Transparency

In my pursuit to streamline my webpresence, I'm considering moving this blog to www.thirftyandgreen.com  I like the philosophy of the site, and they can help me set things up so I can earn a little ad revenue (part of me hates that, but I need it).  I love LJ, warts and all, it's been home for quite a while.  I'm trying to figure out the exact future of this blog.  I certainly want to stay involved with poor_skills , moneysmart , baby_poor , and advice4teens communities.  I may be able to tie the two together seemlessly.  My co-author and I are working on a second niche financial book, this one for single parents...and I'm considering expanding blog topics to include them...but erm...kids make things more complicated.  May be a good time to go back to that food focus for a while.

After recent posts on creating an effective web presence for job hunting reasons, I stumbled across an AOL video regarding "become your own brand".  I almost shared the link on the blog, since it mainly dealt with this web presence concept but part of me rebelled strongly.  Even good ideas can be taken too far, and I think this personal "branding" may be one of them.  Certainly it's wise to be consistent and aware that once you release something to the web it may come back at any time to haunt you.  But when did people become brands?  Certaintly it's good to stand for something, but must it be only one thing?  Can't we be well rounded men and women in the Renaissance style?  Can't we evolve?



I am a writer. Whether I'll be a writer of any note is up to my readers to decide, but it's the best term I have to describe myself. I'm also a good singer, a fair artist, a teacher, a critic, an editor, an intellectual, budding theologian, and a half-decent dancer with an orange belt in karate. I cannot juggle, repair cars, or play an instrument with any skill; still I think my knowledge and interests are varied and deep enough to claim the title of Renaissance Woman.

Big deal you may say, and you'd have every right to. I'm hardly the only person to have more than one interest or talent. However we are in the age of branding. Yes, you too, normal citizen that you thought you were, have now become a brand. If you have a YouTube Channel or Facebook page, you are practically a public figure, easily googled before a job interview or first date. This isn't all bad. The internet allows everyman to speak a little louder, and there's a certain accountability instilled by publicity.

Current publishing logic says that you should build your name into a brand. Nothing wrong with that. We all would like to represent certain values and standards. However if you would like to write a romance, a mystery, and a comedy, publishers would also like to you to have three names, even if they're just "wink wink" names. Authorica Famousia writing as Mysteriousa Roberts. Heaven forbid, Suze Orman write a romance novel as Suze Orman. Her name has been branded for financial advice. That would be like comedian Jim Carrey acting in a dramatic role or the guy who played Herman Munster writing and illustrating children's books. Except, well, the last two have done that, and fairly successfully. Using one platform's fame to step gracefully onto another.

Certainly there's some logic in brand names, P&G has Crest and Duracell rather than P&G toothpaste and P&G batteries. But P&G is a large company with many people to keep track of these brands. Certainly there's a limit to the number of brand names a single person can juggle. So I've limited myself to three: Kay Iscah for non-fiction, Iscah for fiction, and -K (negative K) for my music. I refuse to juggle more. I refuse to stick to a single genre, topic, or style in any of them. My consistency is partly in my variety. I admire people who do one thing and do it well, but for me it's the surest road to madness. If this is my death in the publishing industry, so be it. Better a private heaven, than a public hell.

To my readers I ask for your forgiveness and indulgence. I will attempt to title and group related works in a recognizable way. I will not think any less of you if you love my books and hate my music or read my comics but pass up my theological commentary. I can not promise to do everything well, but I will do as well as I can. It's up to you to decide if it's good enough.
Cut, because honestly it has nothing to do with personal finance.  I was just in a sharing mood.  I may take a break from posting, while I figure out exactly how this "move" will work.  Opinions and ideas welcome.