Every single day, Blue Staters spend their time and energies strategizing, creating, and taking action for our clients and causes. It’s important and rewarding work — but especially in times of high stress and intensity (say, in the early days of an administration attacking our constitutional freedoms, for example), it’s essential to find enriching moments in other areas of our lives as well.
For this Valentine’s Day, we gathered a list of Blue State staff’s loves: the things that are bringing them happiness in 2025. From the specific feeling of joy that comes from writing with the perfect pen; to the inspiration that appears while hitting the city streets on a photowalk; to the cozy vibes of curling up with a good book and a warm pet — here’s what’s keeping them fighting the good fight for causes and clients day in and out.
“Dungeons & Dragons is awesome because it brings together a bunch of creative, fun people of all different backgrounds who love storytelling and adventure. Whether you’re making up wild characters, building epic worlds, or just rolling dice with friends, it’s the perfect mix of community and creativity.”
— Courtney Anderson, Paid Media Strategist, Media Buying | Colorado
“I love anything that helps me reignite my sense of playful imagination as an adult — whether it’s dressing up as an elf for Renaissance Faires, going on a D&D adventure, or playing board games with my friends.”
— Bronwyn Beck, Product Director | Los Angeles
“My Blue State love: strawberry matcha lattes! I love the balance of the sweet, slightly-tart taste of the strawberry with the earthiness of the matcha. Also the color contrast is an added bonus — it’s very aesthetically pleasing!”
— Sarah Mae Dizon, Strategist, C&C | Charlottesville
“Dahlias! They’re big, bright, have such variety in structure and size, and once they start blooming they don’t stop until it freezes over. They scream “it’s summer!” and really go until the very end of the warm times.”
— Julianna Egner, VP, Platform Practice | New York
“The final installment of the first arc of Stormlight Archives, Wind and Truth. I truly teared up when I picked it up from the bookstore.”
— Julianne Hyer, Associate VP, Accounts | Oakland
“If you know me, you know I love pens. Not super fancy fountain pens or rapidographs (although those are fun too) but I love a great but cheap-ish writing or drawing pen like a Staedtler Noris Writing Pen or a Pilot Fude-Makase Brush Pen or a STABILO pointVisco. What I am saying is get yourself some nice pens. Even these are just a buck a piece and will bring you joy. Who knows? You might use it to create something that gets us out of this mess!”
— Matt Ipcar, Executive Creative Director | New York
“I LOVE cozying up with a book and listening to the soothing sounds of my dog snoring nearby.”
— Shara Love, Director, MarTech | Sacramento
“I’ve been trying to do things with my hands more and have been loving just willy nilly attempting new crafts instead of perfecting old skills!! I’ve recently made a wire mobile while I decided to dabble in metal and have also been permanently cementing my doodles on my skin.”
— Katie Oliveira, Project Coordinator | New York
“Girls Who Shoot is a photography community for women of color in NYC! It’s been a bit difficult personally to get back into the habit of going out to shoot as much as I used to (film is also sooo costly to buy and develop), but they hosted a photowalk in September that was really inspiring. I learned a lot from just chatting with photographers of different skill levels, and I’m hoping to become more involved with them as we get more daylight to play with.”
— Trish Prieto, Designer | New York
“I and a lot of Blue State folks love to use Libby to get their books! It supports local libraries while making it quick and easy to find your next read — it really is a win-win scenario!”
— Zoe Rich, Designer | Washington D.C.
“Learning to sew last year/this year has felt very rewarding! I’ve been trying to limit my screen time (a true digital media problem) and quilting/sewing has really reinforced the enjoyment of actively creating things vs the passively consuming of things.”
— Zoë Ryan, Associate Director, Media Buying | Seattle
“My arts and craft joy is needlepoint!! It brings me so much happiness and gets me off screens which is wonderful. I’ll listen to my book and stab something repeatedly which can be very nice in this current state of the world.”
— Kate Starr, Director of Design | Washington D.C.
When things get heavy, it’s more important than ever to find a balance between resisting and resting. Spending time on a hobby, enjoying a sweet treat, or surrounding yourself with loved ones can be powerful antidotes to the anxieties that come alongside living in perpetually unprecedented times. May these Blue State loves inspire you to take care of yourself this month and onward!