Mindful Matter
Q&A with Maartje Louwers
This month we welcome back artist Maartje Louwers, who is based in the Netherlands. She is a nurse, in her 20's, who enjoys illustrating art. Maartje is a frontline worker during the COVID19 crisis and says illustrating is her time to put her mind to rest. Maartje's design was created out of love and passion. She says, "Passion is like a flower. If you take care of it, it lets your heart bloom and you will flourish with it. Do what you love, love what you do.” For a little more about Maartje, here's a short Q&A: Where is home for you? My home is in the Netherlands. What is your definition of a successful life? Being happy and having the people you love close around you. Describe your perfect day. A perfect day for me includes hanging with my two cats and my boyfriend, having a nice lunch with friends, (taking COVID19 precautions of course) and preparing a home cooked meal and inviting my family members. How did you get into design? I always enjoyed drawing. A few years back I started to do it on a daily basis and improved. I found that sharing it with others gave me joy as well. Where do you find inspiration? Mostly in nature, like the waves of the ocean. As a nurse, I also like to add some anatomy to my illustrations. What's your dream design project? One day, I really would like to publish my own children's picture book. Which designers or thinkers influence/inspire you? I don’t have a specific influencer in mind, but I follow a lot of great artists on Instagram for inspiration and they all have their own unique style. What was the inspiration behind this design? I actually drew this as a Valentine's card for my boyfriend. I thought it would be nice to give this instead of real flowers. How does Passion play out in your life? When I was younger I did feel like I had to choose between two career paths. One of them was nursing and the other was being an artist. I found out along the way I can practice both of these passions at the same time. I am still trying to find a balance between these two. At the moment, what is your favorite… Color: Forest Green and Sunflower YellowFood: SushiSong: This is so hard. My favorite artists are: White Lies, De Staat, Lorde, Mumford & Sons, and I listen to Elvis as well. Thanks for sharing with us, Maartje!
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Passion projects that changed everything.
This month, we’re excited to launch a product we are really passionate about — the mobile app for our digital journaling platform, Reflection.app, now available (for free!) in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Since we started Holstee in 2009, August has historically been a month for launching new passion projects (it’s also the month we explore the theme of Passion with our members!). When I reflect back on it, many of these passion projects wound up being pivotal, impacting our business (and our lives) in unexpected ways. So before sharing all that went into this month’s mobile launch, I’d love to take a walk down memory lane… August 2010 — We began selling our Upcycled Wallets. Holstee started out as a t-shirt company, but in August 2010, we decided to expand our range to include wallets. The idea sparked from a personal pain point; Mike and I couldn’t find a wallet that met our minimalist design requirements and were made sustainably. So we decided to design one ourselves, and we partnered with an NGO in India to produce them from upcycled plastic bags. It wasn’t an easy decision; not only were accessories a departure from t-shirts, but the project required high minimums and trusting a new partner we had never worked with before. Both Mike and I felt there was something “there”, though, so we moved forward — and eventually, our wallet sales outpaced our t-shirt sales. But even more impactful for me personally was what came next. A few months later, I was interviewed by a design blog about the process of working with artisans internationally. A friend-of-a-friend interested in artisan production read that article and reached out to learn more — fast forward nearly a decade, Jess and I recently welcomed our baby Shilo into the world. August 2013 — We did a Kickstarter campaign for our Reclaim Frame. Once again we found ourselves excited about a completely new product that required us to work with new materials and a new partner. At this point, the Holstee Manifesto had grown in popularity and we were producing more posters, prints, and greeting cards. We wanted to create a new type of frame that would make it easy to swap art prints in and out, and we worked with Michigan-based social enterprise, Urban Ashes, to make it with reclaimed materials. As one of our Kickstarter reward levels, we thought it would be cool to offer an art subscription — a new letterpress print that fit perfectly into the frame, delivered to backers each month. Over time, the art subscription evolved far beyond just art. First we added a short letter from Mike and I, then a little pamphlet with questions, then eventually a monthly theme. Step by step, the art subscription has grown into what is now Holstee’s core offering — our Membership. August 2016 — We did another Kickstarter campaign for our Reflection Cards. We wanted to make our Reflection Cards for years, but we kept holding off to focus on the Holstee Membership. Eventually, we decided to just test the idea as a Kickstarter campaign to see if it resonated with our community. They have since become a community favorite. We have produced over 20,000 decks to date, we just passed 100 reviews on Amazon, and the cards are now carried at major retailers like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. The Reflection Cards have also opened the door to exciting partnership opportunities for us, including a collaboration with the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California-Berkeley that resulted in our recent Greater Good Toolkit launch. When I look back, I see a few patterns. For each of these projects... + We took a chance on an idea that we were very passionate about, but which was just beyond our comfort zone. + Our main motivation wasn’t financial — it always came from a deep-rooted desire to bring the project to life. We felt a creative pressure that we needed to explore. + We took on a fairly large (though calculated) risk, requiring an upfront investment of time, energy, and money. Back to today and this month’s launch… August 2020 — We launched Reflection.app for iOS and Android. 😎 For several years, we’ve made an Annual Reflection Journal to help our members (and ourselves!) reflect at the end of each year. Over time, we realized that our annual reflection would be easier and more meaningful if we had a monthly review practice… and those monthly reviews would be easier and more meaningful if we had a place to track our daily highlights and lowlights. And wouldn’t it be great if it were all digital? After speaking with hundreds of people in our community, we realized we were not alone. In November 2019, we released a beta of Reflection.app — an online journal that guides your personal growth each month. Within weeks, the top requested feature was a native mobile app to make adding on-the-go entries easier. This month, thanks to the hard work of our developers Britannio, Bryan, and Edward, we are proud to announce that Reflection.app is now available to download for iOS and Android! Like our other passion projects, building Reflection.app required us to step outside our comfort zone and take on risks to our time, energy, and finances. But also like our other passion projects, it’s been fueled by exciting creative energy and the strong belief that building this app will add value to people’s lives. Of course, we hope the app is a success and that we are able to continue to invest into its growth. But I also wonder… could Reflection.app, like our other August launches, lead to something else unexpected entirely? What doors have now been opened as a result of taking a chance, listening to our hearts, and following our passion? Excited for what lies ahead! Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee P.S. This email talks a lot about our past successes. It’s easy to talk about successes, but I also want to make really clear that we have also had some massive product launch flops! And even with (actually, especially with) these successful launches, there were many trying moments that caused us to question our path all together. It’s rarely been easy, but it’s always been worth it.
