The beach. What crosses your mind when you hear that word? Palm trees, ocean, sun? I think of calmness, happiness, and relaxation. The beach isn’t just a place to go in the ocean, get a tan, and listen to the playlist made for the beach. It is more a lifestyle. How? The slowness, quaintness, and the freeness. The island beach setting is a place to truly Free Your Sole and go barefoot. Its also a place to live life feeling free from the rat race with so much fun.

Recently, with all this winter weather, I have been dreaming of the beach and new designs, ideas, and sayings keep coming into my mind.  One day, I was sitting in study hall looking at my notebook labeled “Math.”  However, this image in my mind would not go away.  I immediately had to take out my colored pencils and some paper and draw.  Then it came to life. A turtle. I didn’t think of a turtle only because their habitat is the ocean, but also because of how a turtle lives. Slow. I immediately thought, “Slow Down and Live” was a perfect description for the Barefoot Nation Lifestyle.  Quickly I started doodling a cool, hip turtle with sunglasses just enjoying life at sunset on a beach. The turtle just had the right vibe, “Slow Down and Live!”

I wanted this design to be a color and style for both men and women.  So, I played around with background colors and soon sky blue was the perfect choice.  The message I wanted to portray was to for people to find time to get out the rat race and truly live life. We are not promised tomorrow, so we must make time to slow down, live, be kind, and do what brings Freedom For the Sole. So, if you agree with this mindset of our new hip turtle, show the world you are a Citizen of Barefoot Nation and order yours today in our Winkie Collection!

Yea, so, needless to say, Math did not get completed in Study Hall that day, but I’d say it was still a productive day after all!

~Hailey