This summer, I worked with Kate (the main and sole proprietor of Libby Creative Arts) on rebranding through social media marketing. She wanted to rebrand because her business was headed in a different direction. Previously, she had worked as an art therapist for individuals on the autism spectrum. However, she has begun to shift into her role as a life coach for her clients, as opposed to an art therapist. She now consults clients with and without psychological disabilities, and focuses on developing life skills needed in adulthood. Considering that she is now seeking to attract a wider range of clientele, it was important that her website and social media reflected her services for all young adults. We decided to move away from the more creative and eclectic online presence she had cultivated as an art therapist. Instead, we substituted sleek and streamlined design formats, so that all of her content was uniform. We also opted for a more muted, “professional” color scheme. This color scheme was incorporated into all of her content. This included the website, Instagram posts, Facebook posts, her monthly newsletter, and the logo which appeared in all her emails. To attract this new demographic of clientele, we sent “cold call” emails to organizations for young adults. Some such organizations were Barnard Student Life and the Rosemary Furman Counseling Center.

I applied what I’ve learned as an English major in all the Communications work I did. I think being an English major really has taught me to use words carefully and with sensitivity to the nuance of each word’s meaning. This is especially important in social media Communications because one often has very limited space to work with (e.g. in an Instagram post, Facebook post, or Tweet). One of the issues Kate and I worked on together was the length of her newsletter. It was often filled with many personal anecdotes, and one would have to dig to find the services she provides and what she was trying to promote. Instead, we brought her services and programs to the forefront, with as much parsimony as possible.

One of the main challenges I faced was communication over distance. At the time, I was living in New Jersey because I had to take care of a family member. Kate, however, was located in Long Island City. As a result, we rarely got to meet in person, and usually spoke over the phone. It was difficult to really “nail down” plans and connect over the phone, and it taught me the value and importance of in-person meetings. In the past, I felt that they were unnecessary, and everything could be distilled into an email. I didn’t realize, though, that such an approach stunts the growth of coworking relationships (at least in my opinion). One of the greatest things I learned from my experience is what kind of work I want to do in the future. I felt that this work was fulfilling, and I learned that I always want to do something to promote mental health care.