How do I tell my story when my business journey is a total cliché?
Today, apparently, is National Cliché Day, a.k.a. The perfect opportunity to talk about something I see time and time again on my clients’ questionnaires:
“…(but that’s soooo cliché, I don’t want to tell people that!)”
Ok, so, let’s backtrack. Why am I sending clients questionnaires? I’m a copywriter specialising in writing copy with passion and personality, and that means that I ask my clients to tell me about themselves. Part of this is asking for ~ their story ~, which is when people tell me their (potted) life history, and crucially how they ended up doing what they love doing. Sometimes, they then follow it with, in the next breath, “BUT THAT’S BORING AND CLICHÉ, DON’T USE THAT!”
Most recently, I heard this from a photographer who first picked up a camera at a young age, thanks to his grandpa. It was a wonderful snapshot (pun intended), an inspiring vignette of his story so far, and totally got across why he’s the guy you should trust with meaningful family heirlooms…but he didn’t see it that way. He saw it as an overdone story (even if it was the truth) with no value.
But that’s where you’re wrong, kiddo.
Next time you think your story is cliché, remember this:
There are 2 things I want you to remember next time you think your story is a cliché. Firstly, it’s that clichés are often clichés because they’re true: sometimes things just occur more frequently than we might think, but this doesn’t make them inherently any less worthy (and it definitely doesn’t make your work any less remarkable, or you any worse a photographer!)
The second is that of course you’re going to find your own story boring or hackneyed; you’ve lived it. You’ve not had a second of your life where you’ve not known it since the literal day you were born - so obviously it’s not going to seem shiny and new to you.
Writing your about page when you think your story is a cliché
So where does this leave us in terms of about pages? Well, if you’re working with a copywriter (for instance - me! hello!), they’ll work their magic in ensuring that it’s a copy you’re proud of. Alternatively if you’re writing your own stuff, then it might help to focus on the why behind the what. You might not feel particularly galvanised by the motions of your origin story, but you do feel galvanised by how it made you feel - otherwise you wouldn’t have chosen to do it as a career.
And this is where your own personal story comes in, too. Instead of focusing on what happened, focus on why it’s part of your story. Even if the circumstances you’re describing are the most run-of-the-mill thing ever – which, to return to point 2 above, I contest, but we move – the way you experienced them and what they meant to you are yours and yours alone.
p.s. here’s something funny - I was searching for a photo for this blog post on Pexels, and typed in the word “cliché” to see what would come up. There was 1 result: a picture of a sunset. What do I mention on my about page? Sunsets. (I eventually settled on this lovely photo by Ylanite Koppens.)
p.p.s. here’s something fascinating - the word cliché comes from the French word to click. In the early 1800s, printers started using cliché to refer to the cast plate used to replicate certain type or images, because that’s the noise the plate made when being positioned. By the end of the century, it had become synonymous with a phrase that was repeated (and therefore a plate that was used) often.