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Q&A with Caren Kreger
This month’s art is by Caren Kreger, the Maker, Creator and Celebrator (not to mention, incredible hand-letterer and artist) behind Everyday Hooray. She hopes her illustration serves a reminder that "Passion comes from somewhere deep inside of us and often shows up only when we allow ourselves the time and space to let it rise up and take hold". For a little more about what inspired this artwork, her process, and her life, here's a short Q&A: Where is home for you? Livermore, California (SF East Bay) What was the inspiration behind this design? Passion comes from somewhere deep inside of us and often shows up only when we allow ourselves the time and space to let it rise up and take hold. This work was inspired by the bold simplicity of this statement and the bright fire that lights inside of us when we pursue something that we are truly passionate about. What is your definition of a successful life? Oh wow, this is a big question. For me, a successful life means that I’ve taken risks, stepped outside of myself and engaged fully with the world around me. How did you get into lettering and design? I have always loved to draw and had an appreciation for design but never gave it enough time to flourish. A few years ago I experienced an emotional trauma that forced the need for a creative outlet. I began drawing again and focused on lettering as a way to release some of the emotions that I was experiencing. Now I draw every day as a way to continue growing, learning, and challenging myself. Where do you find inspiration? I find a lot of inspiration in the people around me. I am fascinated by the way people engage with each other and the emotional exchanges that we make every day. I see much opportunity to share positivity and I love the opportunity to make someone smile. What's your dream project? I’d love to create cover art for a book by someone who I admire or who has influenced me in some way. Which designers or thinkers influence/inspire you? Brene Brown’s books helped me through some difficult times and urged me to begin creating as an emotional outlet. I also really, really love Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic and I tend to pick it up when I’m feeling creatively drained. At the moment, what is your favorite… Color: Mint Food: Is Wine a food? Song: Audiobooks Quote: “Your own reasons to make art are reason enough. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart.” - Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic
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Our Next Chapter: Reflection.app — a better way to journal.
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Søren Kierkegaard Last week I recapped our 10-year Holstee journey and how it has steered us towards a new and exciting project. This week I am thrilled to introduce you to: Reflection.app — a simple way to start a meaningful reflection practice with an online journal that guides your personal growth each month. From our Reflection Cards, to our annual Reflection Journal, to the exercises in our Mindful Kits, Mike and I are big believers in the power of reflection. Through reflection, we get the chance to appreciate, learn from, and find peace with our past as we take steps toward the future ahead. The challenge is that starting and keeping a reflection practice is hard. It can be difficult to know how to begin, and once you do begin, it can be difficult to maintain with all the distractions life throws our way. For years, journaling has been our go-to tool for reflection. But even when we mastered the habit of writing about our days, there wasn’t an easy framework for looking back on past entries — no guide to help us find patterns in the things that brought us joy, or learnings from the moments that challenged us. It’s a problem we have experienced first-hand, and after speaking with you, our community, we realized we were not alone. Two years ago, we began researching, testing, and developing concepts to solve this problem. We have created, scrapped, and recreated dozens of prototypes (“reflectionapp_mockupv10-7a_copy-v2-final-FINAL1.sketch” may or may not be a file on my Dropbox ;-). Finally, we arrived at a tool that we believe can really help people start and keep a meaningful reflection practice. Here is how Reflection.app works: Daily Journaling Through a simple web interface, you can add daily entries in one of three categories: Highlights - Things that brought you joy. Lowlights - Challenges you experienced. Free Writes - Everything else on your mind :-) (with optional writing prompts for inspiration!) End-of-Month Review At the end of each month, you are guided through your Highlights and Lowlights so you can understand how to grow from them. After, you are led through a short self-assessment in six key areas: Mind - Do you feel clear-headed, engaged, and intellectually challenged? Body - Does your body feel healthy, nourished, and strong? Soul - Do you feel at peace and connected to the world around you? Work - Do you feel interested in and fulfilled by your work? Play - Do you feel joyful? Are you engaging in activities that bring you joy? Love - Do you feel positive about the relationships in your life? Your end-of-month review comes together in one stunning personal monthly report that you can return to at any time. End-of-Year Review At the end of the year, you will have the chance to look back on the whole year. Your daily entries roll into your monthly reviews, and your monthly reviews roll into your annual review. Our goal with Reflection.app is to provide a simple and delightful framework to help guide you through a meaningful reflection practice. A practice that naturally builds on itself by using your entries to guide your reflection, at each step making the next milestone in your life more enjoyable and meaningful. We plan to work closely with our community to continue making this tool as valuable and useful for you as possible. Excited to hear your thoughts! Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee P.S. Holstee Members — You will get bumped up on the list once you request early access! In addition, we have also been working hard on some new updates for 2020 and we are excited to share those updates. Keep your eye on the private members group for a sneak peek :-)
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Feed your soul.
