The Brand: Bri Ugalde

Everyone has branded themselves, whether they did so knowingly or not, and this brand represents their “face” to everyone who may follow them. Before social media platforms were as influential as they are today; the way a person would brand themselves would be with the way they present themselves, physically, through conversation, and through non verbal communication. Now, with social media being so prevalent to a person’s identity, those characteristics are important when it comes to day-to-day interaction. However; a person’s identity has become much more than the way they are in person.

Social media has allowed people the ability to choose the way they want to be represented. Yes, physical appearance and conversational communication are still used, but it has become easier to control the way these things are presented to the public. People can choose the voice that they want to use on Twitter, even if they would never say some of these things in person. Instagram users can use their platform for creativity, photography, and in creating an image of themselves that they may like.

Creativity, artistic, positivity, individualism, self love

These are the five words that symbolize who I want to be and how I want people to interpret me through my social media platforms. I mainly use my instagram to express these ideals because I feel like it is more of an artistic expression rather than the conversational expression that Twitter calls for. Growing up I was always shamed for “taking Instagram too seriously” or “trying too hard”. What many people didn’t realize was that I love photography, I absolutely love portrait art. Taking these pictures, adding filters, and putting a little extra thought into a photo versus just taking them at badger saturdays, nights out with friends, or as an update of my life, is a huge way that I express myself. I love testing my creativity a and really thinking outside of the box. I love the fact that my pictures look different than my friends, family, or acquaintances because that is what sets me apart and allows me to feel like an individual.

Throughout my life I have had a very hard time expressing self love however. I believe that i do my absolute best to spread the message to others and encouraging the idea of being yourself and loving who you are. However; my biggest fault would be honestly practicing it. I think I would reach a wider audience and gain trust from many of my followers if I would incorporate more honestly into my brand. Not everything can be positive and nothing can be perfect, and something I need to accept is that it's okay to not be perfect. Perfect does not exist, and no one really responds to the idea. Self love is supposed to be about loving the imperfections, individualism is supposed to be about accepting the imperfection and incorporating it into who you are.

I know many people struggle with this issue as well which is why I really want to take action. I do have a wider following base on instagram and I want to use it as a tool. I want to make it okay to be transparent. I want to make it okay to express yourself. I want to make it okay to not be perfect. It’s going to be a journey as I still have to learn to except these things myself, but it has to start somewhere and I truly believe that I can use my creativity, atristicness, individualism, and newly found self love to do so.