I could open with a case study, a carousel’s worth of “key takeaways,” or some high-gloss story about how to crack the code to your first 100K followers. That would be the hook that guru’s would get you roped in with. But, you’re here and you probably already know: the “formula” doesn’t really exist. We’re all continuously learning, evolving and being human. This is the space for me to sit in mishaps, consciousness my learning curves, and simply cut through the slop, the noise and to destroy the final boss–the ‘Thought Influencer’.

Just kidding. I’ve just been feeling unsettled by the industry lately. Not over marketing as a concept–just over the gamification of it. The theatrics of LinkedIn, copycat “hot takes” about AI and personal branding and advice that was clearly cobbled together by ChatGPT without reading it back. The diminishing lack of attention spans that have altered trend cycles at speeds I don’t believe algorithms can keep up with. If you’re stuck with decision paralysis staring at a Pinterest feed full of ‘How I 10x’d My Reach’ and feeling like the human version of TV static–hey. You’re in the right place.

This was a very cynical and off-brand vent for me to start out, but I want to make it clear that I don’t hate social media. Far from it. I love what it can do. It’s built my business, brought so much creative growth into my life and introduced me to people who are now lifelong friends. But the deeper I go, I find that my patience is thinning for feeling the pressure to “perform”–the nudge to be polished, cleaner, optimized, more everything. Especially now, the first week of 2026 when everyone is a mindset to be “better”.

I was introduced to an incredibly thought-provoking idea about “polish,” thanks to The Wardrobe Project, A Year of Buying Yourself and Liking Yourself More by Emma Edwards. Edwards wrote this book after completing a challenge to not to buy any clothing for an entire year. In her March chapter, she details the allure of looking ‘polished’ and how being put-together becomes moralized, especially for women.

Edwards isn’t talking about grooming or personal care here, but the culturally-loaded aesthetic of neutrals, “timeless” silhouettes, wrinkle-free effort-signaling clothing items and outfits that imply control, discipline and restraint.

It means being competent, respectable, and being worthy of being taken seriously. If you are polished, you have your life together. You’re not messy. You’re not trying too hard.

She asks, “Who taught us that we owe the word a polished version of ourselves?”

She continues explaining that she realized she was buying clothes for a fantasy self, someone she idealizes but is not, and therefore is rejecting her true self because of it. Edward’s culprit? Marketing images that sell a life, not just an item. These items won’t offend, draw attention, or invite judgement. They erase the risk of looking unprofessional, unserious, or the deep fear of being “too much.”

She wasn’t buying clothes, she was buying structure to offset her uncertainty. She was buying authority-coded pieces to offset uncertainty about her role. She was buying neutrals to offset any negative perception. Then, when the garment didn’t deliver that feeling, it was a natural assumption to feel that, “Something is wrong with me.”

The climax of this lesson was that you deserve respect even when your outfit doesn’t perfectly relay competency. You deserve ease even if you don’t look impressive. You get to decide what you like, you get to tolerate ambiguity, and you don’t need to outsource your confidence to clothing.

I have been transfixed on this lesson for days now and it is especially relevant about the state of marketing. These core beliefs are rocket fuel for overproduction, over-editing and brand paralysis.

In marketing, unpolished becomes associated with adjectives like amateur, unserious, sloppy or risky and may lead to outcomes like brands defaulting to generic positioning, sanitized storytelling, vague copy, muted colors and safe fonts. Is this expression? Or is this risk management?

I’ve noticed many other content creators and social media managers sending signals of having it together, extremely clean desks, the perfect latte at the perfect coffee shop as a means of communicating trust and legitimacy to the lessons they’re teaching.

It’s saying nothing. It’s not real. You are masquerading as an image you think you need to be to market yourself. That controlled imagery being shared is not trust. Marketing advice is rarely ever linear.

We see people living an idealized life, running an idealized business, copying each other, and expecting the same results. Borrowing the visual language of a viral brand, the voice of another popular writer or creator, or the structure of viral, high-performing content and expect to be an expert and leader in the field.

You can’t inherit the confidence, authority, or momentum through imitation.

That is my problem with the marketing industry “thought leaders,” people selling e-books promising the results you’ve been dreaming of and regurgitated non-specific advice. Even buzzwords!

All that to say, I miss when things felt less curated and more curious. So, here’s my answer to all of that.

The Unscheduled Edit is the things that. I’m not boxing myself in as a strategist behind a logo, but as a creative, freelancer, marketer, business owner and jaded optimist. So, let’s set a few things straight before we get too comfortable.

If you came here looking for plug-and-play marketing, hacks, or goal shortcutting–that wont’ be here. I’m not a guru. I’m not giving you another “post at 10 am for optimal engagement” advice. I’m definitely not interested in parading fake case studies or income dashboards as proof that I know it all.

I hope you stay because you’re curious, you’re smart, and you want to connect with a marketer who is interested in evolving growth and calling out industry-level faux pas.

So, post-grid being “done” for the day, strategy calls are over, and the brand voices are tucked back into deep parts of my brain for the night. I’m discussing the things you’d ask your creative friends over a bottle of wine, the opinions you save for your Slack DM’s and explorations yet-to-be determined.

It’s probably going to get a little weird. Not in a gross way. More in the way that your personality regresses back to your 7-year-old self when reconnecting with an old friend. Good weird.

If you see yourself in any of that please say hey and let’s connect, or if you’d rather lurk, that’s cool too.

The Unscheduled Social Edit is now open. Let’s get interesting.

xo,
mckenna

Subscribe now

Subscribe now