Is Personal Branding Misleading or Essential?

It’s official: Designers in today’s competitive landscape must develop their personal brands to effectively market themselves to clients. Without a distinctive and memorable personal brand, you become just another designer adrift in the vast sea of competition, forced to vie with others for the same opportunities.
Personal branding is described as an enhanced version of oneself, refined to highlight everything that’s pertinent to your work and vision. But what portion of this i