Disclaimer: This blog will, and forever, read like a podcast script but in a good way.
If you’re here, it means that you probably already know what “creative” means but “dissident” is a word I only recently came across via ChatGPT and immediately I thought, “how am I going to be a writer if I don’t know what d-.” Anyway, my next thought was, “this word sounds like ‘delinquent’, I like it.” And it’s because I’m a delinquent, it’s because,like one, I’m incredibly misunderstood, I don’t necessarily love rules, and I don’t subscribe to a LOT of norms so when I finally looked up “dissident” and saw that it basically meant exactly that but in fancier terms, I knew it had to be a part of my journey. Also the other blog name choice I had was taken so here we are.
Hi everyone, my name is Emily and welcome to my blog, The Creative Dissident where I gnaw tirelessly through my fear of failure in front of all of you by sharing my thoughts on topics across the creative fields. I write about what creativity means, why everyone can do it, the smooths and the snags along the way, and incorporate inspiration from places you may have never thought of. I hope to change your outlook on what it means to be “creative” and hopefully blow your mind. I always come from a place of empathy and curiosity and as such, my goal is for this blog to be highly accessible including the language I use so a 5th grader can read it back to you, a twenty-something. This is not Wall Street. As someone with ADHD, I understand that an easy read = an easy learn. The Creative Dissident knows no container nor bounds so posts exist at the intersection of many disciplines from the marketing, branding, advertising community…to the creative writing, videography, photography community…or the- (see what I mean). Ultimately, I’m taking you on a journey of creative discovery where we all unlock the parts of ourselves we haven’t given the permission to exist yet.
Formally, however, I love everything to do with branding. Brand strategy, brand consulting, branding design, brand architecture, I can go on. But I have a real problem with brands that ‘fit in”, brands that are the opposite of dissident. I relish the moment I come across a person, product, or service that basically flips everyone off. So, I’ve dedicated a special segment of my blog to respectfully salivate over brands that exemplify what I call “Commotion Branding” where we’ll inspect, assess, and dissect these bada** qualities that earned them a spot. Be there or square.
To avoid making this intro all about me, I’ll keep it brief because trust, I will talk about me a tiny bit every time. Here are the things you need to know if you’re going to stick around. I’m obsessively curious, there is nothing I will not learn about. Go ahead, ask me about what was going on in the Baltic region during WW2, or about the differences between chantilly cream and crème diplomat. If I don’t know, I’ll find out so you really never know what you’re going to get. I’m a student of sociology, if there are people, I will go, especially if the people are rightfully angry about something or if there is food. I love painting, I’m a storyteller at heart, my favourite colour is yellow, I’m a cancer moon and yes, I type in UK English.