Brand Story

IN MY OWN WORDS

Video Transcript

Being a modern designer poses a unique challenge. Gone are the days where understanding typography and color theory suffice, let alone ones ability to boast about how cleanly you can cut images from their background—AI can assist with all of that.

In an era of iRobot, it isn't enough to be a master of one. To be truly successful in the art of storytelling a brand, one must be willing to constantly evolve. That's me… #BeingMikiStarr. Digital diva. Doer of all. Master of none.

This is my brand story.

CAREER IN REVIEW

Chapter One: Finding Clarity

For this career gal, life was a blur—no, literally. Like over 60% of Americans, I couldn't see. It was only after getting Lasik that I realized, like Julian, I'd been using eyewear for emotional protection.

Now, you’re asking, what do bad eyes have to do with ones career and ultimately their brand?

Being painfully shy, I'd take off my glasses in intimidating situations like networking and job interviews, believing if I couldn't see them, they can’t see me. But with corrected vision, I could see everything—including myself, forcing me to find a way to confront my fears head-on.

Introduction

In a not-so-distant world, there was a budding career gal who sought opportunities for creative expression yet continuously encountered walls of adversity and opposition, quite often as a direct manifestation of her own insecurities. Intelligent, curious, talented, and competent beyond her perception, she longed for a space where her boundless imagination would be appreciated and celebrated. However…

Have you ever seen the film "Big Daddy" starring Adam Sandler? If so, you might recall a touching scene where the main character, Sonny, gives his “foster” son, Julian, a pair of "magic" sunglasses to help him feel invisible whenever he was scared.

Much like Julian, I spent a chunk of my career unwittingly making myself invisible as a source of protection. Becoming a casualty of company layoffs, this revelation would suddenly become quite poignant.

Chapter Two: Unmasking Identity

Twenty-twenty vision made it clear that it was time to shed more than just glasses; I needed to remove my entire mask. The one I wore during job interviews and around people I perceived as smarter or more talented. Now that I could see them, I was certain they could see me and I didn’t like what was in focus.

If “I call myself Starr because I shine like one”, then it wasn’t enough to say it, I needed to become it so that regardless of the role or the interviewer, I could show up as my whole self, not the version I thought they wanted to see. Thus, #BEINGMIKISTARR was re-born.

Chapter Three: Crafting a Brand

If I were to be successful in landing a new role, #BEING would need to be more than just a statement; it needed to be an identity... a brand. So, I treated it like any other design project, complete with logo, colors and fonts, tone and voice, even a style guide. I neatly encased the content inside a new design portfolio and began to embed its principles into my life.

The #BEING movement became a love letter to my inner child and an age-appropriate reminder of my present worth. Furthermore, it provided a confidence boost that enabled me to land my first web design gig, opening up a whole new world that I would dub FREEDOMLANCE. Its success resulted in recommendations and a growing client base.

Chapter Four: Retail Therapy

Life on FREEDOMLANCE provided a glorious degree of fulfillment that had been lost along with my old job. Still, after nearly a year of rejection, despite my new brand stance, I made the difficult decision to apply to retail.

How far the mighty had fallen! Or so I thought.

As much as I abhorred this shift in my career, customer service was exactly what I needed to complete my transformation. No longer having “magic” glasses to rely upon tested my ability to communicate effectively with strangers daily, honing a skill that would prove invaluable in networking and, surprisingly, my next job interview.

Chapter Five: Journey Mapping

In an even less distant world, a budding career gal (with reasonably good vision) found herself dealing with a dodgy customer, an unpaid invoice, and her most crucial interview yet. Hired as a digital content creator, her path to passion was paved when her new manager resigned just two days before her start date!

Thrown into the deep end of supporting colleagues on the opposite side of the country, without established relationships or training, I quickly learned to swim. I achieved paid and organic social media success, added email marketing and project management to my skills, and in doing so, graduated to the role of digital marketer—the epicenter of my passion for creativity, technology, and psychology. Finally I’d found the perfect space for my boundless imagination, fulfilling the vision of #BEINGMIKISTARR.

In today’s world of chatbots and ever-evolving algorithms, a blossomed career gal has found creative expression in a UX-centered approach to Digital Marketing, incorporating her deep sense of empathy (and boot camp certification). Though she may still encounter obstacles, she knows who she is, how to show up with authenticity, and how to face every challenge unobstructed, daring it to look away.

That’s #BEINGMIKISTARR.

[View 2023 Pre-interview Video]

View Resume

Back to Home