Last weekend, I came to the realization that I’m obsessed with the printed word. Not a word appearing in a blog post or anywhere on the vast inter-web, but words actually printed on paper, in magazines, catalogs, books. I literally crave moments when I can pick up a book or flip through a magazine. My night stand is testament to this tactile disorder that I possess. I say “disorder” because I’m living in an age where digital is where everything is headed. Magazines are dropping like flies, newspapers are downsizing or going out of business and trying to figure out a new model of disseminating the news, and the NOOK, Kindle and iPad are the hottest new gadgets. I mean, who on earth reads catalogs anymore? I admit, unabashedly, that I do. I’m clinging on to a bit of what I believe makes us human – using all of our senses to engage with the world around us. Though I do love the internet and all things digital (my iPhone, DVR, mac book, blogs, Facebook) for their convenience and, in general, amazing abilities to connect me with people and information, I need moments where I can connect through touch, smell, feel, sight (other than looking at a screen!).
As I think about my connection to the tactile world, I better understand why I’ve always felt so strongly about creating a brand, the JOON brand, to be about connecting with nature – getting outside and going for a swim, feeling the hot summer breeze on your face, picking strawberries or flowers. It’s what’s missing from kids’ lives these days. Why go outside and use your body when there’s Wii Fit or bowling or tennis? Why meet up with friends when you can sit in your room and text or FB them?
JOON products are by nature for natural girls – girls who have an connection to the vast world outside. I’m on a mission to make kids, once again, fall in love with nature. I don’t think it’ll be that hard. It won’t take long for them to see just how much fun it is and how much there is to explore.
