Writer, Agilist, Elder Geek
If you were on an interview for your ideal job, would you have mentioned the most recent Comic-Con? The latest game releases? The recent travails of smartphones or tablets?
Maybe you should have.
One of the things about being, well, the geeks and fans and otaku we are, is we're often painfully well informed about news issues, at least with stuff we like. We know about conventions and releases, games and manga, shipping issues and scandals. We know a lot of stuff.
As I've always noted, it's important to have role models. We need people to look up to, to be like, to remind us of what we can do, and to give us ideas of how to be better than we are. We're social animals, we humans, and we work well with other people as references.
One of the great things about being a fanboy, fangirl, geek, otaku, etc. is that we usually have a lot of great role models and access to them. Media fans have the actors, writers, editors, and so on to look up to. Game fans have the programmers and producers to learn from. Comic geeks have artists and writers and publishers. When your geekery and your professional ambitions come together, you find yourself surrounded by people you can – and may want to – be like.
There is one thing you have to keep in mind however: You're never going to be successful like your role models.
I know Hello Kitty has fans. In fact, I have to admire Sanrio for creating a sort of Seinfeld of cuteness.; Hello Kitty really isn't about anything. Hello Kitty is sort of a brand of general adorable cuteness and pathological amounts of pink. It's just that when it comes to it, there's not a whole lot of "there" there. Hello Kitty just sort of is.
She's darling, as is her collection of friends, but she's not about anything.
Sanrio's success aside, you don't want to use her as a role model for personal branding. Even if you like Pink. A whole lot of Pink.