Hi friends!
I decided to migrate all of my previous blog posts onto here since my website plan didn’t allow me to send email newsletters for free. If you enjoy reading my thoughts on random matters of life and want to stay updated on product launches, this is the place for you. Feel free to subscribe for notifications whenever I post, straight to your inbox! (psst…it’s completely free)
Where I’ve been
Where do I begin?
It’s been a full year since I started this journey of creating and sharing my work, but honestly it feels really weird to say that. With markers of time come expectations to have accomplished this much or progressed that far. The truth is, my creative journey has been everything but linear—I’ve experienced many detours. Detours of conviction. Forgetting why I’m doing any of this in the first place. Detours of confidence. Are my creations actually worth anything? Detours of identity. Where is my voice, and how do I want to use it?
From making stickers and realizing I wanted to design merch instead, to ordering way more beloved tees than my wallet could handle, to recycling what feels like a hundred different ideas…I will never get it “right” on the first iteration. Perhaps that is the most frustrating part of the creative process for a perfectionist like me. But it is also the most freeing aspect: that there is space and permission for me to experiment, change course, and fail repeatedly. Or in the words of another creative1 I respect and look up to, “let your ideas live and breathe.” JOYFROOT has been my mentor, a window of opportunity, my playground, my treasure—but most importantly—a constant reminder of grace.
I’m really grateful to have people in my life who support what I do and spread the word along the way. I can be in my head sometimes about this just being a silly little project, but I’ve been proven wrong multiple times. I get texts from friends on random weekdays saying a stranger liked the beloved shirt they were wearing. A friend of a friend resonating with my writing. Being able to host a pop-up at my friends’ home cafe. Opportunities to design merch outside of JOYFROOT. It’s slow and steady, the progress I’m making, but I think I kind of like it that way. All this to say, shout out to the people who make this brand possible and a big shoutout to God for giving me the capacity to create purposefully.
Where I’m going
So, what’s next for JOYFROOT?
I’ll be traveling very soon. Hopefully I return inspired haha. But after I come back, it’s back to the drawing board. More t-shirt drops, of course. Sweatshirts, hoodies, hats, maybe greeting cards? Also wanting to create more short-form content. I don’t know, I have an itch to try something new. Will do my best to update you guys through the process. Also open to suggestions, so feel free to reach out to me @joyfroot on IG.
That is all my brain has right now. Get excited, cause my first merch collection is dropping July 29th!
Elden, founder/designer @ HOUSEOFDAKH