Hi friend!

I remember seeing a TV show when I was a kid about someone who found a map in a thrift store that ended up being worth thousands of dollars.

And that’s when my love for finding treasure, hidden in plain sight, was born.

I believe there might be something of value* sitting right in front of me, even if I’m not able to see it yet.

That belief not only makes thrifting fun, it’s been the cure for my creative anxiety… ya know, the anxiety and cold sweats you get from being handed a creative problem because you’re not sure you’ll be able to solve it? Or is that just me?

A few months ago, I was part of a Design Residency** team doing an on-site rebrand.

Part of my job in the rebrand was to come up with a tagline for the business (cue: anxiety and cold sweats).

I’ve come up with taglines before… but they’ve typically revealed themselves during conversations with clients and I end up catching them like a fish with my bare hands.

It’s as if the taglines were there the whole time… hidden in plain sight. I just kept asking questions and digging until it revealed itself and then I had to quickly grab it before it disappeared and we forgot it was ever said.

Up until this specific project, I hadn’t felt 100% confident in my approach to taglines.

I felt like I was using a cheat code because it’s something I naturally love to do.

I also wondered if I'd be able to do it again and if I could rely on the cheat code... errrrr process. ;)

When I showed up for this project, I decided to fully commit and lean into how I do things.

On the second day of the strategy phase, I was walking with the client, Matt,*** and I mentioned that I really liked a phrase he had said the day before that could be used as a tagline.

Matt: “I really love that! Great idea.”

Me: “Yeah! You said it yesterday.”

Matt: “I said that?? I don’t remember.”

I told him he had brought that idea with him to our strategy session and even had it on his prepped notes.

He was so convinced that I came up with it, that he checked his notes from the day before.

To his surprise, it had been there all along.

Someone just needed to catch it.

We shared the idea with the team to test and get feedback. They loved it and agreed it felt aligned with where the brand was headed.

Not only was the cure for my creative anxiety hidden in plain sight by leaning into how I naturally do things, but the tagline was too.

And it got me thinking…

What if there are other treasures waiting to be discovered…

… beauty in unexpected places,

… unlikely solutions to frustrating problems,

… exciting possibilities we hadn’t considered,

if only we were looking?

Warmly,

Melinda

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What I’ve been up to:

• Planning a podcast I’ll be starting this summer!
• Helping a UK business see if they can expand to the US.
• Beta testing a new strategy course.

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*If it's a person, they automatically have value.
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** The Design Residency Team:

Design: Esther Mun​
Photography: Charlie Kang
Film: James H. Martin​
Strategy: Me!
Property Founder: Matt Kelley​
Cute Dog: Mila ❤️

*** A shot from my conversation with Matt (and Mila):