Today marks the 15th anniversary of my brothers death. He died by suicide, hanging himself in his small apartment in New Jersey, June 18, 2004. He was 25 and I was 23. He was my only sibling. He ended his life and in doing so, shattered our families' lives. It's impossible to put into words the pain we felt, and still feel to this day.

Who I am today has a direct correlation to what happened 15 years ago. I've still not recovered from his death, nor will I ever completely be recovered. Amidst the pain and anguish his choice caused, he also offered me a perspective and a true appreciation for life that I never would have had otherwise. It's both a blessing and a curse. I take each day as a true gift because I KNOW it's not guaranteed. I hug and kiss my children praying each day they never know the suffering I've endured—praying I will never lose one of them. It's a thought that haunts me. I survive and work through anxiety, trying to control my surroundings, protecting everyone any everything I hold dear. The fear of that pain is the driver in me.

How the heck does this relate to stationery? Great question. My partner Nicole and I have always had similar outlooks on life. She and I worked together in the design and printing industries when my brother died. She also lost a brother in a sudden and tragic way when she was young. We both have in us a deep desire to change this world, bring positivity and help to those who need it. We started this company to make a difference. With the messages on our cards and products, and through awareness. We are still working on the HOW— what's the best way to take our message and partner with organizations that are in place to help those suffering. Those who have experienced suicide personally, or are considering suicide.

The why has been in our hearts, and 2021 Co. is our vessel to the how. Today, on this 15th anniversary I felt compelled to share more than I really ever have on the true reasons 2021 Co. was created. We are passionate about design and beautiful things, but we want to do it with purpose.

For anyone who has experienced suicide, or a trauma in their lives, please know you are not alone. And if you are in crisis please reach out to someone, I wish from the bottom of my heart my brother had.

Below is the link to the national suicide prevention hotline:

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

xo-Emily

Paper is making a comeback and I for one am thrilled to see it.

There is little more exciting than sifting through the mail looking for a real live handwriting and actually finding it!  

Those are the envelopes and packages I open first and I bet you do too. Technology is incredible and has made our life better in countless ways (thank UBER, WAZE, and the entirety of the App Store). But, there are many elements in life where technology and digital alternatives just don't compare.

This video its a perfect example:

http://www.paperbecause.com/media/anniversary

I liken E-cards to a watered down drink, or room temperature french fries with no salt, or frozen pizza..... I mean, you would rather have those things than not at all, but the satisfaction is low on the awesomeness scale for sure.

Graduating from high school or college is an amazing accomplishment, but when asked, 70% of those who prefer a mostly paperless existence would not want a PDF of their diploma. Imagine getting an email with a link to your diploma? Nobody wants to take a photo holding a USB.

Technology has elevated paper to a level that is even more personal and precious than ever before. I actually have a card from my brother who passed way when I was 16 years old.  Even though he uses my not-so-nice childhood nickname on the envelope, l love having it knowing that his DNA is still there and always will be.  His hands touched what my hands now hold and that makes me happy to say the least. 

So send more cards and letters, leave yourself written reminders on an actual piece of paper, write your business plan down on the back of a napkin - handwriting is what makes it personal, meaningful and never-throw-away-able.

Just 5 things – Nicole Edition

1. Although she promises herself that “this will never happen again”, Nicole runs her gas tank close to empty on the regular.  She has coasted into gas stations on fumes more times than she would like to admit and doesn’t break a sweat when she has 1/16 of a tank before heading out on a road trip.

2. A marathon runner and triathlete in her younger years, she now runs from swim meets to basketball games for her two very busy teenagers. She wouldn’t want it any other way.

3. Nicole is a motivational book junkie.  At any given time, she has 6-8 partially read and highlighted books going at once. Her favorites in no particular order are:

• Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankel
• See you at the Top by Zig Ziglar
• The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
• Ikigai by Hector Garcia
• 20,000 Days and Counting by Robert Smith

4. Nicole is one of 7 kids – number 6 actually. Although she loved growing up in a big family, she and her husband Keith feel their two busy teenagers keep them about as busy as they can imagine.  She often wonders how her single mom did it all with seven!

5. Brownies, pizza and her Peloton bike are a few of her favorite things.  Probably in that order.

1. Emily is a rock-star-greeting card designer for Shutterfly and tinyprints. Really - she sells like millions of cards every year with them.

You can find her cards here: https://www.tinyprints.com/sitesearch/elk+design?sflyPage=1  and here: https://www.shutterfly.com/sitesearch/pottsdesign

I am fairly sure that it was Emily who first said, "someday, we should do something together."

Sometime in the near future, we will have this super cool office where all of our thoughts and ideas (and dreams) become our beloved products.  My imagination tells me this space will have loads of natural light, great music playing in the background, large tables for spreading out and of course, a fully stocked supply of snacks and caffeine-laden drinks.  

It will be ours.

An exciting day! We are getting so excited for our launch! This past weekend, we put the final touches on our inaugural collection.