As a teacher, one of the ways I encouraged my students to write was to create archetypes for characters in their stories or to picture themselves as a particular archetype. It was an extremely effective strategy to spark inspiration, imagination + planning and strategy.
It’s only recently that I’ve really become enamored of using the archetype theory in what I do in the reinvention and branding process.
So what, exactly, is an archetype?
According to the dictionary, an archetype is an original model or type which other similar things are patterned after…but it is so much more than that.
While I don’t believe in anyone following a cookie cutter mold, I do believe that Carl Jung (the father of archetypes) knew a little sumpin’ sumpin’ about the patterns that are found in stories and mythologies…regardless of cultural or societal norms. Jung hypothesized that there is a part of the human mind that houses a collective unconscious that is shared by all of us…an ancient primal code that is in our DNA.
So now that your eyes are starting to glaze over…(ha you didn’t think I’d notice did you?) how can this be applied to YOU?
Well archetypes can be applied to:
Ideas
Themes
Images
Symbols
Feelings
Emotions
and the power of your uniqueness lies in your story and how you tell it
This is where archetypes can be powerful sparks to (re)creating a brand that tells your story in a way that captivates your audience.
Archetypes can help you articulate who you are and what you stand for in a way that is instantly recognizable because on an intuitive level, we ‘get’ the patterns that you identify with.
I hope you’ll stay tuned to the next several blog posts as I describe the master archetypes; I’d love to hear how you identify yourself.
Learn more about branding yourself with the use of archetypes in my new class starting next week Four Weeks to Refresh Your Brand where we’ll dig deeper into archetypes and identifying yours.
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