A peek inside my solar-powered brand and website design studio

If you’ve been following along, you know that living gently on this earth and environmental sustainability is one of my top priorities, both in my everyday life and in my business. For me, Artisan Kind isn’t just about creating visually stunning brand & website designs that showcase my client’s unique personalities; it’s an opportunity to infuse my values into my daily business practices. I create my client’s brands, websites, and my Showit website templates in my 100% solar-powered design studio. If you’re curious about where it all started, how my design studio works, or if you’re looking to make earth-friendly choices for your own brand, keep reading! Sustainability is a topic I’m passionate about, and I love sharing my journey with those who have an appreciation for it.

Back to the beginning 

My earth-conscious journey started early. I vividly remember learning about deforestation in the first grade. To my little 7-year-old heart, it was devastating to learn that wild animals were losing their homes because humans needed lumbar to build houses. After that lesson, I collected my spare change (and all of my Dad’s spare change) to donate to our class’s rainforest fund. As a class, we raised enough money to reserve an acre or two of the rainforest (I still think about those acres, and often wonder if they still exist. As I got older, I became even more interested in ways I could take care of or give back to the environment. One of the biggest ways I discovered is reducing my carbon footprint as much as possible. Around age 11, I learned that solar panels were a thing; since then, it has been my dream to have a home that runs on solar power. I knew that as soon as I had the means, I would make sure that dream became a reality. 

Living gently upon the Earth

When I started Artisan Kind in 2021 (I actually launched on Earth Day), I knew I wanted to infuse my eco-friendly values into my business, so I started looking for the best ways to make that happen. Since I didn’t have solar panels on my home yet (more on that later), I started looking for ways to offset my carbon footprint by mindfully investing in and using programs that give back what they take.

What’s a carbon footprint?

You’ve probably heard this term many times, but before we continue, I want to ensure we’re on the same page. According to Nature.org, carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions.

What’s renewable energy?

Renewable energy is drawn from natural sources that are easily replenished, like wind and solar, so they’re much kinder to the earth.

I create websites on a platform that runs off of renewable energy.

Every website you’ve ever visited actually lives on a server somewhere in the world. Think of a server as a MASSIVE warehouse full of huge computers; every time you visit a website, that server uses a little bit of energy. Considering how many websites we each visit every day, globally, that adds up. And it matters where that energy is coming from.

As website hosting platforms go, Showit (my go-to website platform for SO many reasons) runs off AWS servers, which are well on their way to be fully running off of 100% renewable energy by 2024, which is huge! Choosing Showit to create my own website and my client’s websites was an obvious way to live a little gentler on the earth and reduce the carbon footprint of my website and my client’s sites.

I don’t use Zoom.

This may surprise you, but I don’t use Zoom; I use Google Meet to chat with my clients instead. Just like every website you visit, every virtual meeting you attend has a small digital carbon footprint. Google is another company that is working towards becoming carbon neutral in the next few years. Zoom hasn’t been transparent about where they source their energy to power their servers, so I avoid it.

I used to offset my home studio’s electric usage.

I had found ways to make my client meetings and websites more earth-friendly, but I wanted to find a way to be mindful of my home studio’s eclectic usage, too. Because the office that I sip my coffee in every day has a carbon footprint, too. My iMac, lights, and space heater (yeah, I live in Wisconsin) draw electricity, and they were not drawing from a renewable source. So, I enrolled in a special program through my energy provider. Essentially, I paid a little more every month, and in return, for every bit of electricity I used, they invested an equal amount in renewable energy. It was small but it was what I could do at the time.

A dream come true

In 2022, 11-year-old Aubre did a happy dance when I was finally able to install solar panels on my home. I worked with a local business that mindfully designed a system that would not only meet my energy needs but also produce a surplus power that was fed back into the grid (you’re welcome, neighbors!). This means that I am not only able to reduce my business’s electric footprint, but I’m actually contributing to the local energy supply. For me, going solar wasn’t just about lowering the bills (although it’s a nice perk). It was about living gently on this earth and living by my own values. I made a commitment a long time ago to sustainability and to reducing my carbon footprint. I’m so grateful that I could live by these values AND provide my clients, who generally align with my values, with the best possible results.

Many of my clients choose to work with me because of my eco-friendly practices. It’s something that’s important to them (even if they don’t consider themselves an eco-friendly business, they appreciate that mine is). When your values align with your clients’, it makes the working relationship that much sweeter. They’re excited to work with you, and you have peace of mind knowing you’re working with clients who want to work with you! 

Now, I know that going solar isn’t going to solve all of the world’s problems, but at the end of the day, I know I’m doing what I can and living in accordance with my values. Plus, I believe every little act of kindness counts. Every change, no matter how small, makes an impact. 

Let’s talk about your values

Even though MY values are based in sustainability, that doesn’t mean I only serve eco-friendly businesses. The businesses I work with are typically female-owned service providers who appreciate my values or the fact that my personal values are infused with my business practices. When you show potential clients exactly who you are, they’re more likely to want to work with you because they feel deeply connected with you. Technically, you aren’t your business, but your business is an extension of yourself and your values (whether you’re intentional about it or not), and your personality should come through every time a potential client is interacting with your brand. This is where I come in. My goal as a brand and web designer is to make your business feel like you, so you can connect with more aligned clients and grow your business with ease. 

So, what are your values? What do you want your potential clients to know about you? I’d love to help you thoughtfully weave your values into the fabric of your business. As I’ve mentioned, your clients want to know who they’re working with before they invest in your business. Laying all of our cards on the table isn’t a bad thing. With an intentional brand and website design, clients with values that align with yours will find you, and they’ll breathe a sigh of knowing you’re exactly who they’ve been looking for.

If you’re looking for ways to infuse your values with your brand, I’d love to connect. Click here to book your free discovery call.