@cheri Agreed! Feels fake and manipulative.

@cheri a...men. I’ve heard stuff like this a lot and totally agree with you. I could argue that this stance could be a brand stance though :S authenticity is hot right now.

@cheri Quite right. Your name is your brand. The stuff they are suggesting, it's a bit like selling your soul.

@vasta Right! :)

@ChrisJWilson You caught me. I'm building an authentic personal brand to advance my personal empire. Down with capitalism! Buy my stuff! 😉😁

@cheri you joke but I was researching an article today and “people love authenticity at the moment” and “authenticity is my brand” are things that came up more than once. Things which should only be said or typed with a lot of irony but we’re definitely not.

@cheri 💯

@ChrisJWilson Funny! That is ironic. There are probably a lot of us hungry for authenticity these days. And I think that's fine, so long as the championing of authenticity doesn't become yet another false persona.

@cheri Well said. I want to read books by real people, not by facsimile robots.

@cheri when I hear that those words and phrases; branding/authenticity and just I think of this

@cheri I think you’ve struck a responsive chord. If you're lucky, you love it your livelihood so much it doesn't feel like work, but it’s not you, and when you retire, you're not “nobody.”

@cheri ✊

@stickmandiaries Oh that's so inspiring! Thank you. :)

@cheri “You should write down your brand statement, and then EVERYTHING you communicate online (or around your customers) should be in line with that statement. In short, if it doesn’t advance your brand, don’t share or say it.”

And my heart rose up in revolt and shouted: F@CK THAT SH*T!

@cheri THIS. Thank you.

@cheri Yes! Slowly acquiescing to brand has killed so many youtube based personalities who thrived during its foundational community era. They have since slowed or stopped posting. YouTube now: all brand, no community. Heartbreaking.

@raretrack Thanks!

@cm ☺️