Make something you love ♡
#goals #2026
Hi there! You’re reading the Bonfire newsletter from Kevan Lee & Shannon Deep. Each week, we highlight brand, marketing, and creative learnings from our experience as in-house marketers turned agency owners who think a lot about creativity, our relationship to work, and how all of that impacts our identities. We’ll also feature insights from our digital community of super smart folks (which you’re welcome to join).
Wishing you a great week!
Make something you love
One of the trickiest challenges we face when building startup brands at Bonfire is working with a founding team that doesn’t care about their product.
Seems hard to believe, I know, but it’s amazing how many products exist simply because the founders saw a lucrative opportunity and/or a technology gap and went for it, throwing purpose and passion to the wind. We marketers can (and do) reverse-engineer a “why” story for these brands, but doesn’t that seem a little backwards?
In the words of Simon Sinek, shouldn’t these businesses “start with why”?
In the words of the Black Eyed Peas, “Where is the love?”
By contrast, when you do meet someone who has crafted something they really truly love, their output radiates warmth and energy and positivity. Their output draws people in. Their output gives them the spark to go and create even more.
Throughout 2025, we’ve had the chance to meet so many folks making something they love, be it startup founders, retreat attendees, business friends, or community members. And we’ve had the chance to reflect on this question for ourselves.
What do we love?
(Important, not-easy question.)
And how can we do even more of it in 2026?
(Also important, also not easy to answer.)
This question is not only for those of us who are running a business. This question is for everyone! Sure, you may not be able to turn the B2B company you work for into a personal passion project, but we all have aspects of our time and energy that we do control. What would it look like to spend a little more time focusing on what you love in 2026, big or small?
Looking ahead, I’ve come up with a handful of ideas of ways to do more of what you love in 2026, ideas of all shapes and sizes.
As you start to wrap up the year and look ahead to 2026, we hope you can spend some time thinking about the things (and people) you love and how the coming year might offer opportunities to lean in even further to these places of warmth, energy, and positivity.
How to do more of what you love
Find the love in what you’re currently doing.
You might not be in your dream role right now. You might not be able to control every aspect of your workday. So it might require a bit of creative thinking or compartmentalizing to unearth the parts of your standard day-to-day that bring you joy.
Notice when you feel most “in flow” during your day—what are you doing?
Reframe the work toward purpose. What is your work teaching you? Where is it taking you? How does it fit into a bigger picture?
Keep a quick log of tasks that leave you feeling good afterward.
Volunteer for projects that lean into your strengths or interests.
Notice what you do first in your day. That may be the thing you love! (Or maybe you just love clearing out your inbox first thing. Understandable.)
Alternative to the above: Notice what you save to do last during your day. This may be what’s getting in the way of doing more of what you love.
Schedule time for enriching activities.
One of the hardest parts of doing what you love is finding time to do it. So, as we’ve advised before with creative projects, you just have to schedule it.
Block out one hour a week for something just for you.
Add joy-based time to your calendar like any other meeting.
Pick a “do what you love” day and batch the unlovable stuff for the rest of the week.
Use commute or transition time for a mini reset (a podcast, a call, a walk).
Set boundaries around your evenings or weekends when you can.
Spend a little L&D on something you care about.
A learning and development budget can be a great way to invest in yourself in the new year, whether it’s an L&D amount given to you by your employer or an L&D amount earmarked from your personal budget. There are countless ways to spend it; we’d just hope you choose something that gets you closer to the types of work and activities you love.
Take that weirdly-specific-but-entirely-YOU course that you’ve had bookmarked forever.
Subscribe to a newsletter that teaches you something new and delightful. There are some old favorites of ours here.
Follow creators who share knowledge in fun, accessible ways.
Create a personal syllabus for 2026 with 3 things you want to learn.
Book a Bonfire retreat with us! (Shameless plug.)
Ask others what brings them joy.
Doing more of what you love is made all the better when you are doing it alongside others. Having a community of like-minded people can be a great way to boost your inspiration and your accountability. Not only might you get to learn what others find joyful, you’ll also gain friends to encourage along your journey.
Start a group chat among friends or a Slack channel among colleagues
Ask your team or friends: “What’s been energizing you lately?” You might learn a thing or two about where people find joy.
Host a low-key “show and tell” of hobbies, side projects, or wins.
What will you be doing more of in 2026?
We’d love to know! Let us know the type of things you love and how we can cheer you on in the new year.
Join our 3-month challenge 💪
Sign up for our 2026 community challenge: Start With Intention
3 live workshops & more!
January: Defining your values + understanding their shadows
February: Vision crafting for the year ahead
March: Building rituals that make your work joyful
But wait! There’s more…
Wanna hang out?
Reservations are OPEN for our next retreat in April 2026! Come chill in the French countryside while you explore your values, your inspiration, and your love of fine cheeses.
Wanna be friends?
If you love this newsletter and wish it were more interactive, you’re in luck! Join us over in Campout, our digital community for creative marketers and the creative curious.
Wanna work with us?
If you need help with brand strategy and storytelling, fractional brand and marketing leadership, and bringing your brand strategy to life in impactful ways, send us an email at hello@aroundthebonfire.com to get in touch.
As always, you can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Threads.
