MEET OUR FRIENDS VOL. 1

Some people make life feel bigger. Allie Furlotti is one of those people.

She’s a mother, an entrepreneur, a PhD candidate, and the first person we’re featuring in Meet Our Friends, a series about the people who inspire us and our work.

Mostly, though, she inspires unruly joy in me. The kind that makes you pay attention, make something, take a chance, and see what happens.

Allie has me thinking about what it means to be present. Not because being present somehow prepares you for the future, but because the future is unknowable. At some point, you have to work with what’s in front of you and trust yourself enough to begin.

Yohji Yamamoto said it well:

“I need to put myself to the test, and if I make mistakes, it doesn’t matter.”

I love the confidence in that. Not confidence that everything will work, but confidence that making, trying, and sometimes getting it wrong are part of the work.

That feels especially true right now.

STANDISH. is becoming real by being put into the world. We can think and refine and plan, but eventually you have to let people experience what you’re making. You learn. You adjust. You keep going.

Joseph at TMRW PR has been working alongside us for over a month now, and what a gift he is. He’s honest, kind, patient, and very good at reminding me that putting something into the world doesn’t mean rushing it.

Building community takes time.

You show up. You listen. You make mistakes. You try again. You let people be people. There’s something freeing about not needing every part of it to be perfect before allowing it to grow.

Now we get to put a little more of what we make out into the world.

For our first meet-and-greet pop-up, on Wednesday, October 28th, we chose ILY2 Gallery in NYC.

And ILY2 belongs to Allie.

I love when life makes the point for you.

Then there’s Gerard. My husband, my business partner, my best friend, and the person who shows up every day.

Building something asks a lot of the people closest to you. I don’t take that for granted. His belief, patience, honesty, and work are part of every step. I adore him, always. Without him, none of this exists.

The more we build, the simpler the idea becomes.

Show up. Make the thing. Share it. Learn. Keep going.

Do it with people you appreciate.

Craft, kindness, curiosity, and enough confidence to put what you believe in out into the world.

That’s STANDISH.

Maybe the imperfect thing is already exactly what it needs to be.

Jesse

STANDISH.

Watch the video below ⤵️