Every morning, I get a “Moment of Happiness” quote sent to my inbox from Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project. If I can be totally honest for a moment, I have to admit I often skip over these emails due to a flooded inbox of Ann Taylor Loft sales (every. single. day.) and various other newsletters I get (time to clear the clutter, I think.) But, last week, I happened to open my Moment of Happiness email, and here is what it said:

“Sometimes something can look beautiful just because it’s different in some way from the other things around it. One red petunia in a window box will look very beautiful if all the rest of them are white, and vice-versa.”
-Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol

This quote really got me thinking…how can I be that red petunia in a crowded market of stationery designers and branding experts?

It’s so important, no matter what business you are in, to find that special style that makes you so different from everyone else. I think about this a lot, and wrestle every day with what path I need to be taking with my design style to really set myself apart. This business is such a passion…it’s fire in my bones…and I can’t even bear with the thought that I would just fall in the mix and not stand out in some way.

There are definitely brands out there that have found their niche. When it comes to the stationery industry, one company I really admire is Rifle Paper Co. Anna Bond’s hand-painted designs are really so unique, and amazingly gorgeous. Everything Rifle Paper Co. releases fits that style. They are so good at staying true to their own brand, you can almost instantly spot their products without looking at the package to know where it came from. Talk about being the red petunia!

I know it’s a Monday, and our brains are just getting started for the week, but I challenge you, as I am challenging myself, to figure out what is going to set you apart in your business, or your hobby, or whatever it is that you are passionate about.

xoxo!