Partnerships that Spark Joy
“Listening is about the experience of being experienced. It’s when someone takes an interest in who you are and what you are doing...What makes us feel most lonely and isolated in life is less often the result of a devastating traumatic event than the accumulation of occasions when nothing happened but something profitably could have. It’s the missed opportunity to connect when you weren’t listening or someone wasn’t really listening to you.”
― Kate Murphy, You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters”
How do you know when someone is really listening? Sometimes you don’t know it right away…It’s often a feeling that you are left with after a conversation. Or a realization that hits weeks, months or even years later when you put pieces together. Pause for a moment and think of someone who listens to you, at home or at work. How does it feel?
I knew as soon as I saw the new logo for Peace and Tidy that I had been “experienced.” Watery eyes, lump in the throat, overwhelming relief. I’m glad we were on Zoom when Alison Sustarich of Tiny Bold Creative showed me what she had created so that I could cry in my own home.
When your business involves being tapped into what sparks joy, you have a pretty good sense of what does not spark joy. Still, it’s a practice. It applies to the partnerships you choose.
So what was the magic in rebranding/relaunching the website? It’s similar to tidying up…
Start where you are. The new logo is a bit of an update, though not dramatically different. I created the original logo in Canva in 2019 and was happy with it. But I wanted a more polished one. Alison listened to that. When tidying, people often have special items hiding in plain sight or boxes nearby. It’s often a matter of making room for them to be enjoyed more fully.
Get clear on your values. The “y” in tidy is just outside of the box in the logo because tidying up for Peace and Tidy is not about perfection…You keep items that spark joy for you; they can be “outside the box” of what you (or others) feel you “should” keep. She listened to my values and incorporated them. This is a critical step in tidying also. It helps to take a step back and reconnect with values before making decisions.
Keep momentum going and trust the process. I was a bit stuck on some elements of the website. Alison provided updates as she worked on it, and I pushed myself to respond and not overthink it. I had no lingering doubts about how it would turn out because she had solidly established trust. Trust is at the heart of tidying, and everyone moves at different speeds. Sometimes you need someone beside you to notice your progress or help you move through spots where you are stuck.
When you’ve been listened to fully, it can make it easier for you to do the same for others. Thank you Alison for not only listening to me, but for impacting my ability to do the same for the people I work with on tidying.