The Ritual of Building Something That Feels Like You

For Gabrielle Mai, the founder of Ritual Methods, building a creative business has been a process of figuring out what works, taking risks and learning how to create a structure around her ideas without losing the creativity that brought the business to life in the first place.

Her career began in the freelance world, working across styling and marketing, before gradually developing into something much bigger. What had originally been a business under her own name eventually needed a new identity that could stand independently and give the work a story of its own.

“I was always freelance as a stylist and and freelance marketer; it became a gradual progression to start a creative agency. The rebrand came, however, after thinking about how I could take the business to the next stage and I felt it needed its own story, brand identity and to be separate from my name (previously it was Gabrielle Mai Agency).”

That decision became Ritual Methods, a creative agency with a philosophy that connects branding with personal authenticity. At the centre of the new identity is the Ritual Method, which is shaped around five principles: Be Remembered, Create with Intention, Consistency Wins, Culture First, and Earn Attention.

For Gabrielle, the idea of creating structure has also become personal. Following her ADHD diagnosis, she began to understand the importance of having systems and routines that supported the way she worked, rather than trying to fit herself into a structure that did not suit her. That experience has naturally influenced the way she approaches her business and the philosophy behind Ritual Methods.

The journey has not been without its risks, with opening her own photography studio becoming one of the biggest decisions she has made since starting the business.

“The biggest risk I took was opening up my own photography studio; taking on the rent on top of new staff was definitely a challenge.”

The studio brought another set of responsibilities alongside the agency, and with that came the challenge of moving from being a freelancer who could manage most aspects of the work herself to becoming a business owner responsible for a team, clients and several different parts of the operation.

“As well as balancing the photography studio and the agency, I think staff delegation and clients and managing a business as a whole instead of being a single freelancer is one of my biggest challenges.”

Learning to delegate has been one of the most important parts of that transition, particularly when it comes to recognising that building a successful team means trusting other people to take ownership of their roles.

“I am always learning in business, but I think that expanding to an agency and opening the studio taught me that your team is so important, and to trust your team with certain tasks and delegating tasks which you aren’t as strong at is very important to succeed at the next level. Especially if you have adhd as admin tasks are not my strong point!”

It is a lesson that has changed the way Gabrielle sees growth, with the next stage of a business not necessarily being about taking on more yourself, but about understanding where your strengths lie and having the right people around you to take care of the things that are not your strengths.

Her perspective on money has changed too, thanks in part to a piece of advice that encouraged her to think differently about the relationship between financial value and the energy invested in her work.

“That money correlates to energy, which helped me a lot with putting together my rates and looking at finances in a different perspective.”

That idea feels closely connected to the thinking behind Ritual Methods, where intention is central to the way Gabrielle approaches creativity, branding and business. The agency is not simply about creating something that looks good, but about understanding what it represents and making sure there is purpose behind the work.

There is still plenty ahead for Ritual Methods, with Gabrielle viewing the rebrand as the beginning rather than the end of the process. Alongside the agency and the Ritual Method itself, there is also a zine in development, giving the brand another way to explore its ideas and creative perspective.

“The Ritual rebrand has a lot of layers and perspectives to it; we are just getting started with the agency, the ritual method and zine side of it. I’m really excited to watch it expand.”

From freelance stylist and marketer to agency founder and studio owner, Gabrielle’s business has continued to evolve alongside her own understanding of how she wants to work. Ritual Methods brings those experiences together under one identity, creating a business that is rooted in creativity but also in the structure, intention and people needed to make that creativity sustainable.