Unveiling the Brand Seasons

Cyclical branding + business + knowing the season you’re in

I have a question for you.

Do you ever feel directionless as you navigate the different cycles of your creative life and work?

After a year of mentoring clients and seeing them grapple with the seasons in their brands and businesses, I felt there had to be a way for me to offer an anchor, something grounding that would give them greater insight into the phases they find themselves in.

This “something” arrived in the form of Brand Seasons, a framework I'm developing into a product and podcast to support my business, my clients, and those on their own creative paths. I'm slowly unpacking how this might look in practice, and today I'm introducing the method and the four seasons so you can get a feel for the direction I'm moving in.

It's not uncommon for me to rush into creator mode when something fresh is on the cards. So, on this occasion, I'm choosing to go slow. My feeling is that - to stay true to this framework - I need to lead by example, nurture the concept and model the ideas in a way that feels clear to me and, most importantly, clear to you.

I'm genuinely passionate about the Brand Seasons because, despite being a shiny new thing, there's a sense of familiarity surrounding it. I strive to help clients build brands that feel like home. And whether you're creating a business or personal brand, I believe this method can offer a soft place to land as you move through the cycles in your creative life and work.

In this post, I share a brief guide to each season, and each month moving forward, I'll delve into them more deeply, providing examples of where I stand in my creative process. I'm excited to see it all come together on this platform and journey through the Brand Seasons with you.

So, what exactly are the Brand Seasons?

A Season of Sowing

This is a time for planting new seeds. You're in a spring-like space where you can establish roots. If you have a new or evolving business, this could be the phase where you explore product and service ideas or begin to develop your styling.

I now find myself in the 'sowing' season as I expand my vision for Brand Seasons. As I've previously mentioned, not only has this led to a specific product idea that, in the past, seemed too vague to pursue, but the foundations are also coming together around the production of a podcast, so it feels like the ideal time to harness my enthusiasm and enjoy the sense of optimism that fills the air in springtime.

This is the moment to embrace a gradual increase in energy, draw on your inventiveness and sense of resurgence, and unravel your goals and plans.

Draw on: imagination and renewal

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."

— Audrey Hepburn

A Season of Blossoming

Summer is a season for finding focus and taking action. You've brought your ideas to life and are now entering a phase of sharing and storytelling. Perhaps you're ready to collaborate, test a product or service, engage your audience in your plans, crowd-source more ideas or do the thing. Regardless of the stage, you've reached the peak of your power, and it feels like the perfect opportunity to unfurl.

Learn to welcome the flow, trust your instincts, and allow things to evolve naturally. It can be an incredibly productive time, but be mindful not to overdo it and risk burning out, which often comes with newness and launches. Make the most of that fuel and savour the spirit of summer.

Draw on: playfulness and vitality

"Summertime is always the best of what might be."

— Charles Bowden

A Season of Harvesting

Akin to autumn, you're reaching the finish line and reaping the fruits of your labour. You may be deeply immersed in marketing, enjoying the rewards of selling or binding all those loose ends. Now is the time to move towards completion and realise those goals and plans.

Be extra protective of overstretching during this phase. Harvesting can be weighty work, and your choices will set the tone for subsequent endeavours. It's part of a cycle and, much like our inner seasons, by paying attention and tracking your experiences, you'll see what's been successful and what you might do differently. This knowledge will serve you well!

Above all, celebrate your efforts and accept the learnings.

Draw on: insight and analysis

"The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale."

— Lauren DeStefano

A Season of Grounding

A cosy time for reflection, evaluation, and contemplation, you've arrived at the winter of our Brand Seasons. The word "composting" comes to mind because this is about giving ourselves, our businesses, and our practices the time and space to breathe and mulch things over.

Composting has become a cherished practice in my writing. Over the last two years of trying to write my memoir in this season, I've come to see it not as the time when my inner writer struggles but when my curiosity thrives. It's my thinking time, an inward focus, where ideas can unexpectedly arise and don't necessarily require any effort on the written page.

If you love to plan, it's the period for creating lists, mind mapping and vision boarding. Oh, and don’t underestimate the power of a daydream.

Draw on: clarity and intuition

"Wisdom comes with winters."

— Oscar Wilde

Moving through the Brand Seasons

There is no linear approach to navigating the Brand Seasons. You may find that you move backwards and forwards between them as your creative efforts take shape. And, to offer an example, different parts of your business may be in distinct phases because you're marketing one thing while contemplating another.

These are ideas that I'm excited to expand on since they reflect aspects of my brand strategy, styling, and storytelling practice, and I'm eager to help you relish the flow as you move and mature through these cycles. They all hold a place along your creative path and have something positive to bring.

Now, I'd love to know, if you're currently working on your business or a project, which Brand Season do you find yourself in? What most resonates with you?

As a free subscriber, you can enjoy articles and essays exploring the rhythms of our creative lives and work, written through the lenses of curiosity, creativity, and connection.

If you’re ready to craft a brand that feels like home and access exclusive insights and resources, consider upgrading to join my Brand Seasons paid community. Here, I support you with a gentle, nurturing, and playful approach to brand strategy, styling, and storytelling. I’d love to welcome you!