Why I’m rebranding: bolshie, boundaries & backbone…
Bolshie [BOL-shee] is how I move through the world…
If you didn’t grow up with Scottish slang, bolshie is one of those words that gets said with a look. It means stubborn, defiant, not easily told, but not in a tantrum way. More in a ‘she’s not going to be pushed around’ way. Backbone, with a wee edge.
And lately, bolshie has been tapping me on the shoulder for a reason.✏︎
The quiet nudge behind the rebrand…
Over the past year, I’ve felt a growing disconnect between how I actually work, and how I’ve been showing up publicly. Not because the work has changed, but because the context has.
I’ve spent decades in brand, strategy and creative work. I know how easy it is to slip into “marketing-you”: polished, palatable, slightly more agreeable than real life. The version that performs well, sounds right, ticks the boxes.
But that version isn’t the one my best work comes from.
So this rebrand isn’t about a new look or a clever repositioning. It’s a mindset shift. A decision to stop sanding down the edges that actually matter.
You are not your marketing…
One page from a SAB workbook I’ve been working through with Georgia draws a house | Secret Artist business stopped me in my tracks. Right at the top, it said:
You are not your marketing
Simple. Uncomfortable. Completely true.
Marketing-you is an alter ego. A character. A slightly exaggerated, stage-ready version of yourself designed to communicate value clearly. And that’s fine, useful, even. But problems creep in when we confuse the character with the person.
When that happens, we start second-guessing ourselves.
We dilute our opinions.
We people-please our positioning into beige.
Bolshie, for me, is the antidote.
What bolshie looks like in practice…
At work, bolshie means I don’t say yes just to be agreeable. I ask the awkward questions. I push for the point. I’d rather slow things down for ten minutes than watch someone spend ten months building the wrong thing.
With people, bolshie isn’t loud. It’s steadiness. I’m not easily steered by someone else’s urgency, mood or ego. I’m warm, fair, and not available for nonsense. Scottish efficiency, really.
And with life, bolshie is what keeps me upright when plans change or confidence wobbles. I’ll feel it. But I won’t fold. I’ll regroup, recalibrate and keep going.
Not combative. Boundaried. Not stubborn for the sake of it. Stubborn about what matters.
Why this matters for branding…
Good branding needs a bit of bolshie.
It takes courage to choose.
To commit.
To stop trying to be everything for everyone.
The strongest brands I’ve worked with aren’t the loudest or the trendiest. They’re clear. They know what they stand for, and what they don’t. That clarity doesn’t come from polish. It comes from conviction.
This rebrand is me practising what I’ve preached for years…yikes:
less performance, more presence.
less perfection, more perspective.
progress through consistency.
So yes. I’m bolshie.
And honestly? It’s been one of my best traits… personally, creatively, and now, visibly.
If you’re feeling the itch to recalibrate how you show up, maybe the question isn’t: how do I market myself better?
It might be: where have I stopped backing myself?
That’s where the real shift begins…