The great poet Joseline Hernandez, asking the tough questions.
Hi, I'm Dot. I was previously known as Dottie Deffo, the cutesy-poo professional persona I cooked up because I thought it'd be more marketable. If it was, it didn't matter, because being that person was unsustainable-- I can't outrun being the stone-faced Dorothy Zbornak of the new millennium. Everybody's just going to have to deal. I kept hedging when it came time to redo all of my materials in reflection of my personal pivot, but when I found out about Subculture, I thought a fresh new platform warranted a fresh start. So please bear with me as I straddle these identities for a bit longer. By January I should be a fully resolved brand, as long as being me doesn't make potential clients run for the hills.
I'm a professional whatever that hates talking about work. This is also why I don't know how to describe myself professionally-- it doesn't tell you much about me. "Writer" feels too limiting, "brand strategist" feels too vague, "content strategist" is probably the most accurate but doesn't tell you how many plates I'm spinning while I do that. Essentially: I pull stories out of people and systems. I'm an armchair sociologist and ethnographer. I'm an amateur historian. I know a little about a lot, so I can talk to all sorts of people with earnest curiosity. I've been listening to a lot of jazz lately but I started out as a hardcore punk. I'm very serious about tarot, the original Dynasty and the Real Housewives. I'm learning French; I've been trapped on the intermediate plateau for almost a decade because I frequently go months without dedicated study. If you speak it, please feel free to use it in conversation. I might have to respond in English, but I'll likely be able to understand you.
I'm hoping to use this space as a creative outlet. I don't know if it counts as selling myself, but I want people to get to know me. Hopefully you'll think I'm cool, or at least entertaining enough to follow. 👋🏾