We were lucky to catch up with Bonnie Powers recently and have shared our conversation below.
Bonnie, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I love this question because it gets to the core foundation of marrying meaning with what I do for work. Early in my career I worked in advertising and brand and design agencies. We served a client need– uncovering the one belief or reason why someone would care about the brand, solved various marketplace and cultural challenges and created visual identities, advertising and marketing campaigns. Many of my clients were in consumer packaged goods, cultural institutions, fashion brands and food, beverage and spirits brands. I loved seeing the work we did on the shelves in stores, captured on social and part of pop culture. It was truly satisfying to witness how much we could impact a brand’s success. And while I felt purposeful, it was the commercial aspect that left me wanting more.
Fast forward to 10 years ago when my jewelry designer husband and I launched our mixed use retail and art gallery Poet and/the Bench as a brick and mortar in Mill Valley, CA and as an online platform. It is here that I really get to live my purpose. I get to both explore my own personal connection to, and witness the resonance of, artist-led collections through firsthand experience with consumers. We purposefully curate emerging and independent artists and designers that have a narrative. And we embody the narrative in the intimacy of the physical space– this is an essential part of good design for me: storytelling connects us to the human experience.
The arts and culture experience is community building, and it is a catalyst for connections (old and new); and brings new visions. I love this aspect of proprietorship!
Our curation is uncommon. We don’t buy through catalogs or showrooms. We meet our artists, get to know their background and experience. We get to be an essential part of helping our artists build their careers by connecting them with customers in a more examined way. My deep love for discovery and story is reflected back to our customers, we support our artists, and my own sense of life fulfillment continually expands.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
If you’re visiting or live in Northern California, come see us at Poet and/the Bench in Mill Valley, CA or take a spin through our collections online. We’re working to preserve the history of creative placemaking. To be a destination that supports both community and small batch makers across diverse cultures, races, gender, sexual orientation—with a focus on narrative.
Our mission is to elevate the relationship we have with limited edition objects of appreciation with a focus on jewelry, art, home goods and apothecary. A place you’re likely to stay connected to because it’s personal and important.
Be a friend, follow @poetandthebench and visit us at poetandthebench.com. Let’s build community together!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
A favorite quote by Goethe sums up a lot for me: Keep not standing, fixed and rooted. Briskly venture, briskly roam. My advice would be to allow yourself to be nudged. To realize that the failure is in the not doing. And taking even one small step in a new direction is more preferable to analysis paralysis.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I’ve experienced some pretty intense burn out a few times throughout my career and always wished I had better strategies for managing my boundaries. Recognizing my personal limits is a two-fold challenge of time-management and taking on too many responsibilities.
I think a first step is to be clear with yourself and with others. Learning to say no is a huge win! It’s also helpful to have a buddy system to stay committed and consistent: my husband who is also my business partner, is a great source of protecting my time and energy, too.
I try to remember that when I’m too diluted, I’m not going to be my best self. And the more space I have, the more the creative juices flow and I’m open to new ideas. It’s an evolving learning experience to delegate to others you can trust for bigger things or to a virtual assistant for the things that really don’t require your full control.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://poetandthebench.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetandthebench
Image Credits
Poet and/the Bench
Cameron Cressman
Kim Thompson Steel
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
