Overcoming 2020
#becreativewithcovid
A new year, a new decade, a new beginning—2020 held so much excitement and hope for our flock as we began the year together. However, not one of us could have dreamed what this year would bring for our team of women: the joy of weddings, a traumatic biking accident, rapid company growth in a work-from-home climate, loss of loved ones, and the reception of a cancer diagnosis.
When COVID-19 began spreading around the country and stay-at-home order was placed, we all wondered what this would mean for our industry, our clients, and our own personal lives. We entered this new season of uncharted territory with a collective mission in mind: to #becreativewithcovid.
What began as a motto soon became a mindset. We developed new, innovative ways to engage with our clients and for our clients to interact with their audiences—resulting in stronger, more personal relationships on many levels. We co-launched Designer Discovery in response to the shutdown of markets, a platform designed to maintain connectivity and engagement for both brands and designers and to collaborate with friends in the industry. We also quickly realized that the design industry doesn’t give up when things get tough, which led The Dove Agency to double the size of its flock over the last several months.
By bringing top-tier industry professionals with turnkey, specialized skills, we became even better equipped to meet the growing needs of designers in an unprecedented climate. Our financial team has aided clients with new cloud-based project management and accounting system upgrades, PPP requirements, cash-flow management, and sourcing issues while our marketing team has skillfully created new digital content and strategized ways to uniquely position our clients to remain seamlessly connected with their audiences and vendors.
Many of us gathered for the first time in months in late spring to witness one of our doves marry the man of her dreams in a heartfelt, beautiful ceremony. A few weeks later, we all gathered again—on a video call this time—to watch another dove walk down the aisle in a Zoom wedding.
Another one of our doves bravely faced the loss of both parents this year, within months of each other. Many others on our team began juggling newly assumed responsibilities that resulted from the pandemic, from homeschooling children to caring more closely for elderly, at-risk family members.
When we got the call in late summer that one of our doves had suffered a traumatic mountain biking accident that resulted in two broken arms, multiple broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder, the term, “dove down,” became a new phrase for us. We rallied together and brainstormed ways to support our hurting member and identify innovative solutions to pivot within a new, temporary reality.
We celebrated love together again at another dovely wedding this fall, never imagining that only a few days later we would all gather again over Zoom for more heartbreaking news that one of our doves had just received a cancer diagnosis. However, in the same manner, with which we received the other pieces of difficult news throughout the year, our team and many of our clients leaned in to support our “down dove,” and cheer her on in her creation of a platform for #1600acts of kindness during 16 weeks of chemo.
As we enter this New Year, we are incredibly grateful that these hardships have strengthened us in ways we didn’t know possible and knit us together with a new sense of unity, innovation, and strength.
Undoubtedly, you’ve also faced the battles of an unusual year. We are grateful for you and your continued confidence in our team. Serving you this year has given us a great deal of joy and a reason to pull together to overcome the challenges of a year like none other.