by Emily Sauer, Founder + CEO

VIDEO: Joy on the Struggle-Bus

(It's fun being scrappy!) 

"Em, we'll be able to launch the new Aloe color Ohnut in May." "THIS May!?!"

I immediately felt grateful for every extended team member involved in getting those squishy rings over here. From our diligent manufacturer abroad, to our mom and pop warehouse in California, to my teammate who's finally getting his smell back, to all of you and your virtual hugs. We're all trying our best. 

Which means! In the entrepreneurial-small-business spirit, one of my to-do's (or Ta-Da's as I sometimes call them) is to figure out how to launch these squishy rings without a creative team. Which means! It's back to my DIY kitchen where Ohnut all started, with a trusted camera, some colored paper, and a lot of enthusiasm. 

THE MESS BEGINS

Despite this appearance, I thought the actual pictures turned out great... 

CREEPY, NOT CALMING

The new color is called Aloe so I figured we should feature an aloe plant, no? Nope! The feedback I got using actual aloe is that it looks: creepy, too pointy, even tentacle'y. Pretty though. 

HAPPY PLANT, LESS TENTACLES

Fast forward a couple different plant options and we have arrived!

And the final image :) 

I'M THE HAND MODEL??

My hands look like they're made more-so for gardening, less-so for modeling. But hey, they're all I've got.

MAKING AN OLD PHOTO NEW

I finagled my hands to look passable but I also didn't want any more hand photos featuring a white female. So! I went to the archives of the OG Ohnut...

Took a high-res selfie video where I held the Aloe Ohnut in the same position. 

And photoshopped the new darker Ohnut on top! Not bad right?!

WHAT I FORGOT TO MENTION!

When I mentioned being scrappy was fun, I forgot to say that I'm also a neurotic perfectionist and I re-did the photo shoot 4 times, and also put way too many hours into editing that Behind the Scenes video in iMovie. 

So :) In the spirit of doing-our-best-despite-the-times, if you think this is neat or appreciate the work that went into our new images, share this with a friend, buy an Ohnut and try it out, or give your own DIY photoshoot a whirl :)