Dear World,
Define the noun, billboard
a large outdoor board for displaying advertisements.
The original prompt asked me about a billboard on a freeway. However, I don’t think we have freeways where I’m from. We have highways and dual carriageways. Either way, I’m sure it just means a major vehicular thoroughfare.
I thought about what such a billboard would say about me, and I wasn’t sure, to be honest. There are many images and textual representations of me that could be placed on a billboard for many to see.
However, I thought about it as an advertisement. That’s generally what billboards are used for, anyway. Some people might rent a billboard space for personal or professional gain, and they may say that they’re not advertising anything, but that would defeat its purpose.
So, I asked a few people. It’s clear that some folks didn’t quite understand the essence of the prompt as the responses included the character traits that I’m most known for by those who love me and also those who don’t know me as well.
Of the few people I asked about my hypothetical billboard, two of them responded with more than character traits or the phrases I may or may not say.
The first:
Candice K Stewart - an activist, an optimist , a writer, a feeler of all the feels, a boss who took no ish!
The second (I’ve paraphrased it for legibility):
A catchy tagline followed by the things that people can pay you to do for them to properly represent them with words on paper in the digital space.
Lastly, the end of it will have a QR code of sorts with contact details of how people can find you to employ you and your skills.
To tell you the truth, after seeing and hearing the responses to my informal survey, I’d say they were consistent. I agree with all of them – the ones about the phrases I’m known to say and my character traits. After all, I can’t really disagree. What was said is how the respondents have experienced me. It may be true or false about my character, but people never really forget that one thing you did or said in their presence.
I won’t tell you that I’m an angel free from sin because that would be a lie. I could be the sweetest, most respectable, down to earth, captivating, and forthcoming person to nine out of ten people. However, it’s not lost on me that I’m probably the villain in that one person’s story. That’s okay.
As for my response to the informal survey? Well, I’d have multiple billboards. Each would say something different. So, one would have one of my favourite mantras. Another would advertise my writing skills and a means for contact to potentially work with me, and another would be a call to action from which the personal brand of others would be inspired.
In a few weeks, my response to this may be different. After all, minds are allowed to change, and the approach to life can also be different.
Lesson
Being the reflective person that I am, I have concluded that this prompt’s purpose was to highlight the lesson of self representation and presentation as much as it is about who the writer is deep down in their soul. Yeah….I’d say it’s about our personal brand.
I’ve heard once or twice that your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room, as well as their thoughts when your name is mentioned or a photo of you is seen.
Who you are and how you present yourself in the various aspects of your life can say so much about who you are. However, the manner in which people perceive you can be completely wrong.
Think about it in ads. Some of them hit the mark with their intent while others get it very wrong in the eyes of the public. So, the marketing teams go back to their drawing boards. This is truth because, as a people, we judge others based on our own ideals. I think that’s part of the reason we see some as villains while they’re the heroes for others.
What would a billboard about you say about you and who you are?
Signed in pensive thought,
The Suburban Girl JA
The Suburban Girl JA® 