Welcome To The Harperverse
The Pilot to what's to come...
Hello and welcome to The Harperverse!
Who am I?
What is the Harperverse?
Why is this Dan guy writing?
All great questions, and I will answer them all in due time
Both for you and for myself - because who doesn't deal with a bit of imposter syndrome?
Well, without further ado, let's get this started but let's work backwards...
Why is Daniel Harper Writing?
So I can finally expell all the ideas I have, the creativity I keep bottled up, and to start building a habit
A habit that I see as one of the most essential ones I have wanted for some time now
But I have kept pushing aside saying things like "I will start tomorrow"
I'm sure You know them habits...
Well guess what, I am finally hear and I don't want to make a huge deal out of it
But, I did see this one post, and decided to pull the trigger in a large way:
To write 1,000 words a day for the whole month (August 2024)
Sometimes it takes large action & a sense of accountability, which is why this appealed to me.
What is The Harperverse?
This excites the hell out of me, because it aligns so well with something I have obsessed over recently:
Brand Universes
Now, this is not a term that you have heard of, but that is completely fine!
Because guess what?
I am going to be discussing the concept in a lot more detail throughout my writing, but to give you some context:
A 'brand universe' to me in simple terms is corporate strategy
And this obsession began when I came across the Disney strategy that Walt created in 1957:
This strategy to me, is a timeless piece of art, and it makes me feel very fortunate to be able to even see it
Because it not only highlights Walt's forward thinking & visionary prowess, but it highlights
Different platforms orbit the film studio which is the core of Disney's - you guessed it:
Brand Universe
Everything connects, and feeds into the universe, to create its very own ecosystem
Which in turn, allows for larger expansions, and provides a lot more opportunities for:
Customers to jump in at any point and discover depth
Increased diversification and integration
Longer-term planning and structure
Increased brand leverage
The story to expand
Which allows for endless opportunities...
P.s. I am also blown away by how simple and clear the strategy is, despite it boasting such complexities
P.s.s. I have to highlight my fascination for transmedia storytelling, so this fits perfect
P.s.s.s. No more P.s.'s now, back to the main story...
Who is Dan Harper?
Bloody hell, where do I even begin?
Do I go with my CV summary, my LinkedIn bio, or go with what makes sense to me now...
What about what would go on your headstone?
A bit too far...
I reckon what makes sense now would be best!
So, who is Daniel James Harper?
One word has always stood out to me and I like it a lot:
Ideator
I would say I am an ideator through and through
But, there are a few extras:
Geek
Planner
Marketer
Media and Communications Enthusiast
A Harper
And definitely a lot more, but I would like to stick with these for now
Because they sum up a large chunk of my life for now, so let's break them down like chapters...
The Ideator
When I was looking for a word that summed up what I do a lot of, this one always springs to mind
This is because I find myself drawn to tasks that involve a lot of thinking or ideating
And I can never seem to switch that side of my brain off
This can sometimes be a pain, but more times than not, it comes in pretty handy,
Especially when a lot of what I usually do is problem-solving or strategising as a marketer...
The Geek
For as long as I can remember, I have associated myself with this term and I likely will until I die
That's a pretty bold and confident claim, but I have no doubt in my mind that, that is exactly right
Now, being a geek has some nuance to it I'm sure, but to me a geek is someone who is a big fan of or has a passion for pop culture
And that to me, has always been present in my passion for things such as:
Super Heroes
Anime
Gaming
Comics
Books
And so much more...
Not sure if this shows my devotion, but I have a tattoo of the Joker on my left forearm:
And you can bet I will get a lot more...
The Planner
Much like the ideator, I would consider myself a pretty big planner
But, this came off the back of the past few years, when I started my self-development journey
And when I became a 'Comms Planner' for a short term at my previous agency - which I am looking to jump back into...
Anyway, the planner part of me connect very well to the ideator side of me, because:
It provides the discipline behind the ideas implementation
Because without the discipline in place, an idea is only an idea
It is only when you take action, that an idea comes to life
Hear is a short example of this:
An idea I have is to become a planner and then a successful strategist
So, the plan I have is to jump back into a 'planner' role to increase my skills and gain experience
And the only action I need to take right now to get this roling is to get a 'planner' role
Which is why I have been freelancing and recently working with a career coach...
The Marketer
Now, I must say, I did not set this up as a segway I promise
But, I would consider myself a marketer, and I plan to continue doing so because that's my profession
Throughout my childhood and education, I had no idea what I wanted to be
As I'm sure you have also felt before
But, one day while I was in college (UK) for the second time (that's a story for another time), I discovered my passion
And while we are leading onto it, it was through this passion that I found my profession as a digital marketer
And took my biggest steps into adult hood, that considered of:
Moving out at 20 to a completely different city
Taking on my first 'big boy' job
All because I decided to withdraw my university applications (the 2nd thing I thought I'd never do as an adult)...
And pursue a different pathway to becoming a digital marketer:
An Apprenticeship
A pretty unatural pathway to take, and it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life
Now, I could go into why I love marketing, but I have decided I would like to show that in my future content & on my website:
There is so much I have to share and still learn, I hope you'll learn with me too...
The Media and Communications Enthusiast
Again, it was not my intention for these to segway...
But, like I was saying, this was the passion I found out about while I was in college
And, while you can also associate this with me as the geek because I have a passion for 'media'
Media and Communications means a lot more to me - fun fact: I was going to study this at University!
What it also means to me, is my love for:
Brand
Entertainment
Communication
These 3 points are important because they interconnect with the rest of my 'Variants'
If it wasn't for branding I wouldn't have a passion for marketing & business
If it wasn't for entertainment I wouldn't have become a geek
If it wasn't for communication none of this would exist...
A Harper
Which leads me to my last point and should wrap up who I am:
I am a Harper
"Duh, of course you are Dan, that's your surname, don't be silly"
While I agree, it may seem silly for me to point out the obvious, it has a deeper meaning to me
Which is, that even though throughout history, the Harper was an occupational name
Given to those that played the harp, who would've thought...
Now, I don't know anything about harps, but I do know something about:
Storytelling
Which brings me to my last *hidden* 'variant' that I wish to leave on, and that is
That I am a storyteller, and aspire to become a very good storyteller so that I can pass that onto my family...
Thank you for reading my first substack, I hope you enjoyed it, and learnt something new!
If you like what you’ve read so far, and would like to stay up to date on my work going forwards, please do:
Thanks,
Dan
Daniel, I'm glad you decided to stop waiting until tomorrow. Best of luck!