When I started Josie Joan Creative 7 years ago, I wasn’t sure what was in store for me. All I knew was I wanted to share my marketing and graphic design skills with nonprofits. Thanks to all the amazing organizations I’ve had the opportunity to work with, JJC grew more than I had anticipated.
As our agency set forth on our 2022 goals and beyond, it became clear that the name Josie Joan Creative no longer adequately encompassed all that we have grown to become. With deep reflection on our values and passion for design that furthers the collective impact of our partners’ work in the community, we began to nurture the seedlings of an identity that represented something bigger.
It Started With The Mother Tree
My inspiration for a new name came to me when learning about “Mother Trees.” Mother Trees are highly-connected hub trees that share their excess carbon and nitrogen with other trees in a forest. Mother Trees increase a tree seedling’s chance of survival and connect to hundreds of trees (Nerd out more about them here). I found this fascinating because, one, nature is magical, and two, it resonated with me as a perfect example of a community, particularly nonprofit and government organizations’ roles within a community. Nonprofits provide the nutrients to a community. From basic needs, healthcare, to enrichment programs, nonprofits supply the nutrients a community needs to grow, survive, and thrive. I fell in love with this concept and wanted it to carry over to my new name.
It Takes a Village
When I was brainstorming new business names, I was very much invested in the Mother Tree concept; however, I was also searching for something less abstractly related to the idea of community. It became apparent that this was a generic approach because every word I tried was already in use. I felt like a genius when I came up with the name “Kindred Creative” at 3 am only to find out that the first page of Google is flooded with variations of the name when you search “Kindred Creative.” It seemed like I needed to either lean into the Mother Tree concept or go entirely back to the drawing board until the perfect name hit me.
Marrying the Two Concepts: Village & Oak Creative is Born.
In the middle of a different night at 3 am (learning to sleep better is one of my New Year’s resolutions, by the way), it hit me. When I moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, the first two streets I lived on were Village and Oak.
The streets where I first started working for nonprofits.
The streets where I fell in love with being a part of a community.
The streets where the idea of owning my creative agency was planted.
It all clicked. Homage to my past, while marrying the Mother Tree concept with the Community concept.
I’m so excited to open this new chapter together.
And now for some Logistics…
While the name and branding of the agency are changing, I will still be at the helm, behind the computer, and in the community leading design and creative solutions for our partners.
A name change also means that my email address will be changing to josie@villageoakcreative.com. While I will still be checking my previous email address in the coming months, please add the new address to your records.
The name change will formally take effect on March 14, 2022. If you are a current client, payments can continue to be made to Josie Joan Creative until then. After March 14, please make payments to Village Oak Creative. Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to remind you as the official changeover happens.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
All the best,
Josie
