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Brian Gardner

Minimalist designer. Starbucks addict.

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The Message

Personal branding has always mattered to me. This may have something to do with my lifelong journey of seeking approval, but when I became unemployable in 2007, it became a strategy.

When you hear my name, what is the first word that comes to mind?

I guess that it comes from the following list: Starbucks, WordPress, Design, Minimalism, Taylor Swift, Running, Disney.

I consider these words my “Personal 7.”

On any given day, there’s a good chance that I have consumed Starbucks while designing for WordPress, took a run on a nearby trail with Taylor Swift on repeat—all while removing noise from my life as I dream of our next trip to Disney World.

Honestly, that scenario is not an embellishment. It’s my reality.

. . .

A few nights ago, I came across an article by Jennifer Cortland, with whom I had a friendly exchange in a random encounter on LinkedIn. Life seems to work that way.

Given my interest in personal branding, The 3 Biggest Personal Branding Mistakes of 2021 & How to Avoid Them caught my eye.

Everything was going okay until I read this from her:

A great piece of advice I received was from a Mentor who told me, “Share your message, not your mess.” This means that, as the Hero of our Story, we do not share a problem with our Audience until we have context for how that problem developed our Character. Give your problem a bit of time and reflection before you start sharing about it all over Social Media.

These six words, in particular, crushed me:

Share your message, not your mess.

All I am going to say is that I felt convicted and have spent the better part of the last 48 hours thinking about—eh, obsessing over—them.

I tend to overshare, and my wife frequently reminds me that my initials stand for something beyond my name: Big Mouth Gardner.

I digress.

It’s been a while since you heard from me last because I have been channeling most of my energy into Agent Engine. It’s also because I feel like I haven’t had anything interesting to share, which changed this morning. (Naturally, during my run.)

For those of you keeping score at home, here is a simple recap:

The mess: N/A
The message: Share your message, not your mess.

It’s a pretty rad filter to look through as you try to figure out if you have anything of value to share with your 2,281 email followers.

Keep preaching.

—

Brian Gardner

Hello, my name is
Brian Gardner

I’m a Chicago-based web designer and create sophisticated and intoxicating digital spaces for freelancers and small businesses.

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    Brian Gardner

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