Identity is everything. It's the core of what motivates and drives us. It defines, creates distinction and personality. And when you're starting something new, when you're crafting something to provide and give to others, brand identity is vital.
When I decided to create my own business, I knew it had to have a name. I couldn’t just call it Charly Tate Comms Inc. An identity was important. A message. Intention. Spark. Something I could create. Something with meaning and resonance.
For weeks (okay, months), I tossed ideas around. I riffed with AI. I started with the Arthur O'Shaughnessy Ode opening line, “We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.”; whimsical and bright and full of possibility. But initial ideas weren’t great. They were too abstract, or already taken. I shelved them. I walked away. I questioned whether I even wanted to launch a business.
Or if I could launch a business. Because I wasn't sure I had it in me.
I’d been through so much — endless job hunting, tanking self-worth, shifting medical seasons — I felt stretched and torn and lost. Wandering aimlessly through destruction and isolation. Dramatic? Yes. But in the moment, that was the emotional landscape.
Despite the hesitation and fear, something kept tugging me. Identity. Renewal. Rising again. I began brainstorming (again). And I thought about what I really love; and what I'd already created. Music. Singing. I thought about some of my oldest songs: the ones I’d written when I was younger and (more) optimistic.
Like “Sparked”.
I love the word sparked. But it wasn’t quite right. It was too obvious on its own. My demo album I’d put it on, Kindle,** was released the year before Amazon revealed their Kindle (and subsequently became the owner of basically everything with that word in it). I love the word kindle. I love its cheery warmth and that it feels and sounds like what it is. Sadly, for obvious reasons, the word 'kindle' was not an option.
But. Kindling. Huh.
I admit, I wasn’t totally enamored with it; at first. It was awkward to say. But it also felt more actionable. More energized. From a branding perspective, when it comes to marketing... it excited me. I set it aside. For weeks, it lingered in the back of my head.
Then, about 30 miles (as the crow flies) from my house, a fire broke out in the arid heat and triple-digit temps. The wind whipped and the blaze rapidly spread northeast; toward my neighborhood. I was so illogically terrified — despite being nowhere near the be-ready area — I had to pack bags and leave them at the foot of the bed for several nights just to calm my nerves. Thankfully, the fire was contained and completely extinguished within a week. My relief was immediate and massive.
And that’s when it hit me.