Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Diana Rosinus. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Diana, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I love this question of purpose. It always gets to the core of the things that matter most, and there’s no better feeling than when we connect with our purpose. It feels like love and meaning intertwined; it feels like the light within us has been turned all the way up to eleven.
The thing to keep in mind is that our purpose is not a static object – it’s okay (maybe even good!) if it changes over time. Once we realize this, things start to shake loose because we’ve removed the pressure from the process, which allows it to flow more naturally.
I think staying curious and getting in touch many sources of inspiration and then just trying a lot of different things has helped me to discover my purpose over the years. I studied psychology in undergrad and creative writing and graphic design post-grad; I painted in many styles, dabbled in pottery and digital art, developed my voice as a poet, and even wrote a few plays. Through it all, I always stopped to notice and reflect everywhere I could. I started to see common threads across the things that resonated in that particular way a sense of purpose does. I believe we all have our own common threads of inspiration across our lives. My common threads were nature and organic forms, human connection and the internal landscape of healing, and print. Print, print, print!
Print was always a big part of my story. As a writer, I have a deep love for stationery and books and the object of a book itself. When I started my design career, I was working primarily on book production, which then led to design work on magazines and eventually greeting cards and other printed products. When I finally leaned into this love of print in my own art a few years ago, it helped me focus my artistic energy into block printing. It felt so good to focus in on something after so many years of exploring. This focus is how I found my artistic style, and it’s fun because I see the graphic design thinking in my printmaking even though it’s an analog process.
Ever Pollen is about tying all of these common threads together: nature, connection, healing, design, and print. The name itself is actually a statement of purpose in its way: a purpose to pollenate the world with art that is inspired by the ever-present healing and rebirth found in nature.
We ourselves are part of nature, and there is healing and connection in simply remembering this as we create and as we share with one another. My hope is that my art and my products help people get back in touch with the slower, more natural parts of modern life, to connect with ourselves and each other in a way that feels healing and whole. We need this now maybe more than we ever have, and so my personal purpose connects itself into a larger purpose, and that’s all we can ever really hope for.
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?
Ever Pollen is a block printing studio in Salem, Oregon, selling art, stationery,
and gifts featuring our hand carved designs. We capture the inspiration that comes from natural and organic forms using analogue printmaking techniques to give our eyes and minds a break from the digital world. Our designs are modern, but they remember where we came from.
As the owner of Ever Pollen, I am committed to helping make sure print still has a place to evolve while also caring for the earth. Our cards and original block prints are printed locally on recycled paper, and most of our packaging is either recycled or biodegradable.
Through my work for over ten years as a creative for other retail brands, I’ve learned how much I care about using my creative energy to connect with others (and to help others connect with each other!) through beautiful and relevant products. In my day jobs I always found myself wanting to feel closer and closer to the product until I realized that what I really needed was to create products of my own! This frees me up to do creative work for other businesses without my own personal agenda getting in the way, and it allows me a platform to create the work I feel called to create and share it with the world.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Integrity is one of the most important qualities. It is the foundation for strong relationships while simultaneously being the foundation for all of the internal connection with self that it takes to learn and grown from any creative endeavor. Without integrity, we don’t have anything authentic or interesting to share with the world.
I also think silliness is important. We can’t take ourselves too seriously all the time, and laughter is generous and joyful and healing.
And yes, joy is so important. We need to find our joy so that we can spread joy.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
100% yes. I love a creative collaboration, especially with other small business owners.
If you’d like to partner up on a card for your customers or packaging design for your product or maybe even developing a product together, I’m here for it. With my background in graphic design and production as well as marketing and all of the things I’ve learned by running Ever Pollen, the sky really is the limit. Feel free to email me at [email protected] to share your vision!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.everpollen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everpollenprintshop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everpollenprintshop
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ever-pollen-print-shop
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
