Scenes from Quarantine

These are the things getting me through the pandemic.

So much baking. I’ve made multiple batches of granola, several fruit crisps, brownies, coconut bars… I can’t seem to stop. Perhaps my favorite shelter in place homebake so far:

Cinnamon rolls from scratch for Louie’s quarantine birthday.

Running. Because life is about balance, right? It helps to have the movement, the reason to get out of the house, the sunshine (when we can get it) and fresh air.

Peace sign made from driftwood spotted on a run over the White River Bridge on College Ave.

Knitting. I’ve been meeting with my knit group via Google Hangouts every Sunday afternoon and it makes my heart nearly burst to see friends’ faces and catch up. We’ve been able to see each other more regularly than when we were doing in-person meetups, especially since most plans and travel are canceled.

I also knit during socially distant music jams between my husband and our neighbor.

All the reading. I blew through the stash I got last minute at the library before they closed. Now, I’m spelunking through my shelves for forgotten and unread gems. The David Quammen seemed perfect for this moment.

Reading about pandemics in the middle of one… why not?

My other primary outing: dog walks. At least once, sometimes twice a day. It’s good for all of us.

My quarantine crew.

YAY work. Luckily, a lot of my design work is easy to do from home. I’ve stayed relatively busy, though my workload is lightening up as I finish projects.

Recent illustration for a journey map for a Yes and Yonder project.

I’ve also been writing more. I just finished a writing prompt project (much like the Think Kit project I ran for six years!), 27 Wildest Days. It helped light a fire. And, hey, I’ve got some time on my hands.

Waterton to Glacier

Lake Francis at Glacier National Park

My new favorite backcountry camping trip. We hiked 11 miles from Waterton Park in Alberta to Lake Janet in Glacier National Park. Crossing an international border added some extra complications—including calling border agents, waiting for faxes to be exchanged between the two parks, an accidental run-up of our cell bill, and a car inspection upon our return to the States, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Hiking through Waterton Lakes National Park (of Canada).
There were wildfires through the area in August and September 2018.
I had to post at least one selfie.
On the way to Lake Janet.
My pack was almost as big as me.
Taking that single track to the mountain. Getting closer.
Aspen stands with Lake Janet in the background.
The print from the grizzly who rolled through our campsite.
Appeared to be a young male. He sauntered through like we weren’t even there.
One morning we took a day hike from our campsite at Lake Janet to Lake Francis.
It was about 2.75 miles each way.
Wildflowers and waterfall at Lake Francis.

We experienced such a tiny fraction of Glacier. I hope we get to go back one day to see more of it.

The Making of YAY

For a long time, I had the entrepreneurial bug, but starting my own business was a moving target, always at least a few years out. In the last year, my energy started shifting. Suddenly, it became, Why not now?

When I was younger, I thought it made sense to wait until the timing was just right. I’d baked this ideal scenario where I could have the resources right out of the gate to hire a small team, maybe even have an office space, and vowed not to start until then. Being incredibly team-oriented and an extrovert who gets energy from working with others, I saw my ideal as necessary.

And because SmallBox was a once in a lifetime workplace, it was easy to be content where I was, pushing business dreams into a distant future.

In the last year, the energy shift began, slow but sure. The client projects I was working on had me completely enthralled: helping Regenstrief Institute with their rebrand as they moved into a newly built space, working with the former Partnership for Philanthropic Planning on renaming as National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, redesigning membership experience with the IU Alumni Association and teaching them design thinking methods along the way. Lydia Lodovisi, Sarah Herbert, and I created workshop curriculum and launched an educational offering for SmallBox. It was some of the most rewarding work of my career, and I’m sure will remain milestones for me, no matter what else I tackle.

At the same time, we were going through a long process to pivot the company. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but that process was helping me envision my future business. Jeb, our CEO always encouraged everyone to think like an owner. And I did! So much that I couldn’t let go of the vision I had for what would come to be Yes and Yonder.

Over my holiday break this winter, I had two weeks off for my reckoning. To make the leap, or not. In hindsight, I already knew the answer. It was more about sifting through the emotions of saying good bye to a great team, and starting the process of creating my new venture.

Once I allowed myself to admit I was starting a business, I thought of the name within a couple of days. “Yes and” is used in improv comedy, as well as by design thinking practitioners to build on ideas. This was one of the very first phrases that came to me. I love this positive, generative mindset. I tried it on with other words, but it seemed clunky. “Yes and Collab,” for example.

The other concept that commanded my attention is that generally when an organization hires a creative consulting firm, they have an inkling or spark of a better future, but they need some help getting there. Words like “inventive future” stuck in my mind. Also sort of clunky. “Yonder” emerged as the word that captured that place we want to go that does not yet exist, the one we will build together.

And there it was. Yes and Yonder. As a word nerd, I liked the alliteration. It projects two of three founding values (to be generative and inventive). All the better that the acronym is YAY.

Naming is one of the greatest (yet most fun!) brand challenges. It’s always disheartening to fall in love with a name, and find it is taken, or someone is squatting on the domain name. Having been hired for naming in the past, I can say it’s incredibly rare to choose a name so quickly. Even more so for it to be free and clear, available as a URL and social handles without compromising or changing spelling.

It felt like the universe was saying YES.

For the logo, I considered all kinds of images of adventure. Arrows and wayfinding. Horizons. Knapsacks. The idea of a treasure map led to the finished product. The x marks the spot.

yes-and-yonder-logoEverything else fell into place quickly. While the legal and financial side of things intimidated me, the reality was that for a small amount of money, a lawyer and the CPA handled everything. I simply had to provide a few bits of information and sign some papers. I am still stunned by the ease of the process.

More YES from the universe. And yonder we go…