Let’s geek out
Notes from the Studio
My First Forbes Feature, the Comfort Question, and What Colour Has to Do With It
A few weeks ago, a message landed in my inbox that made me do a small, embarrassingly enthusiastic happy dance in my kitchen. Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey was writing a Forbes feature based on a Substack live we did together. My career has thus-far spanned 20+ years,...
The Princess of Wales’s New Home: What Forest Lodge’s Design Tells Us About Comfort, Safety and Joy
When OK! Magazine gets in touch and asks you to analyse the future King of England's new home, you say yes. Obviously. I'm genuinely thrilled to share that I was featured as a design and colour psychology expert in the most recent issue of OK!, analysing William and...
The Importance of Clarity
'A rebrand is more than just a fresh coat of paint; it’s achieving that wholeness, that cohesion that all business owners crave so desperately.’ - J.Nichole Smith Achieving Total Brand Cohesion In your zone of genius, what topic do folks bring up again and again? I’m...
Joy-First™: How to Stop Living a Fear-First Existence
'Instinctively we know what joy is and where to get it. . . but what does seem to evade most of those who are born into the capitalist ‘eat, sleep, shop, please, perform, produce’ lifestyle, is how to make time for it.’ - J.Nichole Smith How do you actively pursue...
Understanding colour harmony
‘Most of the time we don't actively recognize 'harmony'… it's just a good feeling we get. The same is true when it's missing... things just feel 'off’ - J.Nichole Smith What is Color Harmony and Why Should You Care? Newsflash – color is energy. What if I told you that...
The 6 Stages of a Strategic Rebrand
‘We need to find this beautiful balance between ‘it's set in stone and I can never change it’ and ‘I'm gonna change it all the time because I can't commit’… If you want to get the benefits of a brand, you need to create consistency.’ - J.Nichole Smith This could be...
Visionaries: Dr. Angela Lauria
"I do think that all vision has to come from clarity on who you are, and the *newsflash* ... we you keep changing!" - Dr. Angela LauriaWelcome to the pleasure of getting to know our seriously special guest, Dr. Angela Lauria. Her self-acclaimed superpower...
Woke
‘For me if you if you use that word as a white person, it is immediately a trigger that I have to be careful of how I move around you’ - Justin Nai’im Hurdle-PriceOk, be honest. When was the last time you said the word ‘woke’ in casual conversation? If you’re most...
Visionaries: Denise Duffield-Thomas
"Simplify your business and make space for new adventures. It's time to be present and experience life outside of work" - Denise DT- PART 1 -- PART 2 -This is not like any interview you've heard with Denise... It is SUPER candid and hilarious. It was so good in...
Why is the Pet Industry so White?
"Man's best friend has historically actually been 'White Man's Best Friend' and a source of torture and Terror for Blacks" - evolvedteacher.comIf you consider yourself a dog person, and also have an interest in fair treatment for all human beings, regardless of skin...
3 Steps for Genuine & Sustainable Solidarity
It's Gay Pride month and today is Juneteenth. I have sat down a few times over the last week to write a message about how not to ‘pride wash’ or ‘woke-wash’ on these holidays because if you’re like me, you’ve felt like just changing your facebook profile photo or...
Quick Colour tips to impact your first impressions
When I was a kid... One of my favorite books in the whole world was called the ‘Rainbow Goblins’ by a Spanish guy (who I think was an actual 'Count'). Anyway, the gist is the story is about 7 goblins (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Violet - Yellow is the...