There are a few key elements to making footwear - research and development, project management, fit/wear testing, color, calendar - and I love them all. Each one fulfils an emotional or personal need for me, draws on a strength and offers an incredible challenge. This week we've been reviewing color-ups for an upcoming season. We start with about 6 colors from our colorist and work down to 2. Sometimes it's an obvious process and sometimes there is some effort. The cool thing about the current situation is that everyone in the building participates. It doesn't matter if you do customer service, marketing, or are the President or CEO - you sit in on color reviews and offer your opinion. Being small opens up some great opportunities for level of involvement. At other companies the interns always construct the physical color palette - pulling the chips out of a book and glueing them to the paper. Today I got to do it and this seemingly mundane task took on a new meaning and I felt really connected to the palette; I started noticing associations; I thought about each color, it's name, it's Pantone number - turning the words and digits over in my head. All while listening to Joni Mitchell's Hejira. It was really calming. No, I wasn't stoned.
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