We recently connected with Brooke Latham and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brooke, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Several years ago, I quit my job in the art world with no idea of what I wanted to do. I only knew that I was lacking fulfillment, and needed to find my calling. After my last day at work, I flew to Japan on a one-way ticket to climb Mount Fuji with a girl I’d never met.
We began our 12,388 foot hike at 10 pm, and I began pouring out my life’s story to a total stranger. We summited the mountain just as the sun rose, and enjoyed surreal bliss looking down on the world we’d left behind, delirious from lack of oxygen and sleep. I knew that the mountain was a metaphor for the challenges I needed to overcome, physically and mentally, in order to climb out of the rut I was in. On our way down the mountain, my new friend, who understood that I was at a crossroads in my life, told me about ikigai.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept for life’s purpose, and it can only be found when you have the following four components: what you love doing, what you’re good at, what you can make money doing, and what the world needs. So I mapped out a plan to create a career for myself with all of these elements, and started Social Canvas to use my marketing superpowers to help purpose-driven brands get the recognition and success they deserve. And that is our brand’s story.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I help purpose-driven brands reach their business goals through digital marketing.
What I find most exciting is that we are helping small businesses scale to new heights! We help them connect to their target audience by putting their purpose at the center of their digital presence.
We help them refine their message, and then get that message in front of the right audience, deploying it across their website, social media, email marketing, and advertising campaigns.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Leadership was the hardest skill I had to develop, but also the most powerful. Some of the most difficult conversations I’ve had to have along the way have been the most important, and in hindsight I realize that that is often the case. A big part of that involves listening.
Communication has always been my greatest strength, which has been an invaluable tool. In marketing, visual and verbal communication come together to move audiences. So, crafting a compelling message is a very useful skill!
Next, I had to pair that strong communication with the technical skills required to amplify that message. This was an area where I had to learn about various platforms, strategies and tactics. With data as my guide, I continuously learn what’s working well and what’s not, so that we can be efficient and effective.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
Playing Big by Tara Mohr was a great book that helped me understand how to dream bigger and act with conviction! The author speaks about how we use hiding strategies to avoid taking the necessary risks that will lead us to great success. She helps her readers unlearn these misconceptions and reimagine what they can achieve.
Contact Info:
- Website: socialcanvasco.com
- Instagram: @socialcanvasco
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-latham/
Image Credits
Photographer: Gabrielle Peige
