Embracing My Uniquity

Remember my Declaration of You series of blog posts? Well, it’s back. Last week I shared my about enthusiasm and what makes my heart smile. This week? Uniquity.

I wasn’t sure if uniquity was truly a word, so I looked it up, and it is. The definition of uniquity is:

The quality or state of being unique; uniqueness

Michelle and Jessica, co-authors of  “The Declaration of You,” invite us to consider:

* What holds you back from flaunting your uniquity?
* How are you unique from your family, your co-workers, your best friend?
* How do you put your own unique stamp on your life?
* What’s the most unique thing about you?
* What’s your personal declaration around uniquity?

I invite you to share your thoughts about any of these questions in the comment section below.

I would like to talk about the question: What holds you back from flaunting your uniquity?

I have always loved being unique, and I especially love having a very unique name. (See my HELLO page to learn how I got my name, JoDitt.) But, I have been hesitant to flaunt my uniquity in my design business because the style that is truly “me” is not cool or sophisticated, and it is not the same as any of my family or friends or what they like to buy. And it’s not what the clients I have worked for have been looking for. So, I’ve been trying to please everyone else, instead of really letting my own style develop—a style that lets the true “me” shine through.

The reason I have struggled with this is because what I like… what delights my heart, what comes naturally to me… are things that are cute, adorable, sweet, joyful, charming, delicate, darling, and very girly, and I love, love, love hearts and anything heart-shaped. I know a lot of people are turned off by things that are too cute or sweet and I really struggled with this issue when creating the logo and branding for JoDitt Designs. But then I began to reason with myself that there are lots of really cute and sweet things out there in the marketplace, so I must not be the only one that likes cute and sweet.

So, I decided to go for it and let my true uniquity shine through, even in my tagline: “Joyfully sweet designs and art to brighten your day and delight your heart.” I am working on new designs every day and am trying to let more of my uniquity shine through, instead of trying to be like, or please someone else and I am having a blast!

Lilla Rogers says in her book, I Just Like to Make Things, “People buy your joy!” So I am trusting that there are people out there who will love to buy the things that give me great joy to make. 🙂 That is part of why I have switched from designing wedding invitations to creating designs and patterns for such items as: baby bedding, cute girly gift wrap, scrapbooking paper, and fabric that will be used to create darling little girl outfits.

Here’s more details about Jessica and Michelle’s book and the Blog Lovin’ Tour:

For those of you who haven’t heard, the delightful & mega-talented duo of Jessica Swift & Michelle Ward are beginning their Declaration of You Blog Lovin’ Tour today and I’m am thrilled to be a part of it! It’s a big celebration for the launch of their new book, The Declaration on You and we are all celebrating the uniqueness in all of us!

“The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You’s Blog Lovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more – and join us! – by clicking here.”