This past week I launched my new logo. I have been searching for my identity for a while. Who am I? Can I be just one thing? Can I be Nikki the educator or Nikki the actor? What I came down to realize is that I am Nikki the woman who wears multiple ‘hats’, the woman who has multiple jobs, and the woman who LOVES it. While there is a small part of me that holds on to the dream of having one job that I go to daily, (which is a challenge with a disability), I realize that I LOVE the ability to wear different ‘hats’ and be different personas each day. Here’s the deal, many people wanted to box me in and label for me one thing. As I worked with many designers and people they want to say I am only a __________. For a long time, I would go to speaker events, but realized I didn’t quite fit in there because while I was a speaker, I used speaking as a platform and I was more of an educator and actor who used speaking as a way to message myself. I would go to educator training times and think I am so like minded with these people, and yet I missed the theatre part of me. So what it has come down to this, I am all of this and more. When you look at my email signature or my voicemail greeting it is hard to really understand it all. When I go to networking events and people ask me what I do, it is hard to answer that question, because I do so much, but I landed on this logo to brand myself (for now) at least. You may be able to guess what each symbol stands for, but if not here’s a small explanation….
The graduation cap-EDUCATOR
1. I earned my masters degree.
2. I am a life long learner.
3. I am an educator and teacher and always teaching others.
Theatre Masks-ACTOR
1. I love to act. Choreograph, but there is an innate ability in me to act. To be another person
2. I love theatre and theatre drives what I do.
Director Chair-DIRECTOR
1. I direct youth shows and choreograph for youth theatre.
2. I am also a teaching artist and teach youth art.
Writer’s Pen-AUTHOR
1. I am a published author of 2 books of mine own, a thesis, and 5 anthologies.
2. I am now a weekly colonialist for MNplaylist.org and this blog here.
Megaphone-SPEAKER AND MENTOR
1. I am a speaker and speak to various organizations on both inspirational topics, but also educational topics.
2. Megaphones also represent someone cheering someone on… like a mentor or coach and I mentor many youth and adults on in various areas of life.
Logos shape who we are. We often can look at a logo and say that is what it is. We see the Nike symbol and we know it is Nike. I want people to see my name and icons and know this is me, what I offer, and stand for.