27 Comments

Oooh i love this piece and have also struggled to figure out a way to connect all the different parts of me (I am a mum of teens, a former journalist, a copywriter and a brand storyteller and there are so many conflicting elements to all those roles). Thanks for giving me permission to accept I am all of them and they are all me. 💫💥

Expand full comment

Interesting… those rolls all seem really closely linked to me. It’s interesting how sometimes, from the outside there are clearer links than from within x

Expand full comment

*roles

Expand full comment

Completely (pun intended) you have the same values and personality underpinning all of these and that’s the bit you can use to unify.

Expand full comment

Did you write this just for me 😂🙈 brilliant piece thanks both for this!!

Expand full comment

Maybe? 🔮. Glad it is what you needed.

Expand full comment

Completely agree! It's very reassuring that I don't have to ignore/hide certain parts of me, especially here on Substack.

Expand full comment

Love this... I have multiple different offerings but all have a few foundational underpins and that’s what anchors me. I really appreciate the reminder that we don’t have to share alllll the things all the time. Simple is powerful! X

Expand full comment

Completely! Sometimes we can just campaign one thing for a little bit but just keeping core to what are values are underpinning us.

Expand full comment

Yes that has really been true for me, and if I look back on all the things I’ve done I’m different phases of life and business, there are 2/3 pieces that have never changed.

Expand full comment

What a brilliant piece and a lovely friend and colleague to have! Lots of takeaways for me here! ✨🤍

Expand full comment

Thank you 🙏🏼 Claire. Was there one takeaway in particular that landed for you?

Expand full comment

Yes this - I’m sitting with this - “I’ve seen people online try to list all the ways we can work with them out of fear we won’t work with them at all, if we don’t know everything.”

Expand full comment

This is really helpful. Thank you for sharing. There are so many facets to what I offer that I often question my varied work output. But as a creative person, I know it is all connected to who I am but I struggle with what is professional (and therefore what I can charge for) to that which is more playful and easier to produce.

Expand full comment

I wonder if you can charge for all your work if people want to pay for it?

Expand full comment

Yes! Thank you. I wonder why that is so hard to do?

Expand full comment

Think it is a sign we care.

Expand full comment

Yes, it is. We do.

Expand full comment

Really good advice. I have lots of work strands and I think ‘serving others’ probably captures the essence of all of those things!

I did a course with the Simon Sinek group and my why came out as....

To nurture the things that make us shine bright so that we can touch the stars

Expand full comment

Brilliant piece, thanks so much for writing it! Good reminder that having a portfolio career still means there’s an overall theme to everything in the portfolio.

Expand full comment

100% and also those ideas that inspire you & connect with your audience will be the same across the portfolio.

Expand full comment

Taking this as my virtual permission slip for 2024 ✨ the jigsaw may start to have borders if I get out of my own way that I don’t need to be a single facet of this multi faceted curiosity I hold 😍

Expand full comment

100% GO for it!

Expand full comment

Having a complicated puzzle IS a gift, it’s the polar opposite of what we were taught in school when it was all about choosing one path. Thank goodness for this life ❤️ loved reading this permission slip for all! X

Expand full comment

Thank you 🙏🏼 completely, it is soo many opportunities that we are not even aware of x

Expand full comment

As a multifaceted creative freelancer who wears lots of hats this is super helpful to hear! It can be simple after all! Thanks Lucy for writing and Annie for sharing 🙏

Expand full comment

I was just having a moment about this yesterday, feeling like I have too many “angles” with myself online, too many things I’m interested in and share. This was SO helpful to think about an overarching theme in my work versus all these different topics. Thank you so much!

Expand full comment