the songs of the winter phoenix
A little over a year ago, when I decided I wanted to open up a shop to sell my textiles, I knew immediately who I was going to ask to design my brand. Kelly Ann and I went to the same college around the same time, but we never knew each other then. It wasn't until a few years later and we were both immersed in the blogging world did our paths cross for the first time. I remember coming across her website and being immediately drawn to her insanely gorgeous graphic designs. I began to admire her from afar and developed a total girl crush that only increased as I got to know her more on a personal level, especially as we worked together on this collaboration.
Not only is Kelly Ann an extremely talented graphic and web designer, but she is a gorgeous person, inside and out. She's that rare gem of a person who is both kind & fierce, hardworking & laid back, tender & strong. She is capable, dependable, intelligent, empathetic, and just an overall badass woman. She has this passion for empowering women that is so admirable and infectious. In a society that tells us that we need to compete with one another in order to get ahead or be successful, she is among the legion of us rising up against that damaging rhetoric to prove them all wrong. We need to support each other. We should be lifting each other up, not tearing each other down. Women need to be champions for their sisters, and she is so damn good at it.
When we started working on this project, she and I were always on the same wavelength. This collaboration was consistently a joy and a breeze because Kelly Ann just understands me on a freaking spiritual level. With every idea I had, she'd match me and then raise it to another level. I can't even count how many times I've cried tears of joy and squealed with happiness at what she had created for me time and time again. It was as if she took everything I love, and the very essence of who I am as a person, and created a visual masterpiece out of it. She exceeded my expectations in every single way and I am so proud to be one of her clients.
I was going to write a post about the inspiration behind the brand, but I think Kelly Ann pretty much said it best when she wrote on her Instagram, "It was, honest to g, a really magical process that I feel so deeply connected to and have loved so very much. The meaning behind Andrea's brand is so layered, emotional, thoughtful, and personal...it's okay to embrace your darkness, and amidst the heartbreak and struggles life throws us, we'll rise again, stronger and better, with more empathy. We drew inspiration from a lot of really rad things: astronomy, Edgar Allan Poe, earthy/natural elements like feathers + ice + smoke + jagged/rocky edges, Alexander McQueen, dripping golds and brass tones, Stevie Nicks, old handwritten letters, gothic/romantic periods, and even film+television (like Penny Dreadful & Outlander). I also took a lot of inspiration from songs like Brutal Romance by Brooke Fraser, No Light No Light by Florence + The Machine, The Dying Kind by Joy Williams, as well as classical + cinematic tunes. We wanted something dark, moody, feminine + edgy, mysterious, otherworldly + cosmic. Like some sort of holy ritual under the stars, in the middle of a snowy forest. I feel like all of this inspiration is so apparent throughout her entire brand, and I'm so damn happy and satisfied with how everything turned out. Andrea & I were so in sync through this whole thing, and I just really love the women in my life - they impact me in huge ways."
I couldn't have said it better, my friend.
And to top it all off, she created a freaking GORGEOUS playlist full of songs that inspired her throughout the design process, many of which are songs and artists that inspire(d) me as well.
To listen to the playlist, click on the photo above. Enjoy!
xo, Andrea