Hi from the snowy mountains of Canada! I’m on a week-long creative retreat to focus on the design of our summer collection, so I’ll keep today’s email short and sweet :)
One major takeaway from this retreat has been the importance of dedicated and uninterrupted time to create. Because I straddle the worlds of business and product design at Mixed, I sometimes feel guilty indulging in the creative. It feels like something I should do only when my (never ending) to-do list is complete, when in fact, design is core to the brand and I need to treat it as such! Freeing up my calendar, getting on a plane, and focusing primarily on design has prioritized my creative process rather than allowing it to be an afterthought. I’ve benefitted so much from this trip that I’m thinking to do something like this for every collection. In fact, I’m also thinking about ways Mixed can create this experience for others—maybe it would look like a retreat “giveaway” or program where we sponsor someone’s accommodation and travel to work on a creative project or business idea. The wheels are turning…
Below is a little sneak peek at some of the prints I’ve designed on this retreat—they’re still works in progress, but I’m so excited to bring them to life this summer!! I’m seriously thrilled to release this year’s collections—stay tuned.