Greetings,
If you would have asked me back in January what I would be doing in the Summer, I would have said "biz-as-usjhe": probably a lot of action in the local farmer's market and keeping on with new product ideas and the like...
Moving was not on my bingo card.
Such is life, you know? You stand up at the plate and sometimes the cosmic pitcher throws the high heat towards your ear and you end up on the deck. What just happened?!
But these little setbacks are sometimes just what we need to make a giant step forward (right, Kent? -- if you get that reference, points for you, and you're my kind of individual).
So the news is this: we back up.
As you might have read in the previous post, I've had to take a critical look at how Last Exit shows up in the world these last couple months mostly due to circumstances around a change of venue. What I also realized in that effort is that I needed a little space. Go slow to go fast, or something. Notwithstanding those physical and locational changes (moving all my tools and equipment and shit), the whole concept needed a shake-up. So I took the opportunity and the time to rethink some things. The last year or so I have found it increasingly difficult to pair my dreams of growth with the realities of staying true to myself and the brand.
I think when I first launched this thing online almost a decade ago, I thought I would benefit from the perception that there were large resources behind me - human, financial and otherwise. So I spoke of things in the "Royal We" and tried to use my experience in branding to present a legit offering, so it had the foundation to hopefully hold up in the marketplace against other legit brands. And also stand the test of time. All while I was honing in on product for my line and learning the craft! That's a bold strategy, Cotton.
I chose to follow an independent path of building a brand in-person and online under my own banner vs. going towards the existing online maker clearinghouses like Etsy. That road turned out to be a really long one, and required a whole lot of time and a whole lot of patience.
The takeaway from that experience is that most of what my customers were really interested in was the human element of Last Exit Goods.
"Do you make these yourself?" I get asked frequently.
Yes, yes I do.
I revel in the novel nod of approval that would follow my answer -- that appreciation that the wallet they were holding in their hand for consideration wasn't a piece of some private equity-backed operation that pumped out AI-generated Facebook ads and touted low quality, over-produced, trendy products made with crappy materials in some far-off forgotten land.
Rather, they would end up buying my stuff because it fit their need. Hopefully because they were wowed by the quality of materials. Maybe they were encouraged by the handmade appeal, the connection to the actual maker and the story and feel of the brand. THAT was the point of legitimacy that I overlooked (and really underestimated).
So it feels high time to be leaning into all that, finally!
I've got a renewed sense of purpose for my craft ... which is a wonderful thing. So what you'll start to see is more of the back story behind Last Exit: more from me sharing my process. Because I still love learning about what goes into other brands that I enjoy, from the artists I follow and from the people who are vulnerable enough to come out from behind the shiny, slick exterior to show the grit and the scars that were the byproducts of doing the work. Slow and Soulful. That's the fun.
And while you can still count on my classic designs to be available as the root of the Last Exit brand offering, I'm really excited about showcasing some new things I've been working on (and even some things that I'm still trying to figure out).
Some of that will be in story, and some of that will be offered in supremely limited editions. And who knows what else?!
A big piece of this is me putting on my big boy pants and putting a lot more out there in the world. Most notably I'm going to focus on YouTube and probably some Instagram. Do give us (I mean *me*) a subscribe and a follow, if you're so inclined.
To my customers, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your years of support! I very much appreciate your reading this far, and I hope to see you out there. This is (still) my Last Exit.
October 29, 2024
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