You, too, can have the inside dish about what goes on inside my head. I’m sure you’d like to know what I am thinking, so keep reading and be fabulous!

I have been debating rebranding my blog BOLD moves for a while now. I’m not incredibly bold nor do I discuss bold moves that others make. The only bold move that I made in recent memory was moving to Chicago for a situation that just didn’t work out. The tall tale below offers a first-hand perspective of the inspiration behind the newest space to see and be seen. Please give a great big blog hello to So Original!

Once upon a time in a month called February, I had a great time at WRAL-TV’s Brown Bag Tweetup. I met some awesome new folks and got to chat with several familiar faces too. It was nice to finally put names and Twitter handles to some faces as we went around the room introducing ourselves. And suddenly it was my turn to speak. To everyone. At once and tell them who I am.

So what did I do? I totally spaced on an appropriate elevator speech, which would have properly conveyed my background and my current stance on my evolving personal brand. What could I say? At that point, I was in still in transition – couch surfing between gracious friends and incredibly patient parents, getting adjusted to my new marketing internship at an interactive agency, continuing my safari to find a job (Note: NOT A GIG) that offered adjectives like full-time, paid and benefits – while desperately trying to enjoy the present. My life was a through mish-mash of everyday idiosyncrasies.

And then I started speaking. Here is (approximately) how it went down: State my name. Gwynne Murphy. Check. Okay now what? My Twitter handle. I’m at GwynneMurphy on Twitter…so original, I know, but it gets the job done…What else? What else? This is not the appropriate time for a complete life story nor is it kosher for me to plead out of desperation for real employment. And I already sound sarcastic as it is….

I go on to mumble through something along the lines of how I intern with a couple of the other Tweetup attendees. And scene. It’s over but still feel like I had a classic Doh! Moment.

Afterwards, I wonder how this could have happened. I carefully analyzed my hurried, awkward attempt at introducing myself to the group. Granted, I should have already developed a better intro elevator speech. However, I am able to rationalize my words as a shining light of epiphany among the whirl of everyone’s job titles and credentials.

My conclusion is simple. It’s okay. Because I am “so original.” Yes it may have come across as sarcasm, but it’s true. If I wasn’t original, people wouldn’t be interested. No one can quite accomplish what I do. It is my job to be original. I ooze originality like it’s my job, but, hey, wait, it is. As part of the marketing-social-media-digital world, I work for the benefit of others. My originality is needed when it comes to client services and brand management. Clients never want to be portrayed as a generic brand. They want originality and creativity.

Unique is over done. Being nice is like being road kill. It’s just a default adjective – an overused, ubiquitous copout. It’s the go-to word used to refer to people whom you don’t really know or understand. (E.g. “She was nice” is the fitting response when your guy friend asks you what you think of the random chick he introduced you to so you could approve their romantic entanglement.)

To be original, you have to be one of a kind. That’s me – original. Completely authentic me on display for the digital world. Originality sparks creativity and ingenuity. So I leave it to you. Please let me know what you think about this “So Original” proposition.

Ladies, gents, pirates and lurkers, may I have your attention please? I’d like to formally introduce you to my newest product So Original. It is a direct extension of me. My thoughts and opinions are my own. I hope you revel in my exploration of, well, everything. Just a reminder, my personal brand is still in development – beta, if you will – so I would appreciate your continued patronage and feedback as the subject matter may vary from time to time.

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