Finding happiness in life and our careers is a priority for me and Kathryn. While not everyone agrees this is possible, we share the belief that if done correctly, great happiness and successful business can come from doing what you love every day.
This theory is supported by Clayton Christensen’s “How Will You Measure Your Life” where he urges us not to focus on the result of our careers, but on the process. He says that flexibility is a key part of the path to success and stresses openness to explore unanticipated or unintended trends that emerge along the way but may not have been part of our initial planning when we set out.
Bash Studio was founded on the vision to build an event and design studio that was one part retail and one part open creative space. For a variety of reasons (mostly time required and upfront capital), opening a retail location was put on the back burner to revisit once Bash was more established and had the opportunity to grow its own community. This was the first adjustment to the initial plan and it was hard to walk away from her initial concept at the time, but looking back it was the right decision.
Building any business requires constant hustle, networking, keeping a pulse on the latest trends and openness to emergent opportunities that present themselves along the way. So, while Kathryn continues her search for a co-founder with equal passion for growing the business and the brand, I’m standing in to do what I can to support the mission and bigger dream. Most of the time that simply means making sure Kathryn has what she needs to keep focused on growing the business and exploring ideas that emerge from the process.
One of the most exciting and unexpected twists that has come out of the process of curating products for events over the last two years is the discovery Bash’s first product -- The Everyday Napkin.
What I love about this product and idea is its pure simplicity. Napkins are part of our every day lives as a universal utility, yet we hardly think about them. The Everyday Napkin is set to change that. The Everyday Napkin is a more stylish than your standard paper napkin but more casual and fun than your traditional lap napkin.
The Everyday Napkin showcases Kathryn’s unique combination of talents in design, art direction, product development and love for bringing brands to life. It’s a product that was born from a need she discovered through event design. I’ve observed the reactions of our first customers and I see an enormous opportunity ahead.
We fight for our dreams every day, her happiness project is in progress and the best part is that we get to do this together. You can’t walk away from passion. Let it lead you to happiness.
-Jake