Being with a brand from the very beginning is a pretty special honor. And being able to assist a friend in growing a strong brand is also pretty doggone special. It's a place where I love being, even if it means I'm working on holidays.

Since David and I are doing Whole30, we made none of our usual plans for Labor Day. Instead, we decided to work.

In a meeting with Arron and Pat, the owners of the new Bluewater Brewing Company, a few days before Labor Day, it was brought up that they needed a sign for an upcoming event, and all upcoming events, for that matter. They tossed out the idea of getting a file for a vinyl sign and I died a little on the inside. Ok, I died a lot.

Me being the tough love guru that I am wouldn't allow it. I feel it's against the way of craft anything (craft beer included) to announce your brand with a vinyl sign. Come on, let's be crafty.

I immediately tossed around some ideas of kraft, vinyl cutouts, wood, and paint, whirling ideas of mobility, functionality, and possibility, kinda getting antsy in my seat just thinking about all that we could do. They kinda looked at me like I was nuts.

So, in true designer fashion, I realized that I just had to show them how this was going to work. We blocked out Labor Day as labor day. The day we would assemble a way-better-than-vinyl sign. I would win them over.

Our initial idea was to craft the sign from a pallet (I was very entertained by me being a pallet crafter, I like to think I have standards) but quickly realized that was a joke. Those things are impossible to disassemble.

So we found some reclaimed wood elsewhere, measured, cut, and assembled a roughly 3ft x 3ft wooden sign. Then it was my turn.

I got super geometric and practically free-handed the logo, cheating a bit with string and letter cut-outs. Regardless, my geometry teacher would be proud. Once it was all laid out in pencil, I began to paint.

David mixed up a white-wash mixture, with some unknown ratio of water to white semi-gloss paint, and I spend the next several hours painting over and over until it was the perfect shade of awesome.

99.9% of my work happens on a computer, or at least with a computer within reach. This was the best couple of hours I've spent working in months. Maybe years. What a change in creativity. Love.

Then, voilà! A sign way better than anything vinyl. Truly craft.

On Friday David and I walked into Court Street Market in our downtown for First Friday and were greeted by the fabulous Bluewater sign. A sign that was getting numerous compliments, and just the kind of good attention I wanted it to. Arron was grinning from ear to ear. Success.

(Poo poo on vinyl.)

And then, it showed up on the front page of the region section of our local paper on Sunday. Ooo!

We're working to finalize all the branding elements, at which point I'll share all the fab things I've created for the brewery. And to just get you wiggling with excitement. we've wrangled in Armosa Studios to create a video for a Kickstarter fundraising campaign we hope to launch in early October.

If you'd like to show Bluewater Brewing Company some support, go like their Facebook page. It's like a virtual hug. They'll love it.

If last summer was The Summer of Gin (and oh brother was it) then this year is definitely The Summer of Peaches.

I know that Georgia is all known for their peaches, or whatever, but the amazingness of Alabama peaches, Chilton County in particular, but also the more-local Isom's Orchard with juicy peaches larger than my fist, gives Georgia a silent run for their money. And since this is my first summer in Alabama in over three years I'm making up for lost time.

We did our Peach-Infused Bourbon, which made The Perfect Summer Tea. I've had more stone-cut oatmeal topped with peaches and honey than any human should this summer, and I've put them on salads, and just eaten them. In an attempt to add peaches to breakfast in more ways I recently cut a couple open and threw them in a hot pan, cooking until just caramelized, topping them with greek yogurt and honey, and chowing down. I haven't been able to get enough since.

Then we upped the ante a bit, and pulled out those homemade syrups we've been whipping up. Our favorite is the mint, and so our new favorite accompaniment with over-easy eggs was born: "Grilled" Peaches with Mint Greek Yogurt and Honey.

I need more peaches.

A couple of weeks ago David and I made some peach-infused bourbon. It all has to do with our desire to have the best-stocked bar in town, and to always drink well. We love a good craft cocktail, and have really enjoyed the process of making as many components of our summer drinks as we can.

Along with our peach-infusing, we've also been making syrups with homegrown and/or locally sourced herbs, peppers, and berries. They're making my usual gin-and-tonics into extra fun parties in my mouth. So far we've made 8 or so syrups, including jalapeño, thyme, and blackberry.

So, when it came to using our peach-infused bourbon, I decided I wanted to make the perfect summer tea. But I'll be honest: even though I was born and raised in the fairly-deep south, I don't think I've made a pitcher of southern tea in over 10 years. Sure, I steep a cup of hot tea every day, multiple times a day, but never a pitcher of sweet tea, and never without my grandmother or mother standing over my shoulder directing my every move.

I don't make for a good southern girl.

So, it was to the surprise and entertainment of a friend of ours when I asked him to bring over a couple of tea bags, and then - upon his arrival - asked him what the hell I was supposed to do with them. Because I had no idea.

We tried round one of our summer tea, and it needed a bit of love.

A few days later David and I set out to perfect our summer tea, this time brewing the tea really strong (David did it, I still have yet to make a pitcher of tea), and this time we didn't sweeten it. Not yet.

Because I was sure it needed some mint syrup.

After making and chilling some strong tea, we got serious about our perfect summer tea, and it happened. It's really perfect.

Pairing the peach and mint was just what it needed, and let me tell you how dangerous this mixture is, because it's stout, and it will fool you. It will fool you hard.

