Do you miss shaking hands at the entrance of an initial greeting or closing of a meeting? There’s something to be said in this small gesture we’ve taken for granted before COVID (or The VID, a nickname we were recently introduced to). Handshakes communicate an affirmation, a mutual agreement, a professional approval. It's a gesture that’s acceptable even after an argument. It calms the waters and it levels the playing field. It doesn’t discriminate and it doesn’t separate. Our efforts to replace the handshake with an elbow bump seems to trivialize the vulnerability that comes from the physical posture of offering. The body turns away from the person when you reach an elbow which is very different from the open, front-facing posture of the handshake. Your hands are connected to your whole body, and especially your brain. "Your hands tell everything about your emotions and reveal how you're feeling at the moment," says body-language expert Bianca Cobb, PsyD. 

In full disclosure, we’ve been shaking hands quite a bit in recent weeks. We’re carefully following CDC guidelines as a company, respecting and caring for the health and well-being of everyone we interact with. But as we’ve begun and continued partnerships with cafes, artists, manufacturers, government, not-for-profits, and educational institutions, we’re wisely building relationships from a place of openness and a gesture of mutuality. We plan on these relationships lasting long after The Vid dominates top news headlines. Through challenges and celebrations, our foundation is built on relationships. So, let’s continue with the long view in mind. In fact, let’s shake on it!

Caring for our mind, body, and soul is a journey that entails responding to the environment, elements of time, and circumstances out of our control. Towards the end of 2021 we took on a project from a Marion local who is setting out to try and provide services for those needs by coaching and guiding women through the journey of holistic health. As our client was wrapping up her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, we journeyed with her into strategic naming and branding for her new business. In the process, we gathered research and explored Sanskrit meaning that connected to her heritage. In the end we arrived at Sodashisoul which is derived from the Sanskrit word for wholeness and is then tied to the soul. This idea of wholeness plays into the final mark as the parts align and form together as the sum of the parts to represent the balance Sodashisoul provides to her clients’ mind, body, and soul on the path to wholeness.

Proportions of lime to water, rum and mint, but in particular, the vital overabundance of crushed (not cubed) ice to bring the temperature down quickly is key to experiencing the flavors. A room temperature Mojito is not refreshing. It’s the drastic cold drop in temperature produced by the ice crushed that makes the flavors sing. 

As we launch a new 2022 spring season at Marion Design Co. our studio’s ingredients and proportions are vital to creating the flavor that makes our design studio unique. Blending a strong internship pool, collaborative leadership team, loyal industry partners, amazing client friendships, and a balanced mix of project types, the flavors integrate for a rich experience. But it’s the mission of empowerment and revitalization of our rural community that intensifies the ingredients and makes the work sing! When we see those around us succeed, we share in their success. As new businesses launch, buildings are revitalized, and stories are shared, we celebrate alongside those who persevere to reach toward a shared vision. So, let's raise a glass and celebrate success throughout Marion and Grant County as we launch a new year! Here’s to the emerging stories of 2022!

-Wendy Puffer, Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer

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