My hope is for flamingo to bring a little pride and beauty into your life – support your community, support yourself, feel joy.
Why flamingo?
My dad was a goofy but strong spirited man. He loved to tease and joke and push your buttons. He loved his family. I like to think of him as the instigator for this project, pushing me to take the challenge I’ve been avoiding.
My dad went grey before he turned 30 – according to him this was a sign of his “purity.” Any time something went right in his life, like getting a parking spot right out front, his response would be “ahh, clean living!”…as if the spot was left for him because of how great and “pure” he is. Now, all joking aside my dad certainly had his faults, as we all do, but what I find so inspiring about him his is ability to find joy and excitement in the little things in life and I don’t think I’ve met anyone since who has such a strong sense of belief in those around him. He always encouraged us to do better, if you’re going to do something – do it right, don’t save something for tomorrow that you could get done today… and so on. When we would go to church Sunday mornings, he would always stop in the parking lot on the way in and pick a few weeds out of the gravel – I once asked him why he bothered and his response was “every little bit helps.” I’ve taken his approach to life, family, and community and am funneling it in to this business – flamingo. I think there is something really beautiful in supporting our creative community – whether it be buying local, made in the USA, or helping our customers express themselves through those goods we are (hopefully) cultivating relationships in our community to nurture joyful lives, bringing pride to the little things in life.
So why flamingo?
My Aunt had given my dad these two plastic pink flamingos to decorate the pool my parents put in their backyard – my mom hated them. She thought they were tacky. I think she may have even tried to throw them out once, and magically they appeared back by the pool the next day. From there on out the flamingos took to moving around to new spots every day – peaking out from behind bushes, showing up in unexpected places – all to torture my mom, courtesy of my dad. He knew it would annoy her, he new it would make her laugh and he loved to make her laugh. Unfortunately my dad was diagnosed with cholangeocarcinoma in 2008. He had a “valiant” (as he would put it) battle against this crappy cancer for a year and a half – and you can bet through the whole time those flamingos still teased my mom, moving around every day.
Flamingos are social animals – they live in colonies that work together to protect and support one another, they are loyal and goofy (in my opinion) - but to me, flamingos represent my dad. I see one and I’m reminded of his strong, ridiculous spirit. His loving support and desire to always do better. His annoying, pestering moments when he thought we were selling ourselves short.
My hope is for flamingo to bring a little pride and beauty into your life – support your community, support yourself, feel joy.
I'm starting with digital wedding and party signs - having just come off of my own wedding I had such a great time bringing my personality into the decor and I want to help others do the same. Check back in a few months as we introduce new products - made in America - to bring some joy into your life while supporting your community.
