Last week reminded us why we do what we do—and how we want to keep doing it.
Work that feels like home:
I worked with an amazing team on a recently completed kitchen renovation project. That team gathered last week with a photographer in tow to document the transformation.
When I was in grade school, we had this end of the year day called work and play day. The morning was spent cleaning up classrooms, and then there was a campus wide Capture the Flag game in the afternoon. The photo shoot felt like a work-that-feels-like-play day. We pulled this and that out of the basement to style a side table, shed sweaters to turn into pillowcases, and looked through camera lenses to see familiar rooms from different angles.
Apparently, this isn't how it usually goes. Clients, architects, and designers don't typically greet each other with front porch and back yard hugs of legit delight, or sit down for lunch together mid-shoot. But there we were, doing all that.
Imagining in community:
Also last week, Anne and I invited some of our most brilliantly creative friends to eat, drink, and help us imagine Urban Pharm's future. Born as it was from gatherings with food and friends, our hunch was that Urban Pharm will most gorgeously grow the same way.
Both events mixed professional and personal in unconventional but incredibly generative ways. They overflowed with fun, warmth, critical insight, and people bringing their whole selves to the work in service of collaboration and community—all at once, in one big pot.
Feet planted, eyes ahead:
As we imagine what's next for Urban Pharm, we are trying to stay rooted in our beginnings while lifting our eyes toward that pink, glowy sunrise horizon.
This morning I woke up wondering where this Pharm Note was heading, and found an answer in my text thread with Anne: from last night, two links to hot pink placemats I'd asked for help sourcing. From this morning, "Will you bring the bottle divider for ACV pickup when you come over?"
The instinct to infuse humanity, beauty, and care into everything we do runs deep in Urban Pharm's heart. It's not just how we work—it's who we are.
What's filling your cup these days? We'd love to hear from you.
Love, Jill