Long time no print.

Its been a long time since we’ve printed our Connection, real paper and ink - in hand. With November/December being the first issue back in print since the beginning pandemic, we’ve been reflecting on all the format changes that became necessary over the past several months. Some we’re less than ideal, but others offered great opportunities to expand our horizons and rethink the status quo.

A few takeaways from our digital only time:

1. We probably print to much! The important impact pieces should be printed, displayed and handled for their full effect. But the smaller bits of information sharing work well in a digital format! There's more flexibility creatively and with distribution when brief add-ons can be created and shared digitally. Less material lets the important print pieces shine and since we’re using less paper – it certainly doesn’t hurt to save a few trees!

2. Rethinking your approach can be inspiring! While our educators have dearly missed the in-person learning opportunities, we have seen so much creative inspiration come out of the necessity of reworking a class format to fit digital restrictions. Sometimes being forced to think differently gives you access to places of your mind you never knew were there. Great ideas can come from new perspectives!

3. One size does not fit all, and multi format is multi-functional. Maybe while considering new products you like to hold the magazine in your hands while sitting in a face to face meeting. Maybe you prefer to shop online solo and undisturbed. Maybe hands-on, in-person workshops allow you to hone a new skill and drill it into your professional tool kit. Maybe your schedule doesn’t allow time for live classes and having a YouTube tutorial that you can pause and come back to at your convenience gives you the opportunity to learn new things in your own time. The point is, that what works beautifully for some may not for others and visa versa. There’s no reason not to continue forward with all the new formats we have learned while simultaneously celebrating the return of those that we’ve missed.

We are grateful to have learned and grown over this time. And we’re so grateful to be back!