Maybe I Was the Brand All Along: 10 Years of Rebranding and Still Figuring It Out

From print on demand to mental health, digital art, and now Substack. Maybe all those fresh starts were leading me somewhere.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself over the past ten years, it’s that I’m really good at starting over.

And by starting over, I mean rebranding. A lot.

New business names, new logos, new websites, new Etsy shops, new ideas. You name it, I’ve probably tried it.

My creative business journey started back in 2016 with print on demand. I was a self-taught artist who loved the idea of turning my designs into actual products. Unfortunately, some of my early brands were reported and shut down, and after putting so much work into them, it was discouraging.

Eventually, life and my mental health caught up with me, and I needed a break.

But something interesting happened during that time.

I realized that creativity wasn’t just a hobby or a way to make a little extra money.

It was how I coped.

Writing, photography, digital art, and designing little positive reminders became ways to express things I didn’t always know how to say out loud.

And looking back, mental health had actually been a part of almost every brand I’d created.

I just hadn’t connected the dots yet.

Maybe I Didn’t Need Another Rebrand

For years, I kept trying to separate everything.

My photography needed its own brand.

My pet-inspired designs needed their own brand.

My mental health resources needed their own brand.

And then there was my print-on-demand business, digital art, writing, and eventually my cozy little apps.

I thought I had to choose one thing to be successful.

But I’m a creative person with a million different interests. How was I supposed to squeeze all of that into one tiny niche?

Eventually, I realized something.

Maybe I didn’t need another business name. Maybe I just needed to be myself.

That’s how AbbyJuli.com became my creative home.

I started taking bits and pieces from each previous brand and bringing them together. My Etsy shop became AbbyJuliPrintables, my mental wellness resources found their place, and my photography, rescue advocacy, writing, and digital art could finally coexist.

Not another complete restart.

Just different pieces of me finding their place.

I Was Posting Positive Reminders to a Mirror

Here’s something kind of funny and sad at the same time.

For years, I posted mental health reminders and positive quotes on Instagram, hoping they might help someone.

But most of the time, I had 25 followers or fewer.

Sometimes it genuinely felt like I was posting to a mirror.

And maybe I was.

Because the reminders I shared were usually the exact things I needed to hear myself.

When I wrote about resting, I was exhausted.

When I wrote about self-love, I was struggling with my own confidence.

When I reminded people to keep going, sometimes I was trying to convince myself to do the same.

I wasn’t just creating content for other people. I was helping myself through it, too.

And even if nobody liked or commented on those posts, they still meant something to me.

But Instagram changed.

I remember when it was about sharing pictures, connecting with people, and simply creating for fun.

Then came the reels, trends, algorithms, and the pressure to constantly keep up.

I tried longer captions. I tried SEO. I tried adapting my writing to what Instagram seemed to want.

Nothing really changed for me.

And honestly, I was tired of trying to make a platform work that no longer felt like me.

So I left.

Is Substack Really for Someone Like Me?

And now here I am.

On Substack.

A writer, digital artist, print-on-demand creator, mental wellness advocate, and small business owner who still doesn’t entirely know what she’s doing.

So, is Substack actually the right place for me and my brand?

I don’t know.

Will it help people discover my Etsy shop, artwork, apps, or website?

Maybe.

Will I end up writing to a mirror again?

Possibly.

But here’s what makes this different.

I’ve always been a writer.

Long before I started selling products or creating websites, I was writing poems and putting my feelings into words.

And for once, I’m on a platform where I can focus on that instead of worrying about trending audio or whether my latest reel will reach three people.

I can share the stories behind my artwork, my experiences with mental health, the messy parts of running a creative business, and all those random 3 AM thoughts.

Maybe Substack won’t be the perfect platform.

Maybe I’ll change my mind about things along the way.

But I’m genuinely excited to find out.

Maybe This Isn’t Another Fresh Start

I used to feel embarrassed about how many times I’d rebranded.

Like somehow changing directions meant I couldn’t commit to anything.

But now I think every version of my business taught me something.

Every failed shop.

Every new idea.

Every mental health break.

Every positive reminder I posted to practically nobody.

They were all little pieces of the same story.

And maybe I wasn’t constantly starting over.

Maybe I was slowly figuring out who I was as an artist, a writer, and a person.

I’m still building AbbyJuli.com. I’m still creating digital art, print-on-demand products, self-care resources, and whatever else my creative brain dreams up.

Substack is just another way to share the person behind all of it.

Maybe this time, I’m not rebranding. I’m just allowing myself to grow.

And after almost ten years of trying to figure out what my brand should be, I’m starting to think the answer was there all along.

Me.

Not a perfectly curated business.

Not one specific niche.

Just Abby.

Still creating, still overthinking, still doing my best-ish.

And still figuring it out.

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Have you ever felt like you were constantly starting over, only to realize you were actually growing into yourself? Because I think that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.

A little more of my world: AbbyJuli.com | My Etsy Shop