Absent

Sorry, everyone, for you not hearing a PEEP from me/us in the last few weeks. I did something dumb, which I thought at the time was GOOD, which was, to take on a freelance project for a wonderful designer friend of mine. See, I still struggle with this new(er) identity of  “I’m in the wine business,” and so should spend my time working on sharing more about us in this blog. I still feel the tug of my “previous life,” which was as a brand writer, and boy was it a helluva lot easier then, having a Creative Director directing you in all your (or my) writing work…anyway…it was a 2000 word article meant for a global innovation group publication of a design intelligence company out of the UK whose focus is on retail and hospitality. My piece is about branded spaces and the power of story. Here’s the first paragraph:

In today’s jostle for consumer mindshare, made more difficult by the new spending habits characterizing a leaner economy, it’s not enough for companies to tell the same old “upscale décor” or “one-of-a-kind” story. And with the explosion of brands and copycat products all competing for consumers’ dollars, it’s not the loudest brands who get heard, but the ones whose stories carry the most meaning and resonate on a deep, personal level. As much as we think we’re well connected to consumers and they to us by today’s technology, it’s only tweet deep, and definitely not an authentic experience. Ultimately, there’s just too much information and too many similar products vying for a consumer’s attention.

And it goes on from there, about branded spaces and using spatial narrative as a way to differentiate in today’s marketplace.

I really enjoyed writing it, except for the fact that I had to let The Uncultivated Life go for the time. I can’t do it all, a stay-at-home mama, our wine business, this article…But I’m learning to find that balance. It might also be I took on the project so I could see some completion in my life. I tell you, this has been a long road, planting a vineyard and then waiting, waiting, waiting. Anyway, at least I did the article for trade, so I can get some good design work from my pal, which goes a long way when you’re building a company on a budget. So I guess it’s all good.

I’ll update on The Little House On the Hilltop project soon, since I did meet with the architects again, even saw some drawings. We’ll get there.