Greetings from the canyon! I had a big BK team-building week. Since Kei and Eunice work remotely, it’s difficult for all of us to share the same physical space, especially since Kei is now in Kyoto, Japan. So, at the end of last year, I planned for Kei to fly into LA for a week to stay with us in the canyon and make a special BK week out of it. Throughout the week, we incorporated a studio day for all team members to gather at our Altadena location, an outing in Orange County for me and Kei to meet up with Eunice to brainstorm on the summer projects and a weekend retreat in Joshua Tree for the team and their families.
It was a full week, especially with LA driving, but it was absolutely worth it.
Some of the highlights from the week were…
-
Witnessing how happy everyone was to see each other in person.
-
Visiting a stationery store with Kei and Eunice and picking up a new pen, which is now my favorite! (This never gets old.)
-
Show & tell of “Kami-haku” event in Japan by Kei and enjoying the special analogue goodies Kei picked up for us.
-
Shipping online orders together:)
-
Learning about Suay Sew Shop and doing a little field trip with Kei to their location in Frog Town. Truly inspiring.
-
A welcome rainbow in Joshua Tree as we arrived.
-
Huddling around a campfire in the frigid evening air, sharing stories ‘till midnight.
-
Vintage shopping with the team and the family.
-
Epic pool time with kids, Amanda, and Willie when we came up with the coolest water frisbee game despite how cold it was out there! (I wasn’t even in the water and it was cold!)
-
Lots of yummy campfire potluck food grilled by a campfire boss, aka Frido.
-
Playing a round of midnight Ransom Notes Game. I laughed so hard, and my stomach was hurting.
Reflecting on our time together, these in-the-moment experiences are difficult to achieve solely through our usual virtual communications. Sharing smiles or hearing each other’s laughter somatically in our bodies influences how we feel and care for each other.
Because BK is so small, there are constant collaborations happening between different team members to ensure smooth day-to-day operations. We all wear many hats and frequently need each other’s help.
The team and I have grown into how we flow together over many years of trial and error… and I hope we can continue to grow this way.
Heart-centered and as humans.
And I hope that what we share with our community, whether virtual or in-person, vibrates the same human energy outward.
0 comments