I've been thinking about partnerships lately. Not the kind where you shake hands and split the profits, but the kind where you discover something that doesn't quite exist yet—and then you help bring it into being.
That's what happened when I met the folks behind Societea.
Here's the thing: we live in a world obsessed with either/or. You're either drinking or you're not. You're either socializing or you're being mindful. You're either creating art or you're building a business.
But what if there's a third option we haven't been paying attention to?
Societea isn't trying to be wine. It's not pretending to be tea, either. It's something else entirely—a zero-proof social tonic that creates space for the kind of gathering we actually crave. The kind where presence matters more than proof.
When they asked me to create the label art for their rebrand, I could have painted anything. Grapes. Tea leaves. Something obvious and safe.
Instead, I painted what it feels like to gather with intention. Abstracted landscapes that flow like watercolor but hold their ground like acrylic. Ethereal, but grounded. Fluid, but purposeful.
Each of the three varietals—White, Rosé, and Red—carries its own original painting. Not because art sells bottles (though it might), but because the ritual of choosing deserves beauty. The moment of pouring deserves intention. The act of sharing deserves something worth looking at.
Here's what I learned: When you're creating something that doesn't fit existing categories, you can't rely on existing aesthetics either. The visual language has to be as pioneering as the product itself.
The real question isn't whether you're Team White, Team Rosé, or Team Red.
The real question is: What kind of gathering are you trying to create?
Because once you know that, the choice becomes obvious.
The art of gathering isn't about what's in the bottle. It's about what happens when you open it.
To learn more about Societea and explore their offerings, visit societeaco.com.
Stefanie Bales is an award-winning fine artist, muralist, and owner of Stefanie Bales Fine Art—San Diego's "Best Art Gallery" three years running. After earning her MFA and spending over a decade as an art professor, she now paints full-time from her downtown gallery, creating the kind of surreal dreamscapes that make people stop and wonder if they're looking at the future or remembering a dream. When she's not collaborating with brands like Societea or preparing for her upcoming TEDx talk, she's raising two sons who remind her daily that the best art happens when you're not trying to make art at all. Learn more at stefaniebales.com
