sit in the sun with me

I don’t have a new offer to talk about. I don’t have business or branding points to talk about. I just moved 1000 miles across the country and I’d like to sit in the sun and dream for a minute, if you’ll join me.

(Icymi, I just relocated to Nashville!)

I’m thinking about what I want to do next — which has been, secretly, for years, making my way into physical, printed products. Branding services aren't going anywhere, but I just bought my first big girl printer (by which I mean I spent over $100 on it) and have play dates on the calendar.

I’m sitting on an oracle deck, with a 2am idea for another one already in my notes app. I put in an order of sample jars for bottling a few tinctures, syrups and oils I have brewing, to become beautifully labeled and packaged gifts in the future.

For many years, I had ideas over and over for candles, perfumes, decks and so on — and always came back to “there are already bajillions of candle companies / tarot decks / whatever, and I couldn’t possibly come up with something special enough to add to all of it.”

But the thing is — and it’s just like committing to a big physical move — if I never let myself take it seriously, if I never start, then it will definitely never happen.

It’s time to start somewhere.

A big part of this new exploration is also working with Earthshine Holistics on their new brand and packaging. Taisha was one of the very first people to purchase a brand kit from me, which then became a custom logo system, and now packaging! Definitely follow their upcoming relaunch to see what we came up with together.

Just a couple days spent on labels for her mists, bath salts, and yes, candles brought me right back to my agency days spent on luxury (and plenty of meh) packaging for global brands, except this was a client who shared actually my values and I was really excited to help, and it made me so proud and happy to that I'd made it to that moment. I decided then: I need to do more of this.

But, packaging design is a tough sell when you don’t have a full portfolio of it and a referral. With the experience I did have freelancing, I was turned down on several jobs because I wasn’t specialized enough, and didn’t know enough of the ins and outs of production and manufacturing. So I let it go to focus on branding, which I do love equally.

And now here I am — with some sizeable jars of infusions that need to be decanted into something in a few more weeks. There’s plenty to share, and it might as well look good, too!

Doing something I love for the sake of itself, touching grass but mostly “undesirable” ground cover, saying “excuse me” to the bees buzzing as I forage, and stocking my witching cabinet full of potions, might as well also help me get more of the work that makes my heart sing down the line.

I’ve been all about compartmentalizing work vs. personal absolutely-not-to-be-monetized hobbies for a long time, but the more that I follow my own excitement (and the more access I have to do so, aka a yard full of weeds), the more naturally they intertwine.

So today, let's throw out the practical advice for a second — tell me about the passion projects you’re cooking up. Especially if you’re already in, or looking toward, dabbling in the printed/physical product world, too. Let’s talk!