Creating Your Own Lane: How to Use What You Have & Stand Out from the Rest

We are living in a time where everyone is out here hustling. At least that’s what it seems like to me when I look at my IG and Facebook feeds. From small independent jewelry companies to motivational speakers, to writers, to fashion stylists, and make up and beauty artists, women and men are out here trying to get this money! Gone are the days of being satisfied with a regular 9 to 5. Nowadays we want more and rightfully so. There’s nothing wrong with working a 9 to 5 especially when there are mortgages/rent to be paid and kids to be fed, but don’t let your day job keep you from pursuing that passion of yours. You gotta be like Brother Malcolm and go for yours by “any means necessary”. Sometimes that means you have to sacrifice your evenings, your weekends, those nights out with your friends, sometimes it means even sacrificing sleep. The point is when you want to make something happen you won’t stop until it does.

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Diddy was on to something when he said “can’t stop won’t stop”. Just look at how successful he turned out. He went from no name college party promoter to one of the most successful music moguls and entrepreneurs in recent history. How did he do that? By creating his own lane. Clearly, Diddy wasn’t the first music mogul. There was Quincy Jones and Russell Simmons before him, but what Diddy did and what set him apart from everyone making music when he came up was that he revolutionized the use of sampling and turned old classics into popular modern day hits. You can pick almost any Bad Boy joint from the 90s and 9 times out of 10 that joint was sampled from some song from the 70’s and 80s. He used his love of music and what he grew up listening to and used it to make himself one of the most sought after producers in the 90s. So although he wasn’t the only producer or the only man making music back then he did so in a way that sampling in the 90s became synonymous with Diddy and the Bad Boy label.

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The greatest key to your success is to discover what makes YOU different and pimp the shit out of it. You can be a talented make-up artist, but guess what? There are tons of talented make-up artists. What makes YOU different? What special touch do you bring to the artistry that is going to make someone choose you over the next MUA? THIS is what you have to figure out and then build your brand around that! Maybe your thing is your back story. Maybe there’s something that happened to you in your past that led to your love of make-up. Share that! People love stories. It makes you real and it gives them something to connect to. Or maybe you’re an expert on contouring or eyebrow shaping. Whatever it is, use that to help you set yourself apart from everyone else.

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While they say imitation is the greatest form of flattery when it comes to branding yourself different is always better. Don’t copy what someone else is doing. You can be inspired but don’t copy because then you come off just looking like a copycat. When creating your brand you want to be AUTHENTIC. Reebok, Nike, and Adidas are all sneaker companies but they each are their own brand and we’re drawn to them because they are all different and offer different options/looks. When you copy someone else’s style you will always be in their shadow and you weren’t meant to live in the shadows. You are meant to shine.

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As a writer and empowerment speaker there are so many others who are doing what I am doing and because I am aware of that, I work diligently to ensure that I stay true to my voice and personality. There are many of us sharing the same message, but my delivery is my own. I make sure that I am authentic to who I am. And what it boils down to is that people know when you’re bullshitting and when you’re not real.

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Lastly, find what you genuinely love to do and create your brand around that. When you’re doing what you love you won’t care that you’re sacrificing time, sleep, and everything else. You will work twice as hard because you do love it. Also, let your brand represent exactly who you are as a person and where you want your life to go. Take inventory of your social media feeds and read the posts you've made within the last few months or even the past year. How are you evolving? Are you still posting those stupid ass memes or reposting those silly ass World Star videos or are you growing? Are you uplifting? Are you inspiring? Your social media pages should reflect who you are as a person and what your brand represents.

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Part of manifesting your own lane is self-growth. Something that’s been very important to me from the beginning of my journey is remaining true to who I am which is why my word for this year is authentic. I use that word to guide me in every decision I make related to my work and my brand. I don’t tell a story that isn’t something I don’t actually believe in, and I don’t post just to post. My feed and life has transitioned with me, as I grow and become more interested in different things. It’s my story. When I’m scrolling through IG and Facebook, I want to see yours.