The Art of Mindful Gift Giving

We caught up recently with Katherine Zimmer, one of our favorite creative contributors located in Napa, California who wrote the story on Mindful Gift Giving and Dance with the Flame,
a story about James Stone and his wife Carol, owners of Stone & Glass. She shares how folks on the West Coast are managing and staying positive during this challenging time.  We asked her to share her thoughts on mindful gift giving. Here is what she had to say.

Mindful gift giving is an intentional act of gratitude and caring that comes from the heart. When we focus our awareness on the people we are giving to, we’re filled with love and appreciation. Join us in the realm of thoughtful gifting and enjoy this beautiful issue for Nourish and Flourish that is filled with inspiringly unique items that can be delivered directly and safely, any time of the year, reflecting your generous spirit.

2020: Altered Reality and Creative Ways to Cope
"I think we can all agree that this year has been remarkable, devastating in some areas and bringing gifts in others. Our lives have been significantly altered, no doubt, mine included. I have always been a creative soul and have known that I need to express myself creatively and consistently to keep my sanity. When I don’t, I flounder and move toward mindless spaces that are closer to existing than thriving.

My artistic outlet is primarily photography with occasional spurts of writing. I also poured a lot of creativity into the corporate marketing jobs I’ve held for decades, but my life in the working world was transformed in March along with so many others. 

Most of you have told yourselves that you don’t have a creative bone in your bodies. Luckily, this gift is not contained in our bones. Our expressive “bones” are in our senses:  our hearts, eyes, ears, noses, stomachs, and touch–where we feel things.

One of the amazing gifts that 2020 has brought to me is watching so many people discover creative ways to cope with the chaos and their life-altering decisions, many of which we have no control over. After going down the rabbit holes of Netflix, Amazon, and Zoom, we came up for air, slowed down, and looked around. What we saw was inspiration! The idea of taking small steps toward change grabbed our attention. 

Buy Local and Make a Difference!
Bringing appreciation to the personal artisan creations all around us is what this beautiful issue is all about. Seek out a maker’s market, small local art gallery, bakery, vintage shop, a garden store, or the neighbor’s seed exchange stand. Discover treasures that make you smile while thinking of the person you’re shopping for. Or simply thumb through our pages and go shopping online through the maker’s eCommerce stores and have that special gift delivered directly to your loved one’s front door. It’s that easy.

Read more in our current edition. Buy your copy today. Nourish and Flourish also makes a great gift!

We are so fortunate to have Katherine on the road connecting and sharing copies of Nourish and Flourish to many of her creative friends and clients in California. Happy trails!
Photos by Katherine Zimmer.

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About Katherine:
Katherine is the founder of Katherine Zimmer Connects, a creativity coaching and marketing company located in Napa Valley, California. She is a photographic artist, writer, and successful corporate marketing professional with decades of experience in tourism, nonprofit, and digital information industries. She has intertwined her training as a personal brand strategist and creativity coach throughout her marketing career to enhance the teams behind the brands. In the face of the pandemic, she has also had to refocus her career path to follow her dream of creativity coaching and helping people realize their inspired paths. 

​Her  passion is connecting... people to people, people to their dreams, brands to businesses, and creative spirits to their talents.