Why it took me so long to rebrand... and why it was worth it

Horray Jen Creative has become Studio Bifrost! I'm very excited to share this news with you at long last. My post on Studio Bifrost's Page explains why I've rebranded but why did it take me so long to do it?

TD;LR: Life has been ridiculous. In typical Jen-style, I did everything at once. But I learnt from it and it made the rebrand better and more meaningful.

A designer designing?

All designers will tell you there is nothing worse than working on your own branding. By nature, we second guess everything because we want to do the very best job possible. When working for yourself, there is no perspective and nothing feels right! Although that was a heavy factor that caused an initial delay, I had bigger fish to fry...

Yes Covid but not really

The pandemic affected us all in different ways and I don't think anyone had an easy ride. I definitely did not get off lightly.

I had already broken up with my husband in January 2020, before Covid hit. I spent most of that year going through the most drawn out process possible buying a house on my own. In a pandemic, without family members who could financially support me, while attempting to home school my boys, while dealing with two other simultaneous life crises as well as actually trying to keep my business afloat. Really sensible then! I don't do things by half but this really took the biscuit!

In addition, my eldest boy Toby, started to have meltdowns (sometimes violent) at my house in lockdown 3. When they started happening at school as well, the SENCO suggested that he might be autistic and we should seek a diagnosis. To cap it all off, both my cats died!

Survival

Needless to say I was in survival mode. It really felt like the walls were closing in. It did not feel like there was any end to the misery.

I took up Tarot reading for something to do. I couldn't go to gigs or see my friends so I started buying records. Exciting mail days were the highlights of seemingly endless weeks of everything being exactly the same. I became obsessed with exercise. With the gym closed, I took up kickfit via Zoom, doubled down on my yoga practice and walked for miles and miles, sometimes with heavy bags of food shopping.

I was one of those weirdos that lost weight in lockdown. For the first time in my life I nearly had a six-pack at age 40!

Needless to say, I really didn't have the emotional capacity to work on that difficult rebrand.

Sunshine after the storm

Now that the dust has settled, my boys seem settled into living across two houses. Their primary school has been really supportive with Toby's behaviour and he's got an autism assessment in December. Any parent of a SEN child will tell you getting a diagnosis a slow process. I am starting to think he might have ADHD as well but less prominently than autism. Actually maybe I have ADHD too. It would explain a lot. Although getting an assessment is even slower for adults, I think I may pursue one.

Toby has learnt a lot about how to work with his feelings and why his brain functions the way it does. I'm really proud of him and his little brother Dexter, who is growing into a very emotionally intelligent young man. They've both been through so much and come a long way.

I have too. I've done a lot of healing both in regard to recent events and baggage from the past that got dredged up. I love my three bed end of terrace Victorian house. It's nothing flashy but its mine and I'm gradually decorating it in a suitably gothic style. My divorce has been finalised. I have a functional relationship with my ex husband, which we both wanted for the boys.

I now have a new boyfriend called Karl. He's a music producer which I find deeply attractive as I'm obsessed with music. Not only can I go to gigs again post lockdown, but I have a gig buddy! Plus, the boys utterly adore him.

Sadly, I lost the nearly six-pack but I have been trying to exercise in a healthier way. The gym was pretty dull after kickfit so I've just ditched it in favour of going to kickboxing classes with Karl. Exercise is so much more fun when you have someone to work out with. I have been told I have a mean axe kick! I kept up the Tarot reading too. If nothing else, it helps me see situations from a different angle and encourages me to check in with my gut feelings.

Rebranding everything

During enormous change and solo time, it's quite natural to think a lot about who you are, what's important to you and where you're going next.

I think in this process I've become the truest version of myself so far – as cheesy as that sounds.

I have greater clarity on what I will and won't tolerate, and I'm not afraid to enforce those boundaries. I've realised I'm far more resilient and resourceful than I previously gave myself credit for.

As part of all this change, it felt right to change my name to something new, so that happened during my divorce. It felt like a self branding exercise, which got me thinking. I realised although the rebrand had been itching my brain for so long, it just hadn't been the right time to do it. I always tell clients they need to know their business and brand before I can work with them on their branding. In this case, I am the central part of Studio Bifrost so its essential to know myself well. If I know myself, I know a key part of Bifrost's offering and personality.

Now that I've come out the other side of the turmoil, the rebrand means so much more than accurately describing what my business does. It is a celebration of everything I have already achieved professionally, both on my own and in partnership with my wonderful collaborators. It's a statement of intent for continuing those relationships with my colleagues and together we will exceed our clients' expectations with high quality creativity.

The next chapter

The birth of Studio Bifrost feels like the final part of a huge shift and renewal that has affected every part of my life.

Sometimes you just have to burn everything down and start again.

It was unbelievably painful but now I'm out the other side, I can say it was absolutely worth it. Life is good and I know where I'm going once again. I'm excited for my future, for Toby and Dexter's futures, for my future with Karl and for my future with Studio Bifrost. Here's to the next exciting chapter!

Thanks for reading. Does any of this resonate with you? What life pivots have you been through? And how have these affected your work?