I love Sweet Leaf Tea

I wrote a blog post a bit ago for Sweet Leaf Tea. The opportunity was random, and I contribute it to Twitter. (I’m an activist for Twitter, and I will defend it until I die...or, until it's replaced by another SM tool.) Basically, I rambled about why I love the tea and dramatized a time when my life was less busy that it is now…

What makes Sweet Leaf Tea so great? Well, let’s talk about their values. Their number 1 value states: “We Believe in Laughter, High-Fives, and Good Music.” But, what does this have to do with tea? Everything. But that’s because Sweet Leaf has branded themselves in such a way that they aren’t solely about a product. They are about creating opportunities, experiences and good times.

Sweet Leaf Tea has loyal customers, obvious involvement in Austin activities, and perhaps most importantly, amazing employees. The Sweet Leaf Tea’m is composed of a passionate group of tea slingers that reach out to their customers (Which is how I landed the guest blog opp.)

Developing a brand is about finding something that makes you distinct, and building your product or service in a way that will differentiate you from the rest. Branding consultant Karen Post relates branding to a “brain tattoo.” It’s something you put there by choice, that you can’t necessarily remove. In the most basic sense, it’s self-identity. I think businesses go on a journey just like the rest of us – a journey searching for who they are, who they want to be, and how they want to be perceived by the rest of the world.

My first experience with Sweet Leaf goes back to Austin City Limits of 2007. Everyone was walking around with tall blue cups with sweet goodness inside, it was 105 degrees, and I had been dancing my cottontail off all day… I’ll always remember my first taste of Sweet Leaf, and it will be forever correlated with my first ACL fest experience. They’ve made themselves part of music festivals around the U.S.; they’ve established themselves as a product that emanates creativity. And for me, they have made themselves part of my college experience, whether it be ACL, grabbing a bottle in-between classes, tortuous tutor session for STATISTICS, or spiking it with Titos before the Girl Talk concert on campus. Sweet Leaf Tea has been with me along my journey of college; and though I graduate in May, I don’t plan on moving on to a new tea anytime soon.

ACL 2009

ACL 2008

As a final thought, Sweet Leaf's last value: "The greatest rewards come to those who embrace risk and follow their vision with passion."

Raise your Sweet Leaf Teas and let's make a toast to many more passionate journeys!

Check out “The Sip” for the Sweet Leaf Tea'm's “Sweet Beats and Eats” picks for this upcoming ACL Weekend. (Because I'm pretty sure music + food = happiness)

Art City Austin. Oh, and hello, again.

So, it's been awhile. It's fine. Really. I don't even want to talk about it.

All right, a little. Apparently I'm not the greatest at keeping up with posts. And luckily, I'm sure many of you haven't noticed. (Considering my blogging streak lasted a whole 3 posts.) So anyway, with summer approaching (certainly not quickly enough)...I've decided to give it a try...again. This relationship (ya know, you and me) has the potential to get sticky. I can't say I'm all that committed. So let's just start things slow...One post at a time.

A few weekends ago, I worked at Art City Austin. And it was pretty fantastic. The festival brought in 190 juried artists from all over the world. The city closed off Cesar Chavez and lined the street with booths of Austin local eats, drinks and of course, art.












There was too much to take in. Because I was "working," I only walked through the entire festival once... and it wasn't enough. I wanted to spend hours looking at the booths. I collected about 17 business cards. I'm keeping them in a safe place in case I have money some day.

I actually ended up buying two pieces, sadly just prints. (It's all my college budget can afford). One was by Greg Davis. Check out his photography. Beautiful images.

The festival also had two stages of live music. My favorite locals, The Bright Light Social Hour, ended the festival on Sunday with a fun, but sweaty, show. I really love these guys...perhaps a little too much (I shamelessly tweet them weekly). The guys played their last Austin show for the summer at Emo's the other night *because they're about to start recording their first full length album!* The local indie group combines bluesy, Spanish influenced vocals with the perfect balance of dirty jam rock and funky beats to make you dance. Their personalities are adorable, and Jack's moustache is glorious. Put on your dance pants and listen.

Pictured Below:
Curtis Roush - lead guitar
Jack O'Brien - bass (mouztache)
Jo Mirasole - drumz
A.J. Vincent - keyz




How I got involved with Art City: Well, it happened rather quickly. I emailed the contact for Art Alliance Austin because I knew the festival was within a few weeks. They referred me to their publicist, Giant Media. And 3 days later I had an interview...and one day later I had an internship. Luckily, (for me anyway) they had just fired their previous intern and needed someone as soon as possible. So that's when I picked up my second job of the semester (in addition to 4 classes). So there you have it. You can probably see why I haven't had the time to blog...or go grocery shopping...or brush my hair.

Now, had I been on top of this, I would have written about this 3 weeks ago, right when it happened. But sleep may have been more important. Which, I honestly do regret a little. It's hard to go back and write about things that happened when they aren't fresh and exciting. That was my problem as a child. I would start a diary, and I would write one entry. Then, 4 months later I'd find it and try to catch up on the past 120 days...Kind of like...now. I still have the patience (or lack there of) and commitment as my 12-year-old, buck-toothed, frizzy haired self. And I still spill my food on myself daily...so I'm not expecting much to change.