Not going to lie, we kind of nailed it with our first SOURCED. wednesday. The morning started with Sean Woolsey's talk at Connecting Things Co. at Wolf Camp Studios. Have you heard of Connecting Things? We suggest that you get on their mailing list. This monthly event series is joint project between the guys & gals behind Wolf Camp, The Artist Report, Hoodzpah Designs Co, and Krochet Kids just to name a few.

“Connecting Things is a monthly event series in Orange County and Brooklyn where doers and creatives can hang out, drink coffee together, and talk shop. Connecting Things is not a hardball networking group. We don’t expect to change your life through one event. We just hope to stir up your routine and make you pause and think about how and why you do what you do. Likely you’ll leave with a new perspective, a new friend, or at least a new excuse for coming into work late.”

— http://connectingthings.co/about/

Cool right? Yeah. we think so too. Sean Woolsey was the speaker this time around (it was also his Birthday!) and he spoke to designing and redesigning your creative life. He shared a little about his upbringing, his creative journey, and the pieces and people that inspire him. You can watch his whole discussion here. Personal take away and what I resonated most with happens 24 minutes in "NO PLAN B" - we look forward to diving in deeper with Sean Woolsey and seeing his studio on our next wednesday on April 8th, can't wait to share!

Talk about being high on the kool-aid. I skipped coffee at Connecting Things and met up with Sarah Armstrong of A Name Brand Co. & Batch at Hopper & Burr who has set up their pop up location at Little Sparrow Cafe in Downtown Santa Ana. Sarah and I bonded over paper while I gawked at her killer design and branding pieces for Hopper & Burr. We had a good laugh over our original connection which was the coffee tokens she did for Bear Coast Coffee in San Clemente. I had gone in knowing little about Sarah. I knew she had a co-working space and that she was the lady behind these magical tokens - but that was about all. We instantly hit it off and shared our own stories to each other. I learned about her transition from Reno to moving to Orange County a couple years back - she mentioned one of the biggest draws was the creative energy she would indulge in and also the killer coffee scene. I think I smirked a little after that hearing that last part. She found herself with some lackluster coffee, that was until she stumbled upon the new Portola Coffee Lab at The OC Mix. She told me about being a loyal customer and getting to know everyone before making her move and took it upon herself to print up some proper signage for the guys. Her kind gesture eventually led to more design work and over the years she has been instrumental in their brand identity and packaging.

Next she took me to Batch, a co-working space tucked away in a historical building overlooking the new 4th Street market. Sarah explains that not unsimilar to us here at SOURCED. - she just had to get out of her house. She started searching for co-working spaces but was coming up short. After sharing her desires with more friends and local business owners, she started the search again but with the intention of getting a small space for herself and another friend looking to bring his marketing business out of the new babies room. Eventually she would be standing in front of the doorway that always caught her eye and behind those doors would be the space where Batch was born. It's been almost two years and with an expansion on the rise, things are looking good! God, we love hearing that. I so enjoyed my time with Sarah and encourage you to check out Batch and the creative environment their are fueling in DTSA.

After some lunch and a quick trip to Roger's Garden, I made my way to Heritage Mercantile to meet up with Jennifer Bloch. Her vision for a "modern day general store" is one to feast your scenes on. The adorable shop located off Santa Ana Avenue and E. 17th Street in Costa Mesa is as pleasing from the outside with its ivy-covered facade and dutch doors. Jennifer not only draws customers in with the esthetics but also the one-of-a-kind finds and gifts. From organic baby swaddles to handcrafted soaps and face serums to letterpress prints and wool kilim pillows - you can always find something you can't live without. I was mainly drawn to Jennifer for her community presence and workshops. She viewed her calligraphy classes, succulent arrangements, and screen printing workshops to be a time for people to connect and be present all while meeting new neighbors and people from different walks of life. It's totally working and we can't wait to collaborate with Jennifer and come together to bring some new classes!

Thank you for checking out this new project we have up our sleeves, we look forward to taking SOURCED. wednesdays to the next level on April 8th with additional of Friction Blue capturing the fun to video!

Michelle Mercado, SOURCED. creative director

A little over 2 months ago my Grandmother passed away. She was 91 and we spent every Wednesday together. She lived in what we refer has "The Towers" in Laguna Woods - leisure world at it's finest. For those of you that aren't familiar, allow me to paint the picture...cruise ship living meets high rise condos. Bravo TV would have a winner on their hands here!

Finish Line at the Tower's "Marathon" & the famous hallway where we exchanged hellos with other residents and socialites.

Wednesdays were days I set aside to go to Stater Bros with her to get orange juice, honey buns, hot dogs, and various other bizarre foods. We would have lunch at Polly's Pies and finish the day watching Turner Classic Movies. Without getting way too mushy and emotional, it was the highlight of my week and yet always ended up in tears as I would drive away and knowing that the days were numbered.

The way she passed was abrupt but ultimately on her terms and in a way she always described in a non-mobrid way - "Hey, wouldn't it be great if I could just go to sleep and not wake up."

She and my grandfather had been married for 67 years by the time he passed two years ago. She was a mother of five, grandmother of seven, and great grandmother to five. Quick as a whip and twice as fast. Always dressed to the nines. Never wore a pair of jeans in her life. The minute she passed, the eve before my 28th birthday, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace knowing that she was on to the next. Reunited with the love of her life and also could better understand what I was doing with this crazy concept of our collective space and efforts.

My grandparents shortly after they were married. Grandma posing next to the families new car.

Once the fog started to wear off a little, I swear she was behind some of the exciting new projects, calls, and opportunities that started to flood by inbox. It was almost like she was saying "Geezs, why didn't you just say that what you were doing! - Here, let me help you out!"

I stumbled upon this yearbook picture of her. Ambition: To be really happy. Yeah, me too Grandma.

I started to spend my new found "extra day" meeting new people and learning more about what they were all about. The stories and connections being made not only left me completely inspired but also led to more conversations and seeking out even more people. The plan is to continue to connect and invite some of my creative friends to capture the interactions on film. We look forward to sharing these stories here on our blog and through our social media channels. If you or someone you know would be interested in collaborating, sharing your business or passion, and/or just joining in on the fun - please reach out to us and let's do this wednesday thang!

Michelle Mercado, SOURCED. creative director