The new year got off to a very busy start; lots of work and shake-ups at Vigor bled a little bit into my personal life. I’ve tried to carve out moments for myself, and as you’ll see below, I did a loooot of reading and a good amount of self-reflection. Some of it is fun, silly information about food. A good amount of it is advice while I try to keep my head up. I feel better now that January is over, and I’m hoping to keep the same momentum moving into February.
Good Reads
How ReGrained Turns Beer Waste into a Nutrient Powerhouse by Rachel Cernansky on New Hope Network
The Art of Doing Nothing by Tina Essmaker on 99u
A Science-Backed Guide to Taking Truly Restful Breaks by Christian Jarret on 99U.
Is Stress Actually a Good Thing for your Health? By Rachel Lapidos on Well + Good.
A Guide to Design-Led Content Marketing (& Why your Brand needs it) by Renee Fleck on dribbble.
What is Chocolate? Don’t Go Through the Rest of Your Life Not Knowing by Alex Beggs on Basically.
How Pop-up Restaurants are Making Atlanta’s Food Scene So Much Better by Mara Shalhoup for Atlanta Magazine.
Why is Cheddar Cheese Orange Sometimes? by Sarah Jampel for Basically.
What is Vanilla (And Why is it Sooo Expensive?) by Sarah Jampel for Basically.
7 Creative Insights to Give Your Career a Boost This Very Second by The 99U Team on 99U.
The Basecamp Guide to Internal Communication on Basecamp.
This is the one skill designers need to develop most in 2020 by Don Norman for Fast Company.
You are a Badass by Jen Sincero.
Worthwhile Bites & Sips
Bold Monk Brewing Co on the Westside — Atlanta, GA
I visited Bold Monk with a group of other beer-loving ladies, expecting an industrial brewery and not much else. To my surprise, it definitely leans more brewpub/restaurant than brewery, with beautiful interiors and elevated bar food. The food and the beer I had were tasty; I plan on bringing friends and family here and am excited to see how this new-kid-on-the-block does for itself.
Ecco Midtown — Atlanta, GA
Vigor had to delay its holiday party due to half the office being taken out by the intern’s cold, so we had a New Year celebration instead at Ecco. While it boasts amazing pasta dishes, the appetizers and shareable plates are inspired by a range of cuisines, and should not be overlooked. Try the fried goat cheese balls with honey, and end the night with some sweet and tart limoncello.
Ironmonger Brewing Company — Marietta, GA
Full disclosure; I didn’t have any beer here. What I did have was a housemade watermelon seltzer that tasted like a liquified Jolly Rancher minus the sugar shock. The group of ladies I went with DID enjoy the beers though… and they got a kick out of the axe-throwing, too.
Misc.
Holiday Lights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Nick and I make a point to go see the holiday lights at the botanical garden every year. December was a bit of a crapshoot and we weren’t able to make it before Christmas, so it was a first-week of January goal for us to go. It was cold and rainy, but the pictures should give you and idea of why we toughed it out.
Charleston, South Carolina
I unexpectantly was sent to Charleston for a market-research trip for a new client of ours. Vigor will be branding and designing a new rooftop-bar concept coming into town, so our goal was to meet with our architecture partner and scope out the bar scene in the Holy City. I’ll eventually dedicate an entire blog post to our trip, so I don’t want to spoil too much…. but I will say the night ended with Uber karaoke.