Top Reinvention Artists of 2012 (And What You Can Learn From Them)

What does it take to sustain a long, successful career in business? Being talented and smart is just the beginning. The key is to fearlessly evolve — reinventing yourself by altering your look and presentation style, honing your craft, choosing challenging projects and building upon your successes.

My second annual Big Fish Hall of Fame honors those who have made waves in the past 12 months. I’ve looked for celebrities and business leaders who have recast themselves organically into a different form. Who have changed themselves so much that they seem entirely new and more relevant than ever.

“And the nominees for Best Reinvention Artist goes to…”

Woody Allen
With Midnight In Paris and a powerful documentary about his life on PBS, Woody Allen became more relevant than ever this past year. In Asia, wearing Woody Allen glasses without lenses is a craze. We should all be so cool at 76-years-old.

Thom Beers
The man behind Deadliest Catch, Monster Garage, Ice Road Truckers and Storage Wars is on fire. He keeps reinventing the television genre that he created with one hit show after another while celebrating the raw, rugged work that happens everyday in America.

Victoria Beckham
From Posh Spice to David Beckham’s wife, V.B. has always been a trendsetter. Her fashion designs are in Vogue, and sold at Saks. This past year, her entrepreneurial skills were in the spotlight as she fearlessly extended her brand and brood.

Arianna Huffington
The founder of The Huffington Post has reinvented herself from Greek to American, a conservative to a liberal, a congressman’s wife to a gubernatorial candidate and today is ranked as one of the most influential women in media. Can you say “fearless?”

Steve Jobs
In his afterlife, the premiere purveyor of hip, different and desirable is an icon for a life well spent. His products continue to demonstrate a strong point-of-view and fearless advocacy for beauty and simplicity in a world, which mostly is anything but that.

Daniel Radcliffe
After playing Harry Potter for what seems like Daniel Radcliffe’s entire life, the actor switched gears last year to take the lead in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying on Broadway. Now that’s a magical transformation.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Over 20 years have gone by since the Red Hot Chili Peppers signed with Warner Bros. Records. This year they will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I’m With You, the band’s 10th album is so fresh, my 12-year-old loves it.

Britney Spears
“Turnaround” doesn’t even begin to describe how the pop princess has come back after her meltdown in 2007. With “Femme Fatale,” her sixth chart-topping album, she received the MTV Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs. At 30, she’s hotter than ever.

Richard Turley
As Creative Director of Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Richard Turley has dramatically redefined what a business publication should look like. Replacing photos of old white men with provocative images and cartoon-style scribbling, he’s designed the ultimate comeback story.

Meryl Streep
On last month’s cover of Vogue she looked like the very definition of a natural woman. Never trendy or caught up in Hollywood’s thirst for youth, she teaches all of us how to pour yourself into your work fully with courage, integrity and authenticity.

The fearlessness of these reinvention artists holds a key lesson for each of us. It’s not easy to achieve success, and it’s a heck of a lot harder to sustain it. Only by continuing to evolve can you keep your brand fresh and others interested.

Robin Fisher Roffer is a leading brand strategist and reinvention specialist. Founder and CEO of Big Fish Marketing, she is the author of Make A Name For Yourself: 8 Steps Every Woman Needs To Create A Personal Brand Strategy For Success, The Fearless Fish Out Of Water: How To Succeed When You’re The Only One Like You, and Reinventing Yourself: 10 Steps To Shifting Your Career Into High Gear. Learn more about Robin at: http://bigfishmarketing.com