Hi!

Hope you are having a great week so far. Recently, a "personal art curator" and I had a virtual coffee chat, and she asked me a few questions while we were discussing the intersection of art and personal branding.

I found myself thinking about "environment" and how it plays into nearly everything.

I thought about a few of her questions much longer than I thought I would.

Here is a question for you to ponder, yourself.

When someone walks into your home, office, table at the coffee shop, or corner of the internet, what do they feel before they can describe it verbally? What do you feel and does it bring you closer to yourself?

It seems like at first, people I work with come to personal branding feeling like they need to build something from scratch... and get it "right."

They want to build a new bio, a color palette, and a content strategy. And don't get me wrong, those things do actually matter.

But I think the more interesting starting point is recognizing that your brand already exists and is being communicated through your environment, choices, energy, and the way a room feels when you're in it.

To be honest, I love this thought because it reminds me to stay grounded. I'll explain.

One time a friend's boyfriend sat down on our couch and said, "Wow, it is so colorful and stimulating in here, like in a really good way." We have art on our walls, tons of tiny little moody lights all over our house (we hate the overhead lights lol!) We welcomed them in offering a glass of wine. Had vinyl playing on our Project One Turntable.

We hadn't said a word about who we are or what we value. He just felt our energy, colorful, creative, and warm.

Another friend left our house recently and told his partner that our space made him want to build better systems in his own life. We hadn't talked about any life systems that night, but something in our space or behavior showed him that we have systems for doing things (2 neurodivergent people cohabiting life together, we have to have systems!)

Maybe it was the big year-long-dry-erase-calendar on our wall. haha. These are examples about our physical environment but the same goes for digital spaces.

Your environment and energy tell stories about what you prioritize and what you want reflected back at you every day. A mirror.

I think for people who are drawn to art, creativity, and the more intuitive side of personal brand, this is actually a really rich and underused entry point.

A study published by The Digital Marketing Institute in 2025 said that nearly 70% of consumers trust the recommendations of people (influencers) for buying decisions. This is even over celebrities or polished, trustworthy brands.

I want you to think of your environment, be it digital or in-real-life, as a beautiful "home" to build that trust with your audience.

If you have been around me long enough, you've heard me say "YOU are an influencer in your own network." It is true. You have recommended a restaurant or a tool to a friend, and they instantly trusted you. You influence every day.

Here are some things you can ask yourself if you like this topic.

Before you create a visual or write any copy, ask yourself how you actually want to feel in your daily life.

• Grounded?
• Creative?
• Peaceful?
• Connected?
• Warm?
• Expansive?
• Curious?
• Focused?

Write down 3-5 words.

Look at your physical environment.

Your home, your office, wherever you spend the most time working and living. Ask yourself:

• Does this "space" reinforce those feeling words, or does it pull you away from them?
• Does my "space" share my values?
• What does someone feel when they "walk in" either metaphorically or for real, before I say anything?
• What do you look at every single day, and what does it do to you emotionally?

There is research that even says that the goals, dreams, and desires you interact with every day become your reality. Are they part of your environment?

This can start incredibly small.

For instance, the pens you write with, and how you take care of your plants. a piece of art that actually means something to you. I have a lithograph print from my friend Alison named "Chad" that sits on a shelf behind me, and every time something goes wrong, I just blame it on Chad and carry on with my day, but it makes me laugh.

Walk through your digital environment the same way.

Your online presence is also a space people come into.

Does your website feel genuinely like you, or like a version of what a business is supposed to look like?

If someone spent ten minutes on your Instagram or LinkedIn and then met you for coffee, would they feel like they already knew you? Or is it a version of you that you think you have to create?

Where are you more specific, warmer, more colorful in person than you show up online? Find where things feel disconnected.

Where has the version of you that exists online gotten more polished, more careful, or more generic than the person your friends and clients actually experience?

Do you write your BIO in a way that sounds like you'd say it in real life when your friend asks you what you do? Do you show up slingin' advice or with curiosity first on your sales calls?

The brands that feel specific and lived-in, become memorable, like someone made real choices rooted in real values rather than optimizing for how things look.

I want you to find you. To be confident and grounded in YOURSELF and your personal brand, before you pour out your well for others.

Hopefully, some of these questions can help you figure out what beautiful thing about yourself you've been leaving out and what you might want to add to your environment.

I'd love to hear what comes up for you when you go through this. Hit reply and tell me what you find. Genuinely, I find these conversations so fascinating.

Oh and by the way, If you would like to join a highly intentional, small, and growth-minded business mastermind, I have a few open spots starting at the very end of July in two different groups.

We have very little turnover, which means spots don't open often, so this is a great opportunity to head into FALL with a refreshed perspective on your business and life. Don't wait til January, get a head start.

It will meet on Thursday afternoons/evenings. For more information, head over here. ​

Lauren V. Davis ​P.S. If you are curious what it is like to work together, feel free to see what my clients say Let's be real friends on social media! Add me on Linkedin or Instagram, and say hello!

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