BitterSweet Creative

BitterSweet is more than an agency. We create for our clients, for our community, and for ourselves. Learn about our Creative, Collective, and Monthly work at https://lnkd.in/gQBA9Kr7. #creativeservices #branding #storytelling #products #goods #books

? Today marks BitterSweetMonthly.com’s first story of 2025. Disclaimer from our writer: I didn’t intend to write this. My only agenda in visiting Israel and Palestine in September 2024 was to listen. Had the events of October 7th fully decimated any and all visions for hope? Pushed off any talk of ‘peace’ for another 100 years? Is there any Israeli vision for the future that does not involve ongoing violence and war? Or is it true that what we see playing out on front pages is ‘necessary’ and ‘the only option’...? What I heard was shocking, disorienting, and very courageous. I invite you to listen compassionately and read beneath the headlines, even as the rubble, rebuilding, and a ‘tsunami of post-traumatic stress’ lay ahead yet. May God have mercy and enlarge our hearts. – Kate Schmidgall, Writer, Editor in Chief *** ?? by?Kate Schmidgall ?? by?David Johnson ?? by?Steve Jeter Special thanks to InterAct International?and?MEJDI Tours, Aziz Abu Sarah Read more at https://lnkd.in/gpECCjgZ

Out: waiting to feel hope In: making hope Please read the full story at https://lnkd.in/gEWVu4BM. The quote goes on: Or in Robi’s words, “You ask me what people can do, and I tell you, just get off your ass and do something. Everybody can do something. You don’t have to be some great Martin Luther King. You can just be a human being that treats other human beings with respect. You can just do something in your own community.” Last year, on International Women’s Day, 200 women—one hundred Palestinian, one hundred Israeli—walked up Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv and gave flowers to the public. On each flower was a note, “we’d rather give you a flower than put one on a grave.” “Don’t despair,” echoes Yvonne. “I know that sometimes things seem a little bleak, especially when we’re learning about challenging histories or we’re having challenging conversations. We’re reading books that shift our lenses and really shake us in ways. But all of these things are necessary to get to these places where we wanna see ourselves and our community. And it is a worthwhile path to be on.”

Each year, BitterSweet reflects on its journey, celebrating the creativity, collaboration, and partnerships that shape its work. This year’s journal,?Made by BitterSweet, penned by Managing Director Dave Baker, highlights the designs brought to life, the stories amplified, and the meaningful connections formed along the way. It’s a testament to what we can achieve together and a look ahead at the exciting opportunities to come.

Want to work with our tight-knit and talented BitterSweet Creative team in 2025??As a proudly small and multidisciplinary agency, we give all we can to our clients. But that also means we have limited availability for new work. If you expect to have a need for design, strategy, or storytelling in 2025, I’m offering free 30-minute consultations in early January. We’ll discuss your goals and brainstorm creative solutions to make them happen. Click here to book a slot on my calendar: https://lnkd.in/eEKStDzC

Our very own, Obiekwe "Obi" Okolo wrapped up 3 years hosting the DC chapter of CreativeMornings AND closed out the 2024 season as the November speaker. Mad respect for our Creative Director. Hats off to you Obiekwe "Obi" Okolo and all the CMDC volunteers for a great year. https://lnkd.in/gtaEjfJH

Looking for the perfect gift for the thoughtful reader in your life—or a meaningful addition to your own bookshelf? The?BitterSweet Books?collection,?including?A Complicated Grace,?Blessed Are the Others, and?Flourishing on the Edge of Faith, offers compelling insights for those navigating questions of belief, doubt, and the beauty of humanity. This holiday season, give the gift of reflection, growth, and inspiration. Shop the collection today ?? ? https://lnkd.in/g_kuGn9H #books #publisher Dave Hillis Andrew DeCort, PhD

BitterSweetMonthly.com Story Release Week: “Dla vas (for you)...” A BitterSweet Liturgy for Advent | December 2024 *** Amidst the chaos of another holiday season, Kate and David offer an alternate narrative, one filled with hope in the midst of great suffering and steadfastness in the face of fear. If Christmas is traditionally celebrated as light in the dark, “Dla vas” provides a glimpse of just how dark that dark can be, and just how necessary the light. In this story, we are invited to bear witness to the resilience and generosity of Pastor Rudy and Pastor Yuriy, and the fragile humanity of a friendly child with disabilities and an elderly neighbor caring for a rabbit amidst the death and destruction of the Ukrainian frontline. We are invited to pray for, hope with, and advocate on behalf of those suffering. In the hush of Advent, may we open our hearts to the pain of others and in so doing find that “our laments are a healing agent for broken hearts.” – Avery Marks, Features Editor, BitterSweet Monthly *** ?? by?Kate Schmidgall ?? by David Schmidgall https://lnkd.in/gxKrikCW #ukraine?#kherson?#uzhhorod?#kyiv?#poltava?#kharkiv?#izyum?#volnovakha?#mykolaiv?#liturgy?#advent?#december?#ukrainegram?#ukrainetoday?#ukrainephoto?#warzone?#russia

This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to join BitterSweet Foundation's campaign Those Who Are Willing—the readers, donors, and dreamers who believe in the kind of gritty-give-a-damn storytelling that moves people to action in their own lives. Our goal to raise $15,000 is to ensure BitterSweetMonthly.com stays ad-free, clickbait-free, and 100% focused on the stories that inspire hope and change—stories like the ones shared by this year’s incredible feature subjects, whose courage and resilience shine in the collage image you see here. These are hard truths told, communities uplifted, and thousands of lives impacted through deep listening and storytelling—all because of willing hearts like yours. Your donation doesn’t just fund stories—it fuels the movement—it supports a counternarrative to despair and apathy, empowering us to defy cynicism, and to seek out, platform, and celebrate the good this world needs more of. Every contribution matters. Every act of giving creates ripples of impact. Click the link to help us reach our $15,000 fundraising goal. Together, if we are willing, we can fight for a flourishing hope that refuses to give in to the forces that seek to silence and divide humanity. Make a Donation: https://lnkd.in/gdipkJmN #givingtuesday #ThoseWhoAreWilling #GivingTuesday #BitterSweetCommunity #StoriesThatMatter #HopeAmplified

By mastering the art of publication design and staying ahead of the latest trends, graphic designers can create striking publications that attract and retain readers. We've put together a journal all about it. Take a look: https://lnkd.in/gcK3CDW3 #graphicdesign #publications #design