In February, we coincidentally had a photoshoot in the very same building that our first studio was in nearly ten years ago. Walking along the unpaved side of Mill Street in downtown LA, I was thrown back in time to that first box of a space, soon barely able to contain our product and the swelling anticipation of what was ahead - my 15K followers in less than two months (remember when instagram didn’t have ads?), the Anthropologie contract, the Kardashian’s unpermitted use of my work on MLK Day, the lettering for this event and that - it all felt so big. A decade on the other side with a near-death pregnancy, two babies, adoption loss, a home move, two studio moves, the opening of a shop, and all the everyday pick-ups, drop-offs, and weekend strolls at the garden, the big then seems quite small now. Isn’t that how we best navigate our lives? The gift of perspective.
What seems quite big in this season of life is choosing small, living intentionally within our local community; opening our very local shop, connecting with our very local neighbors, being a part of our very local church, and our very local schools. The conversations that happen in the front yard, the checkout counter at the grocery store, the gathering around the table; these moments of smalling are moments of meaning, an exchange that isn’t measured by likes or comments, but sugar in the baked cookies left on the porch. So glad you’re here - welcome to the neighborhood. I’m nestled in and here for it.
To many seasons more,
Pat