In our latest Passion Kit (also available in our Digital Guide), we talk about intrinsic and extrinsic values — a key concept in my own path to living fully. Here’s a quick breakdown: Extrinsic values represent external psychological needs such as money, fame, and image (physical appearance). Intrinsic values represent internal psychological needs like growth, connectedness, and helpfulness. I like to think of this distinction as “things that feed my ego” vs. “things that feed my soul”. It’s the “things that feed my soul” that light me up, fuel my passion, and ultimately make me feel fulfilled. And there’s research to back that up. After more than 20 years of study, psychologist Tim Kasser found that living in alignment with intrinsic values correlates with greater well-being. While most people naturally live by a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic values, it’s the intrinsic values that are at the root of personal fulfillment. What are you doing to feed your soul? Mike RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee
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That one thing that will change it all.
It’s been about 10 years since we started Holstee — that’s almost 1/3 of my life dedicated to building one company. We have experienced wonderful successes, but also our share of challenges. In the early years, during tougher times, I used to hope for that one epic partnership to go through, that one large sale to close, that one journalist to finally reply to an email we sent, or that one product idea that would “change everything”. Ten years later, I’ve come to appreciate that there is rarely “that one” thing that will catapult an idea or business to the next level — there is no silver bullet. Even if you land that big opportunity, it’s just the first step, and more often than not, it’s just the beginning of deep and important work. There is rarely “that one” thing that is going to change everything. Business, like life, is just a series of steps — one after the other. If there is a project you are working on, remember to find joy in the process, step by step and day by day. Instead of constantly waiting or seeking that one thing, allow consistent effort and follow-through to be your greatest strength and source of fulfillment. One step at a time, Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee P.S. This month in our Passion Guide, we discuss the challenges of identifying passions and how the challenges we experience through them can ultimately contribute to well-being and flourishing.
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In The Studio With Maia "Meech" Boakye
Each month, we are privileged to work with artists from all over the world. Their unique styles and points of view make for an especially diverse sense of inspiration in the art that arrives in our monthly Holstee Membership. From Los Angeles, California to Barcelona, Spain and everywhere in between, each piece of art is a true collector's piece. This month’s Passion Art art is by Maia “Meech” Boakye, an artist and illustrator interested in creating art around a post-internetworld, often juxtaposing the mundane and the absurd. For a little more about what inspired this artwork, process, and their life, here's a short Q&A: Where is home for you? Currently Toronto, Canada. What is your definition of a successful life? One where I have loved and been loved as much as I could have. Describe your perfect day. Taking a really long walk in the sun with some sort of camera. How did you get into design? Mostly out of boredom. I learned how to use illustrator holed up in my dorm room one winter and haven’t stopped drawing since. Where do you find inspiration? Pinterest, Instagram, various forums and e-commerce sites, YouTube. Sometimes I’ll go on walks and find inspiration in something as simple as the lines on the road. Which designers or thinkers influence/inspire you? If I could dwindle it down to a list of illustrators, Love is Wise, Abbey Lossing, Sara Andreasson, Amber Vittoria, Anna Kovecses, Xoana Herrera, Juli Majer, and Kendra Yee are at the top of my head. What was the inspiration behind this design? When I think about passion, it’s hard not to think about love and dreams. I drew this illustration depicting the dreams I’m most excited for, the ones I can’t yet imagine. At the moment, what is your favorite … Color: I’m between a light peachy pink and a sea foam green. Food: Fresh pita with red pepper hummus. Song: Juice by Lizzo Quote: “...the world is composed exactly by and only by surfaces on top of surfaces.” -Domenico De Chirico
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