03:56 The Corporate Branding Case Study Trap 06:10 Two Paradoxical Truths: Recognition vs. Evolution 08:38 Building The Sandbox to Anchor Your Brand