~ thank you ~

Dear you,

If you are reading this note it means that you made the decision to support a small designer and keep a dream alive. And for that, I am thankful!

As a kid, I used to watch PBS and there was always the famous thank you line after the end of every program. They put a kid on and had them read out some sort of line like “Made possible because of viewers like you.” I never thought anything of it until starting my own business and now I’ve come to love that line. It acknowledges that having a small business is a group project, always. I can design until the end of time but if nobody buys my work or shares it with their own world or participates by giving feedback, I’m going to have a hard time sticking around for long.

I’ve waffled on writing this note for quite some time because part of having a brand means that you always keep it light and positive, nothing too deep! Part of having a brand means that you always need to show up as a beacon of shining success and inspire people to love you forever.

But that’s just not the world we live in and keeping it light and simple is just not who I want to be and how I’m going to show up.

Being in charge of a small design studio means working 7 day weeks, becoming an accountant, retail sales person, a product designer, a lawyer, a web developer, a sales expert, and a social media influencer all in one. It means betting the farm on your ideas and bringing them into the world in ways that delight the hands they are put in. And yet despite all of those jobs and hats I wear, I wouldn’t trade it. I’ve done the high profile, billon dollar design jobs with flexible hours and cushy perks. Comfort is nice, but it doesn’t hold a candle to taking a sketch of an idea and figuring out all the ways to make it possible.

So when you see these lovely little ideas that have magically turned into a beautiful rug or a super snuggly blanket, you’re seeing years of work finally making it out into the world. And when I hand you the bag because you’ve chosen to purchase, you’re not supporting some executive picking out their next yacht trip. You’re supporting Cat Schmitz (the human) who has a bird named Gracie and a studio full of ideas waiting to be brought into the world.

So, with that- thank you! Cat Schmitz (the brand!) is made possible by supporters like you.