Say It Write

It’s probably happened to all of you

You’re listening to the radio. You hear his or her voice. You begin, subconsciously, creating a visual of how this person looks. Soon, their entire physique is at the command of your imagination.

And depending upon your mental prowess, you have created a background story for them. Occupation. Family. Race, height, weight, eye color. All based on the sound quality of their voice. Every nuance is yet another clue into the depth of his or her alleged character.

And then you Google them. Or meet them. 

Such a disconnect - before your very eyes all your hard work… crack goes the proverbial Humpty Dumpty. It’s not a disappointment to humanity; it’s a disappointment to your imagination. It’s inconsistency.

You spent considerable energy and care into creating a beautiful Faberge egg of a persona. A body to match that resonating voice.

And one glance at that picture? All the king’s photoshoppers and ventriloquists couldn’t put it back together again.

But a copywriter? Maybe.

You see, a copywriter is sort of like a literature PR person. We work from the opposite end. WE take the person that you see. The hypothetical person you Googled and we help create emotional text that matches their physique; all the visual elements that you encounter face-to-face.

Every component one sees will match in everything they see, hear and read.

We give them their own form of syntax that matches the windows to their soul.

Everyone has something to say just not everyone knows how to say it. 

Therefore, it’s far too easy to have it spelled out in such a way that disconnects from a personal and professional brand.

A copywriter begins with the basics. We explore the rudimentary essentials of grammar:

• Type: Technical, Business, Conversational

• Tense: Past, Present, Future

• Voice: First, Second, Third

• Style: Expository, Persuasive, Descriptive, Narrative

And then we help you create your own unique identity. We allow individuals to experience his or her own exclusive tone, full of emotion. We capture the essence of people and generate content as an extension of their personality. We market you. We take what your brand really is and embolden it online and in print with impactful words. We translate what others cannot convey. You have thoughts; We are there to voice them.

So the next time someone sees you, hears you, reads your work  - whether all those works are combined or are separated -  the goal of everything you do is to represent yourself. For people to say, “That’s so (insert name here).”

We’re hiring!

We’re hiring! Exciting, yes! Easy, no.

The process of hiring can always be intimidating, especially to a small, close-knit company with a very distinct “personality,” aka company culture.

Our company culture comes naturally from being our authentic selves, caring about each other and working with our individual talents. Our titles and roles are ever-evolving to play on our strengths, instead of trying to fit a cookie-cutter job description. The collaborative and open environment encourages creative brainstorming and accessibility for help or advice. We even spend time with each other outside of the 40-hours a week that we “work” together.

As the most recently hired designer (almost 3 years ago!), I’ve had the privilege of growing my skills and my love of design with Worx. From my first business card design to, more recently, complete re-branding packages, growth is apparent all around me. Our lovely new office with teal walls and room for more team members; of course the creation and ongoing initiative of The Green Couch Project!

I personally happen to be in the desk position to potentially play footsie with the new Worx employee. I look forward to having another team member to encourage, help and learn from! We’re looking for a Junior Graphic Designer with strong logo and branding skills, who is team oriented and loves to collaborate!

So, what can you do to really define your company culture and invite growth to come your way?

- Be authentic.

There are times to be more relaxed and times to be more professional, but always be yourself. People like REAL.

- Be realistic.

Having very high goals set for yourself and your company is always a great thing. However, having a realistic plan of attack for reaching those goals, one step at a time, makes the short-term goals more achievable.

- Be honest.

With being authentic, comes being honest. Do you have an open door policy? Do your employees or co-workers feel intimidated or feel that they don’t have access to help or resources? Create open, helpful and encouraging dialogue to ensure positive communication and honesty.

- Be intentional.

Be intentional about each team members’ strengths and weaknesses and work with them. While it’s important to fill a “role” that needs to be filled, let it morph into what works best for them, you and the company. There’s no job title that’s one-size-fits-all for all companies.

-Be fun.

Everyone likes to have fun. While everyone’s definition of fun is different, finding common ground of something enjoyable to do together as a company will build the team up as a whole and just lift everyone’s spirits. If everyone feels appreciated and is presented an opportunity to relax and have fun, when it’s time to get back to work, they will feel refreshed, motivated and ready to go!

Off The Clock Creativity

Do you have a list in the back of your mind waiting to be checked off of your to-do list? No, not the typical shopping list and errands to run. I’m talking about the project list fueled by your creativity and passion.

Don’t get so caught up in the routine of every day and consumed by work projects that you forget to create without limits or restrictions. That’s what got you started in the first place, right? 

Take time to make a list of the projects you want to pursue. As soon as one pops into your head (even those totally random ideas you don’t really know what to apply it to at the moment), write it down. Then schedule a time every day or every week to work on it. Maybe the smaller stuff can be done in one sitting, like learn a new skill by watching a tutorial and following along. Maybe it’s a larger project that would span out over a few weekends. Just don’t push it off. Being creative without limitations allows you to become a better problem solver while in an atmosphere of client criteria.

In Manage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus & Sharpen Your Creative Mind, Todd Henry expresses, “Unnecessary Creation gives you the freedom to explore new possibilities and follow impractical curiosities. Unnecessary Creation allows you to take risks and develop new skills that can later be applied to your on-demand creating.”

Take the creative downtime to make mistakes (good and bad). Learn a new skill (even if it’s accidental)! Being totally free-willed with your creative mind helps work through creative blocks you might be experiencing in other aspects of your life.