I had 2 guitars until the 30th December. One was a bright red Gibson electric and the other is a quirky Martin backpacker acoustic guitar that I bought in the US.

We had family staying with us on the 27th and by the time we had put the kids to bed, I poured myself a beer and got the acoustic out for a relaxing strum. To my horror, it had been broken. Somebody had knocked it over and snapped the ‘nut’ – the little piece of grooved nylon at the top that holds the strings in place.

I was pretty annoyed but can accept that it was an accident and that I should have been more careful where I left it.

So, I took it in for repair and took the opportunity to look around the guitar shop. I ended up trying another guitar out and the next day, with family in tow, returned to buy it.

Now I have 3 guitars - the new one is a black electric Gretsch.

My wife wonders why I need 3 guitars. And the honest answers is that I don’t NEED 3 guitars. But I believe that having 3 guitars improves my playing.

Because the guitars are very different in character, I feel different when I play them. Each has its own attributes which means that I can express myself differently.

I also can’t help associating each guitar with a band or performer who uses that style or manufacturer. So, when I (try to) play one of their songs, I feel more ‘congruent’ with their style of play.

The guitars are essentially ‘brand artifacts’ that affect my mental state when I play. One guitar makes me feel different to another and helps me get into the right state to play in a certain way.

Now, I don’t expect you’ll necessarily relate to this unless you have played guitar but I’m sure there are things that you have, use or wear that make you feel different about the way you behave.

In some cases, these things affect the way that others feel about you too.

These are your brand artifacts – part of your personal brand is designing the right artifacts so that others feel differently about you. And, like my new guitar, they can also make you feel the right way about yourself to perform at your best.