Swanny wasn’t chosen for symbolism.

She was chosen by instinct. The meaning came later.

When I began building Brighten Creative, I found a swan illustration on Creative Market that I fell in love with. She was funky, folky, and just had a vibe I kept coming back to. With open wings and bold markings, she seemed to align perfectly with my philosophy of taking up space on purpose. Beyond that, there wasn’t much deeper meaning beyond my gut telling me this was the right icon for my brand.     

Within a couple months, I knew I needed to draw something different. I loved this Swanny, but couldn’t get over the fact she was pre-made and not created by me.

That’s when her true lore started to develop.

She wears what I wear

As I started sketching my own version of Swanny, I knew I wanted her to still have markings like my original inspiration. I toyed with different ideas and then I realized the perfect choice was literally staring me in the face — the new tattoos I had just gotten on my hands.

I’ve briefly shared on Threads the conflict I feel around my heritage. I’m first generation American on my mother’s side, but she rarely shared the Filipino culture she spent nearly 40 years a part of, so I feel quite disconnected from it. I’ve decided I want to start teaching myself more, but art is where this journey has begun. As a subtle nod to this part of me, I recently had a Filipino artist tattoo my hands with small Batok-inspired tribal symbols. Mine specifically of the Visayan people — the region my mom is from.

Now, Swanny wears more than just pretty marks, but shares the same symbolic language as me.

It doesn’t stop there

Another symbol she carries is the lotus root — renkon れんこん, specifically the variety grown where I live in Japan.

In Japanese culture renkon represents clarity, resilience, good fortune, and seeing the future clearly. The  last one quite literally because of the holes running through it. The variety I’m surrounded by has 9 to 11 holes, which is considered especially auspicious.

From deep in the mud, renkon produces stunning lotus flowers that stand tall and transform the landscape around them. When the season ends, the root is unearthed and its true value revealed.

This couldn’t be a better analogy for what I do. Empowering women to see what’s already there, what’s been growing beneath the surface, producing beauty and transforming their surroundings.

Revealing what their brand can become when it’s looked at with thoughtfulness and intention.

She’s from where I’m from

I grew up in Skagit Valley, Washington, and it’s one of the largest wintering grounds for trumpeter swans in North America. When I remembered this connection, not even kidding, I nearly fell out of my chair. 

Every year 10-12 thousand swans migrate through and fill the rural, country fields. It was always such a big to-do, I even have vague memories of helping construct a giant mosaic for my elementary school library. Of course, as a young child I didn’t understand the fuss over a bunch of birds, but as an adult I can appreciate how breathtaking a sight they’ve always been and how lucky we were to see it.

I didn’t plan any of this, but none of it would’ve surfaced if I hadn’t kept turning back to my own story to find the answers.

What she actually represents

Swanny isn’t just a mascot or a cute logo detail. She’s the whole Brighten Creative philosophy made visible.

Branding shouldn’t feel like an exhausting performance, or be a waste of hard-earned resources because it was built on a passing trend or someone else’s idea of success. And it most certainly doesn’t require complete reinvention. 

Strategic, story-led branding is revelation: your winding paths, core memories, and all those important details finally pulled into focus and transformed into something that actually communicates what you alone can offer.

And what I offer?

A perspective shaped by culture, years of travel, and embracing new experiences while honoring my past. The ability to connect seemingly unrelated dots and transform your brand into a unique reflection of who you are.

In the end

I chose Swanny before I understood why. Her meaning unfolded over time. 

But that’s kind of the whole thing, right?  Becoming who you’re meant to be isn’t a single moment or something that happens overnight.  It’s a process, a migration if you will.

And when you dig deep to truly understand what brought you to this point and feel confident enough to own it fully, you take up space on purpose and encourage others to do the same.

xo,