I'm Ashli, the owner and lead designer/developer at Basis. We design brands and build websites for ecommerce retailers. In this newsletter, I share weekly small biz reflections and helpful tips and tricks to help you grow your brand.
I wish I could just take a break and fix it all up
A year ago on this day, I closed my computer lid and took a break from work for two months. I had an amazing team by my side who could keep things running for our clients, and I was very privileged to have the financial means to keep the lights on, personally and professionally. I took a much needed deep breath. It gave me time to refuel my creative energy, tinker with processes to give clients a better experience, and generally just see what it felt like to have space. It was one of the best gifts of my life. So much about Basis changed in the past year because of this time. I'm so proud of the creative work, I adore the clients I support, I introduced new service offerings, and I love getting to do this work everyday. The lessons learned were so valuable, and yet, I've slowly descended back into the bad habits I swore to leave behind when I came back in January (working during the 4pm hour when my kids get home, promising things same day, checking my email upon waking up... to name a few.) As I came up on the anniversary of the sabbatical, I found myself thinking, "maybe I could just take a break and fix it all up again". My processes need some tweaking, proposal templates could use some love, my neglected Instagram could use a strategy. I wish I could just take a break and fix it all up. My house needs a deep clean, the yard is unkempt, the food in the fridge is definitely going bad, and our closets are busting at the seams with a mix of summer and winter clothes. I wish I could just take a break and fix it all up. It's been a month of unimaginable violence and terror globally, added to a long list of oppression and pain that feels like it's reaching a collective boiling point. I want to grieve, to amplify the voices that need to be heard, to call my senators. I wish I could just take a break and fix it all up. I feel the delusion in that statement, and yet... damn, it's tempting. I'm sending this as a reminder to myself that there is power in incremental shifts. Life doesn't need to stop to be fixed. Actually, stopping life is kind of the opposite of life... π Stringing together smaller, low-friction improvements is so much more sustainable for building a truly resilient business, home, and world. It's how most things actually get done, and will create an impact that lasts longer than any sabbatical. Ashli |
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βThe Basis Newsletter
I'm Ashli, the owner and lead designer/developer at Basis. We design brands and build websites for ecommerce retailers. In this newsletter, I share weekly small biz reflections and helpful tips and tricks to help you grow your brand.
Last week was the summer solstice, and with the lengthening of sunlight with each passing month, I have felt a lengthening in my capacity. I mean that in a very literal work-sense: I have more capacity for projects, more time in my calendar. But also feel myself growing in capacity for those less tangible things, too. I have more capacity creatively. My kids are now ten and six... old enough to sleep in a tiny bit, dress themselves, entertain themselves for longer bits of time... and with...
I've been thinking a lot about the Slow Food Snail of Approval. Do you have this in your area? I hadn't heard of it before we moved to Jacksonville, but it's a certification that many restaurants proudly display that shows their commitment to: Sourcing local or sustainably Creating a positive environmental impact Offering cultural diversity in food Being actively involved in the community Providing significant support for staff Holding inclusive business values I was joking with a friend that...
Last year around this time, I wrote a vision for what I wanted Basis to be like in 2023. I just revisited it and am now sitting here teary-eyed. I'm proud to say we achieved 90% of the items laid out in the vision, but even moreso that I didn't waver from it: I knew myself and my desires so deeply that nothing was able to steer me down I path that I didn't proactively choose. For a Type A People Pleaser, this is huge. Some of the highlights from that document included: Itβs January 9, 2024....