Our 2025 Word: Bloom
Dear Friends, Clients, and Community,
Each year, our studio chooses a word to guide us—a theme that reflects our intentions, growth, and the impact we want to create. This year, our word is "bloom."
This word was inspired by a chance encounter with a long-time client. On a trail in Joaquin Miller Park, I ran into a long-time customer back in the shop days. She has always been so supportive and has seen me evolve as an entrepreneur through different seasons (we’re talking maybe 8 or 9 years). As always, she was encouraging, saying she loves seeing the updates and is so excited to see the shop transform into the studio. As we parted ways, she said, “Bloom, Ari, bloom!” I had to fight back tears because, at that moment, a wave of emotions surfaced—it felt so good to feel seen, and her words gave me the vote of confidence I needed.
We have cultivated strong roots and it speaks to where we are as a studio: past the phase of proving ourselves and now firmly in a season of thriving.
To bloom is to grow with purpose, relying on the strong roots we have cultivated (our 2024 word), and to flourish in our work without hesitation. To bloom is to be more visible, to outwardly demonstrate what we believe in, and to stand firm. Given our current economic and political landscape, standing our ground (and caring for it) is more important than ever. In times like these, creativity, community, and care are more essential than ever. We must cultivate joy.
As we move into 2025, we are focused on work that aligns with our mission—partnering with clients who inspire us and whose impact extends beyond their businesses to uplift their communities. Our clients are doing the important work necessary to spark and sustain shifts toward justice. They include community land trusts, CDFIs, affordable housing developers, passionate artists, small business owners, and catalytic organizations building the infrastructure for what comes next as capitalism declines.
We are proud to be a Real People’s Fund business, meaning the capital we have taken to grow the business is aligned with our values—non-extractive and rooted in place-keeping.
We are committed to deepening these relationships, building a stronger network, and sharing our process more openly. A key part of this will be amplifying the voices of our clients and uplifting their work. One of the ways we’re doing this is by rebooting our podcast, Vicinity. New episodes are in the works, but if you haven’t listened to our previous episodes, you can catch up now.
We are also taking our own advice this year—prioritizing balance, being intentional with our partnerships, and ensuring that we are just as good a client to ourselves as we are to others. Blooming isn’t passive—it requires nourishment, care, and the right environment to thrive. This year, we are creating that space, both for ourselves and for those we work with. We are ready to step fully into our next chapter, take risks, and embrace the beauty of expression.
We are grateful to be growing alongside you. Here’s to a year of meaningful work, strong collaborations, and full, unapologetic bloom.
With gratitude and excitement,
Ari Takata-Vasquez
