How to build your Creative Voice Tree
¡Hola amigos!
Today, we're diving into the Bloom Method practice: The Creative Voice Tree.
While Bloom represents the theory and methodology for discovering our creative voice, the Tree is a practical and visual tool that will allow us to lay the foundation for our creative voice and personal brand.
We've discussed the Bloom Method extensively before, so I won't repeat it. You can find all the details in this post.
The Tree diagram you see is inspired by a tree-like structure: a central trunk, main branches organized by concepts, smaller branches, the foliage and final elements, which I like to call the flowers.
These diagrams help break down complex ideas into manageable parts and illustrate relationships between different levels of information. They're commonly used to visually represent complex systems, like our creative voice and personal brand.
Our Voice Tree embraces this structure to help us ground all the abstract thinking from the Bloom Method, providing structure and clarity.
Vale amigos, quick intro aside — let's get to it! How do I start building my Voice Tree?
1. ASK — Exploring your inner voice.
Getting introspective is all about asking ourselves questions. In this step, you're going to interview yourself.
Here are some starters to begin with: Who am I? What do I like to do? What am I good at? What defines me? What are my strengths and weaknesses? What are my hobbies? What am I good at?...
There are no wrong questions here. We're building a map that represents us as accurately as possible, so, answer anything that comes to mind, anything that helps you define who you are. Pero, ¡no stress! take your time.
It's also very useful to ask family and friends for help. We often underestimate our abilities, and these questions can be challenging to answer, but someone who loves and admires us can help us see more clearly.
2. NOTE DOWN — Cataloging your insights.
While responding to the questions, many concepts and ideas will come to our mind.
For example, "Who am I?" Well, I'm many things. I'm an illustrator, daughter, wife, designer, former architect, cook, Spaniard, friend,…
What do I like to do? Dance, boxing, cook, meditate, paint…
Don't overthink it! Write down everything that comes to mind (I like to use sticky notes) and you'll figure out what to do with all these concepts in the next step.
3. CONNECT — Weaving ideas together.
This is the final step; we're about to shape our Tree.
At first, I'm certain many of the sticky notes will have similarities, and you can group them together by chronology, theme, or similarity.
If you don't see an immediate connection, don’t panic! Here are some guidelines to gradually organize all the information you have on hand.
3.1. DEFINE THE TRUNK. The trunk is the center of our Tree. It's where all the branches and topics we're going to analyze will stem from.
3.2. DEFINE THE MAIN BRANCHES. From the central trunk emerge the main branches. Each main branch represents an area of your life.
Using my example:
Interests: everything you do and enjoy in your personal context.
Skills & knowledge: all that you've learned and experienced in your professional context.
Natural gifts: all your inherent strengths and weaknesses.
Bonds: your relationships with others.
You can work on and develop as many main branches as you want. Add to my list any area of your life that is missing and you consider important and fundamental in defining your voice.
3.3. DEFINE THE BRANCHES. The branches grow from the main branches. We're moving from general to specific, so in these branches, we'll detail personal aspects of each area of our lives.
Using my example again, I've defined:
Interests: my hobbies and passions
Skills & knowledge: my academic and professional background
Natural gifts: my personality and strengths
Bonds: my home
The key here lies in being specific, so again, add any branch that is essential to you right now: partner, family, leisure, activities, friends, etc.
3.4. DEFINE THE FOLIAGE. This is where all your sticky notes come in; we're going to classify them according to the branches you've defined.
If there's a concept you're not sure where to place, I'm almost certain it's because you might be missing an essential branch to define. Go back and reconsider.
3.5. ADD SOME FLOWERS. This is like adding sugar; these types of diagrams can grow infinitely. I encourage you, if there are certain elements that feel insufficient and you want to specify them more, add some flowers to your tree.
But beware! Here's the question: Flower or flourish? A flower will provide us with very specific and valuable information to lay the groundwork for our voice, like a role model or a theme to address with our brand. On the other hand, a flourish will be a more specific detail but won't give us much substance.
Either way, it's okay for now. Just put them all in. When you work through the Bloom Method, you'll know which ones to keep and which ones to discard.
Y hasta aquí. Amigo! Voilà! Now you have your Tree, a map of your voice, your essence, the foundation for building a visual language. This is the core of your uniqueness; all elements of your voice will emerge from this Tree.
I invite you to take the first steps and start laying your voice foundations.
Pero an important tip: the Creative Voice Tree is an ongoing process, not an exercise you complete and then forget. It's a practice I like to repeat at the beginning of each year. We grow and change, and our Creative Voice must flow and represent our new versions of ourselves. Plus, by repeating it, you'll always discover new nuances and details.
For all of you eager to dig deeper and discover how to translate this Tree into your Creative Voice, you are more than welcome to enroll in my Creative Voice Masterclass. Find all the details right here: Creative Voice Masterclass →
Thanks for reading, and have a joyful day amigos!