The peach gives it that thrilling taste of summer, while the mint is perfectly refreshing, and because we didn't sweeten the tea, but threw in a dash of the syrup instead, it doesn't finish with the icky sugar loogies that are why I don't bother with iced sweet tea.

It will make you melt into summer, like an ice cube on asphalt.

And with this tea, I solemnly swear to never bother with learning to make traditional southern iced tea. As long as I have David, summer peaches, and a bottle of bourbon, this is the only tea I'll ever ice.

Since moving back to our hometown almost a year ago I've gotten a good taste of what creativity is like in this town. I like to not-so-jokingly joke about how creatives here in the Shoals are closet-creatives, because this place tends to be a bit too traditional for Just Being a Creative to be ok.

It's something that David and I have struggled to put ourselves at the forefront of. With Indie Spaces, Indie Shopography, and my new platform as Emily M Thompson (personal brand extraordinaire), we've found ourselves in a very unusual and unexpected role as creative role models. We're proof that you can be untraditional and still eat three meals a day.

So, I say all this to introduce you to our friend Ben, a local creative in a similar struggle. A struggle for respect and recognition in our traditional little city.

Ben is a local creative (and official indiepreneur) who we met as he was beginning his creative venture into woodworking. Soon, we were talking about branding, and then we partnered up to make him legit. I soon found an amazing passion in Ben for not only making wood furniture, but designing it, with an eye that I'll admit I didn't expect.

After seeing several of his pieces, and coveting each of them, I set to crafting and designing a brand that portrayed Ben, and burly woodworking-ness, and his purpose of designing and woodworking pieces that are both beautiful and functional.

One of my favorite things about this project was that because Ben is local, I also got to add photography to his branding package, getting him images that he can use in his own marketing.

Here's what I did for Ben:

• Branding development and design
• Business card design
• Price tag design
• Photography

And here's what Ben had to say about working with me:

Starting your own business is never easy. It poses a host of difficulties; honing your skills, building clientele, knowing which projects to take on and which ones to decline, pricing, inventory, labor, finding your target market, the list goes on.

When you have limited time, and resources it's very easy to make concessions, and not always wise ones. One of the aspects that I was sure I couldn't make concessions in building a brand image. Being a designer, I had a pretty clear image in my mind of what I wanted and also what I didn't want. After seeing some of Emily's previous work I knew that I could entrust her with bringing that vision to fruition. In just a couple of brief meetings I felt that we saw eye to eye and that she would be able to produce a branding structure that would be suitable for my new (ad)venture; let me tell you, she really knocked it out of the park!

I couldn't have been more pleased with the results, and I believe that I now have a realized brand that is representative of my style today and that will also give me the ability to grow into the future.

We've also partnered with Ben several times for events at Indie Spaces. He supplied serving platters for our launch party, and created storage boxes for the Bohemian Bop Pop Up Shop.

And he also built us an outdoor bar. I'll openly admit it's my - hands down - favorite piece.

I've been really picky when choosing which local clients to work with, and my work with Ben molded this need for exclusivity amongst local businesses and creatives that I'll work with. I love working with clients who are ready, and it's the wonderful level of mutual creative respect within this project that created such magic.

You're getting there Shoals. I'll help get us there, one project at a time.

If you'd like to get in touch with Ben to purchase one of his cutting boards or rolling pins, or chat with him about designing and building a custom piece, you can contact him at [email protected].

If you'd like to chat with me about a branding and/or website project for your creative business, feel free to get in touch. I am now taking projects for early-Fall.

When I was 8 I wanted to be an archaeologist, travel to Egypt, and discover the next King Tut. When I was in high school I wanted to be a psychologist, so that I could help troubled people find peace. Later in college I was sure I wanted to be a wine geographer, traveling the world and drinking wine in the name of science. I never, not once, even thought of being a web designer.

But then, after graduation, I stumbled into web design, and it soon became my dream job. Oh, the celebratory moments I would have when I booked a new client, and how ferociously I devoured every bit of content on the web that would help me navigate this new path.

The ever-changing dream job.

I remember once thinking that working from home was the epitome of the dream job. I even recall an "about me" section on my website once touting the idea of working steps away from my kitchen, so that a warm cup of tea was never far away.

There is something weirdly glamorous about having the ability to work in your pajamas. Having no one to tell you how to dress, or even how to smell. Going a couple of days without a shower is commonplace when you work from home. (Or at least when I worked from home.)

For a long time, I had it made. I could wander in and out of the studio as I wanted. I loved it (for the most part). But, I soon found out that I didn't know what I was missing. I soon found out that working from home was good-ish for my life, but kept me from really focusing on my business.

When David and I opened Indie Spaces, I - for the first time ever - had an office that wasn't in my home. It took a little getting used to, but I soon realized that I had been selling myself way short for far too long.

There's something very legitimizing about "going to work." Getting up, getting [at least semi-] ready, and going into the office. An office where you focus on your business, not your laundry.

Having a full-time office at Indie Spaces has done so much for my business and my life.

And, now that I'm here, the wily creative in me is wondering what will be next? Maybe it'll be taking my show on the road and becoming a gypsy entrepreneur.

Or maybe I have found just what my 8-year old self was digging for all those years ago.

We're still taking applications for another full-time Indie Spaces resident. If you're interested, shoot me an email at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!