Welcome, 2021: Choosing to Live Well

Cheers to 2021! Here’s my hope for you in this new year: clarity. rest. abundance. ✨

Why? Because those are things I’m seeking for myself too: to be more discerning. to prioritize moments of rest over busyness. to balance ambition and contentment.

We are so quick to commit to big business goals in the new year: more clients, higher price points, bigger financial benchmarks. These goals are important. They inspire us and propel us forward and motivate us to grow. But I hope you’ll also consider your resolutions on a deeper level. Why are you committing to those goals? Will they improve your life holistically? What does “enough” look like for you in this season?

In 2021, my word of the year is “well.”

A word that holds meaning in several areas:

For the team at Sarah Ann Design, we want to focus on running our business well: refining our processes and serving our clients thoughtfully. This year, we’re pursuing intentional design work, an elevated experience, and efficient systems that will allow us not just to serve our clients—but to serve them well. We aim to do more with less: to be discerning about what will truly serve us and serve our clients.

New in 2021:

• Team Growth: I am so grateful to have had two incredibly talented women join my team last year. My junior designer and project manager have brought so many gifts and insights to the team already, and I’m excited to see how we can continue to serve our clients together in 2021.
• Client Experience System. My team and I have been working on a new client experience system, using Asana to assign project tasks, content collection, and due dates in one easy-to-navigate workspace. If we are working together this year, I hope you find it useful and I invite you to share your feedback with us!
• Design Days: we are so pleased to now offer Design Days! This service is structured to help you complete a checklist of updates to your brand or website in just one day. One full day of design work allows us to fully focus on your project and work with maximum efficiency. These are offered on a limited, first-come first-served basis each month.

And on another note: I want to focus on living well in a personal sense. In particular, pursuing mental wellness. 2020 brought more stress and worry than any of us should have to endure in a single calendar year—and with that burden, it brought a reminder that mental well-being is truly at the heart of everything else we do.

Anxiety and depression do not serve me – or my clients, my relationships, my marriage – to the fullest. I’m slowly learning to embrace the idea that rest, self-care, and therapy deserve priority in my life. Mental well-being is the foundation to being fully present in my creative work and in my relationships. Taking care of myself is the first step in serving others well.

I love the visual of the soul as a well: a vessel made to pour out for others. I’ve always felt that this business is a means to serve others. But I’ve also learned that we can’t pour out for others if we ourselves are empty.

It is my intention to pursue experiences that are life-sustaining rather than life-draining.

What does that mean for me? It means choosing joy over negativity. It means choosing people who fill my life with love and laughter, rather than depleting my energy. It means prioritizing self-care, rather than giving in to anxiety, stress, or worry. It means setting discerning boundaries around the content I consume, seeking ideas that enlighten and inspire me. It means working from a place of creativity, inspiration, and gratitude. It means choosing to savor gorgeous sunsets, good books, and fresh coffee.

It means choosing kindness, goodness, gratitude, beauty, and truth. Filling my mind, my heart, and my soul – my well – with goodness so that I can pour it back out for others.

So, cheers to a life-sustaining year—one that fills our hearts and souls, allowing us to serve ourselves and others well.