Open, introspective and multidimensional, Paprika stands out from “part of the average” (Skellie 2008, p.5) as her self-brand is all about the levels of self-understanding, self-awareness and willingness to commit to them truthfully. She states that it is “potentially one of the best opportunities to integrate your values, purpose and visions with your work, and to put them out there to attract work that both interests and motivates you”.

Paprika is driven as a freelance designer through the freedom of expression, level of control and flexibility of work-life balance. Paprika reflects on how important her self-brand is to her, striving to ensure it reflects her personal values, stating “it frees me up from being trapped by external factors and circumstances which consume and distract me instead of empower and nurture me, and at the same time helps me attract more things that are aligned with my values”.

To Paprika self-branding is “only one of the many ways to express your true self and share your world”, and therefore treats the concept lightly. Although she admits her online self-brand has contributed to her success as a freelancer but aims not to emphasize it. She behaves in a consistent manner across her social media accounts, but wants to keep it real and honest, which “doesn’t always work out as expected”.