Building a brand doesn’t require you to be palatable

Your brand feels exhausting because you're performing a version of yourself that doesn't exist.
You're straightening your hair in your brand photos when you usually wear it natural.
You're using neutral tones when your closet is full of bright colors.
You're softening your language, rounding your edges, making yourself digestible.
And then you're confused about why your ideal clients aren't finding you.

Palatability isn't about being likable. It's about assimilation. It's about making yourself easier to categorize, easier to digest, less threatening to the status quo.

Here's what it looks like in practice:

The queer business owner who doesn't mention their partner in their About page because they're worried it will turn people off.

The fat yoga teacher who only posts photos from specific angles because they've internalized that their body is unprofessional.

The neurodivergent coach who masks their communication style to sound more "put together."

The woman of color who straightens her hair for brand photos.

The person with chronic illness who hides their access needs because they don't want to seem "difficult."

You think you're being strategic. You think you're making smart business decisions. But what you're actually doing is building a brand that requires you to perform someone else's version of acceptability every single day.

That performance has a cost. It costs you energy, creativity, joy. It costs you the clients who would actually resonate with the real you. It costs you the freedom that's supposed to come with running your own business.

Let's be clear about where "professional" standards come from.

They were created by and for straight, white, able-bodied, neurotypical, middle-to-upper-class people. Mostly men.

Professional hair means straight, controlled hair.
Professional clothing means clothes designed for thin, able bodies.
Professional communication means neurotypical speech patterns.
Professional imagery means white, young, able-bodied people.

These aren't universal standards. They're cultural preferences that got codified into business norms.

Following those rules doesn't actually make you more successful. It just makes you more comfortable for a specific subset of people who probably aren't your ideal clients anyway.

The wellness industry loves to talk about authenticity and showing up as your whole self, but then turns around and rewards people who conform to very specific aesthetic and behavioral standards.

Beige studios. Clean girl aesthetic. Quiet luxury. Minimal and calm.

Meanwhile, anything colorful gets coded as unprofessional. Anything loud gets coded as attention-seeking. Anything that centers marginalized experiences gets coded as divisive or political.

Your ideal clients aren't looking for another sanitised, palatable brand. They're looking for someone who actually gets them. Someone who reflects their values, their aesthetic, their way of moving through the world.

You are not building a brand that requires you to shrink anymore. And that changes everything.

The version of "professional" you've been chasing was never designed for you. Stop contorting yourself to fit into it.

Build a brand that:

Reflects your actual values, not values you think will make you more marketable.
Uses colors and imagery that feel true to you, not what's trending on Pinterest.
Centers the communities you actually want to serve.
Speaks in your natural voice, not a performed version of eloquence.
Shows your real life, not a curated highlight reel designed to seem aspirational.

The clients who are meant for you will find you. The ones who aren't won't. That's not a problem to solve. That's the entire point.

This isn't just about feeling good (though that matters). There's a real business case for building a brand that doesn't require palatability:

You attract more aligned clients. When you show up as yourself, you naturally filter for people who vibe with your energy. This means fewer difficult clients, fewer scope creep conversations, fewer people who don't value your work.

You charge more. Specialists charge more than generalists. When you build a brand that clearly reflects your perspective and values, you become a specialist. You're not just another photographer or coach. You're the photographer for colorful queer brands or the coach for neurodivergent entrepreneurs.

You create more easily. Content creation gets exponentially easier when you're not constantly editing yourself. You stop second-guessing every word, every image, every caption. You just create.

You build deeper relationships. Your audience isn't just following you for tips and inspiration. They're following you because they see themselves in your work. That creates loyalty and community, not just transactions.

You sustain longer. Businesses built on performance burn out. Businesses built on truth have staying power. You can't maintain a persona forever, but you can show up as yourself indefinitely.

If you're ready to stop performing palatability and start building a brand that actually feels like you, I can help.
My brand design process isn't about making you more marketable. It's about translating your essence into visual language that attracts the people who are meant for your work.