Today, we are shut down, the office is closed and EHD has elected to participate in the national shutdown. Since I’m in charge, it was an easy decision for me, but we totally know it’s not everyone’s privilege to be able to participate. Most kids are going to school and in Portland a lot of small businesses are open which I think is good to support them. I think one of the strongest things you can do is not buy anything today from large companies which are the ones that carry government sway. Its all over my feed, but the national news didn’t really pick it up and the vote got delayed which is good! But listen, we figured its always good to buy local and small and take the time to call or write senators, make signs for protests (many happening tomorrow) and for me plan some. In a perfect world, the corporations would feel a hit and send their folks running to DC to demand change. We love our immigrant friends and families. Most of us understand or are amenable to the importance of border security, and we recognize the need for some deportations. But not like how ICE has been doing it with poor training, no due process for the immigrants and no accountability.

I really appreciate all views and the conversation on Monday was healthy for the most part (I didn’t finish reading the comments so hopefully it held strong). If you are conservative and republican (like many of my family members), I really appreciate you saying you don’t support how and what is happening right now. What you say could be a real domino effect with your own friends and relatives who might be secretly thinking the same thing. Saying “this is not ok” or “not like this” doesn’t make you a leftist, just means you have eyes and ethics. I believe that people can show up in their own ways, and you don’t have to do it perfectly. Changing your mind and admitting it shows a lot of bravery and courage.

On Influencers “Speaking Out”

I’m grateful to be able to do this today and to have a platform that people read, and I don’t take that lightly. When it comes to “speaking out”, I’m a big fan of “there is no wrong way to do it, just do it” in the ways you can. If we learned anything from 2020 (good god, I hope we learned A LOT), it’s that policing each other on how or what people say only makes things worse and is actually a huge part of the problem. The left really excels at this type of cannibalism. People need to feel empowered to talk, not be full of fear that they aren’t doing it the right way. And some influencers or celebrities might stay silent and that’s their business. Maybe they have family that work for ICE or in the government or military. You can unfollow or like them less, but you don’t know what you don’t know. Do I think some people are tone deaf? Yep. But Let them.

On Monday when I wrote the post, it honestly didn’t feel like I was making a ‘statement’ or even ‘taking a stance’. I slacked my team the night before and said ‘guys, we can’t. I wrote something else’ and they all immediately agreed and jumped in to spell/grammar check. I was just really sad, upset and figured you were too. I didn’t think it was particularly controversial since we all saw the video of Alex being killed from different angles, and then heard the government lie about it ( …at first, glad there is an “investigation” now). It felt like a turning point after months of confrontations.

As you can tell, what I like to do is create some common ground through conversation, not through alienation. I understand that some of you want me to do it differently to be angry, combative and tell people they are wrong – I really do get that. As Scott Galloway says, there is a difference between being right and being effective.

And not all influencers should act like (or be) social justice warriors for every cause. In fact, I don’t think people should come to design influencers to mirror their own feelings or expect them to do it exactly how they want them to, when they want them to, and certainly not for every cause. Honestly, most of us aren’t equipped with researched knowledge, we aren’t educated in all the things. We should never pretend to be news sources. We’ve seen what happens when people believe the wrong people on social media. It’s very dangerous. And I’ve been wrong before, letting my emotions and the wave of ‘I’ve got to say something now!’ influence my public reaction. I’v been wrong and I’ve learned so many lessons.

We have to use our specific strengths to help, and know what will resonate with our audiences to inspire change should we feel strongly about it. We need all people on all levels and in all ways, in all fields, to make more universal change, and I’m really proud of my team for always showing up in a way that brings people into a conversation (it’s always scary, TBH). We have things we won’t tolerate, as well as our own boundaries and limits. We hope you respect that. It’s a fine line to balance, and ultimately, I’m very aware that losing our audience and business actually helps no one.

Creating more division in our audience is a lose/lose on every single front. We are real human beings, running a business that we love, with jobs that we are so grateful for, and readers we so appreciate. We are doing our best at all times, with more conversations behind the scenes than you could possibly imagine. We are really, really proud to have a platform that feels like a healthy break from the news cycle. And through creating common ground and conversation, we hope to inspire small shifts that can turn into larger waves. But I might do it in quieter ways, here, than people might want. And that’s ok.

Ultimately, we love how home design content can connect us all, and as the leader of this company, I won’t let us do anything that creates more division. It’s why we never even write about “trends that are so last year” or “what not to dos”. We don’t like or snark about home reveals or product lines that missed the mark, even though I know that would be good traffic. We don’t allow comment battles even though thats good for time on site. That will never be my MO.

My main driver here (and in my life/home/family) is to create a place where people come to feel good, or even just a tiny bit better. To have some fun, to feel connected to others who are into design, to learn or feel inspired, to be entertained, and to enjoy a part of their day. We don’t take that for granted. We love being here, too.

It doesn’t mean I don’t get angry, frustrated, or cry in the shower out of fear or sadness when I think about what some families are going through here and around the world. It doesn’t mean that I don’t want things to change, or to “go my way”. My head is very much out of the sand, and yet I’m grateful to have a platform that can support the unifying message when it is very clear to me, like it is right now. I’m not telling anyone how to vote or what party they should align with (because that won’t work). My hope is that at the bare minimum, we can all agree that there needs to be more accountability, due process and training (and empathy). Seems pretty reasonable, right?

It’s not a political stance, it’s an ethical, moral and legal one.

Thanks for being here. Today and always. xx Emily (now go get out there!!)

Opening art by artist Scarlet Soleil