NEW DIGS + MINDSET
Whew! The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster for the Bagnet team.
Like many companies mid-pandemic we started working exclusively from home.
Luckily, we were well-equipped for the change and had no technical or logistical hurdles to overcome. The challenges we did encounter were more of the mental and emotional variety. As the pandemic snowballed, we each took turns losing our sh*t. Long days and nights spent at home, constant news updates, a downward-spiraling economy, and the omni-present worry for the health of people everywhere took its toll on each of us. We each struggled with bouts of anxiety, depression, fear, and uncertainty which led to a loss of motivation and focus when it came to work.
One of the biggest obstacles we’ve faced is the challenge of building a new brand with a 100% remote workforce. We got to a point where we had done everything we could do remotely, and were faced with the need for a workspace and hands-on team to create all of our visual content. The office we had worked in up until we began sheltering in place had been great office space, but barely met our needs for a studio space for Bagnet. With the need to now create visual content for two separate companies, it didn’t meet our needs at all. With our proven success at being a remote team, we no longer needed an office and workstations. What we DID need was a studio and storage space where we had the room to hold full-scale photoshoots, design layout space, team collaboration space, and a space for order fulfillment.
In May, we moved out of our old office and into a new studio space in midtown Sacramento.
It is perfect for our current needs and our team is so excited to finally have a space of our own. I think there will be many positive changes that come out of the coronavirus pandemic, one of them being the realization that companies can be much more flexible with how and where their teams work. I have learned that my team does not need to be together for our day-to-day work, especially with amazing tools like Slack and Zoom. Being free from that restraint has allowed me to make decisions that result in a more functional team and workspace. We are able to work remotely the majority of the time, and come together in our workspace only when necessary. Though the past few months have been very difficult, and I mourn the loss of lives and the many negative effects of the virus that will likely be long-lasting, I also appreciate the positive changes that have come from it.