S'well Intentions Bottle Launch
S’well x Lee From America Bottle Launch Announcement!
Happy, happy new year everyone.
I am thrilled to share the release of my first ever product launch in collaboration with S’well!
I worked closely with the S’well team from top to bottom, having a say in everything from the deep blueberry color, to the feel of the bottle on your hands, to the words themselves. They translated my intentions for 2019 into a single bottle that helps eliminate 167 single-use plastic water bottles every year. The bottle features my own illustrations, lettering, and drawings, and I’m so happy with to have co-created a bottle soft in design yet with a powerful messaging to hydrate you through the new year (and beyond).
S’well holds a special place in my life. I’ve been using them for well over 5 years due to their sturdiness, ease of use, and beautiful shapes that accentuate nature’s curves. It makes me so happy to partner with not only a brand on a mission to create beautiful products and better our environment, but who supported me co-creating a design centered around the idea of setting intentions, a practice I use to become my best self and therefore better my community. It is my honor to welcome the my first ever product with a brand like S’well.
The bottle is made from high-Grade 18/8 Stainless Steel and is totally BPA-free. It’s also triple-walled for maximum insulation, keeping beverages cold for 24 hours and beverages warm for 6. Plus, it fits in car holders for the car which is a major plus if you’re keen to road trips like me.
Perfect for keeping you hydrated at your desk, on hikes, in hot yoga, in night class, journeys to the grocery store and camping trips. PS- there’s only a select few of these made, and they won’t be available forever.
How To Write Intentions
Intentions start with ourselves, and ripple out to our communities and everyone we touch.
For many, the new year is symbolic for new beginnings. Everyone seems to be bursting with newfound inspiration and motivation to make improvements. Another year has passed and we are in a special pocket of time where we have fresh feedback and a clean slate to start anew.
I started writing intentions in 2016 in my moleskin journals as a way to set graceful goals for myself. I prefer the word “intentions” over “resolutions” as it enveloped the kinder vocabulary that I was drawn to. To “intend” is to plan, to aim, to help bring about. However, I preferred to write them monthly, as I didn’t believe in waiting for January 1st to make changes or better my life.
In fact, you don’t even need to wait until the beginning of each month to make a change. You deserve to live each moment as a clean slate.
You deserve to start right now.
With an intention there is no negative consequence if I don’t follow through. No punishment and no guilt. Why? Because an intention is a mere suggestion for me. It has no limits, rules, or regulations. They are gentle, angelic pushes towards my best self.
I soon decided to begin sharing them on social media as a way to keep myself accountable for what I wanted to work on, and then #LFAintentions was born.
With the new year, I grew tired of seeing the same messaging from the mainstream media like, “Get your booty to the gym” “Start your detox now!”, as if we had to repent for indulging over the holiday season.
And while I’m ALL about self improvement, most of the New Year advertisements on bettering ourselves seem to be exclusive to our physical body. And while I wholeheartedly believe that when you’re taking adequate care of your physical body, you are in turn doing a huge favor for your mental and emotional wellbeing, the one-sided belief that if you’re only a worthy person if you’re in the gym 6 days a week is a bit small-minded. Many New Years resolutions are hard to stick to and perpetuate feelings of inadequacy, guilt, self loathing and procrastination.
It’s a never ending cycle that won’t be changed until we make the change.
Intentions are meant to plant seeds in our heads on how we can improve our lives. And when we improve our lives, we have a positive ripple effect on our families, friend groups, work circles, and our community. Intentions are not just about our bodies, but our emotional wellbeing, our communities, our homes, our mental health, spiritual journey, career, and purpose. Because I truly believe health isn’t just about the gym.
Tips for Intention Writing
Carve out 30-60 minutes one day. Light a candle, put on some calming music (jazz or any “Yoga” playlist will work), turn off your phone and get to work.
Spend a bit of time journaling and reflecting before setting your intentions. After you journal, look back and look for any patterns, shifts, or desires you want to work on.
Get colorful: add drawings, watercolor, colored pencil, paint, or anything else that calls your name.
Be realistic. If going to the gym is an intention for you, make it realistic for you and your lifestyle. If you’re currently not working out at all, aiming for gym dates 2x a week is much more gentle than trying to hit 7 days a week. PS: “Give up carbs” isn’t really the point of intentions.
Take the focus off of intentions surrounded strictly on looks: if you are trying to better your diet and exercise regime, get honest with yourself. Find out where that desire is coming from. Is it coming from you and your heart, or a loved one'/society’s pressure? If it’s the former, than hell yeah. If its the latter, there may be more unpacking to do. Only you know.
Think outside the page: if writing really isn’t your thing, you can still reap the benefits of this practice. Consider sculpture, vision boards, poetry, songwriting, or even movement meditation, ie a long hike in the woods with just you and your thoughts.
Grab a friend and have a brainstorming session. Last week, I sat on the beach with my cousin and we both shared what we wanted to accomplish in 2019 and beyond. It was therapeutic to talk out our thoughts, desires, issues, and ideas for what we wanted to cultivate. It was inspiring to hear another person’s dreams, and helped motivate me to shoot for the stars.
Stay gentle. Remember, this is your practice, your life, and you get to be the boss. But, be a gentle boss with yourself. No guilt, no punishment, no loss if you didn’t achieve what you wanted to. There’s always another moment to begin anew.
Wishing everyone a healthy 2019 full of blessings, spoonfuls of nut butters, growth, solitude, down dogs, or whatever else your heart may be needing.
Tell me, what are you intentions for the New Year?
