The Austin Project: Issue #6 with Ari Thompson

We’re back again with the sixth issue of our Austin project blog series! A collaborative effort with our friends and favorite photographers over at the Kara Marie Collective. 

Austin, TX is a city that is so rich in culture and life, and the people are what make this city so magnetic. There are so many fascinating people doing exciting things. The city constantly keeps us inspired to continue to do the work we do here at Sleekform: creating alternative, comfortable ways for people to sit while they do whatever they do while seated. 

We felt the urge to get out into our community and meet some people who make Austin great. We chatted to each person about their businesses, passions, how they use the chair and how they define self-care.

This week we are featuring Ari Thompson. Ari is a copywriter and content strategist helping brands shake things up in the best way. Her superpower is making complex industries like finance and tech feel simple, human, and fun. A relatively new Austonian who works as a freelance writer, narrative designer and soulful storyteller, she became a full-time freelancer in early 2020.

Going freelance also meant working from home full time for Ari. When she started her WFH journey, she was working from her couch and bed but quickly found that she was left feeling achy at the end of the day. She couldn’t take it anymore and decided it was time to commit to the work from home life and invest in a proper desk. 

We were especially interested in getting Ari’s thoughts on The Austin Kneeling Chair because she’s on the shorter end of our recommended height limit, measuring in at 5’2”. When she initially sat on the chair, she noticed that her feet didn’t touch the ground. She was concerned about it being too far from what she was used to, but after a while, Ari stopped noticing it and now says she feels stable and likes the feeling of floating. 

What she likes most about The Austin is the automatic tilt your hips are put in as soon as you sit down. It’s a position she’s always trying to get into when she does yoga- “during yoga, they are always telling you to ‘tuck your pelvis,’ and the Austin automatically does that for you while you’re sitting on it. It helps with my lower back pain so much.”

When sitting on a 90° flat chair, Ari told us she usually ends up sitting on her feet in an attempt to obtain this same hip angle you get from a kneeling chair. Due to the pressure that’s put on her legs when she sits like this quickly becomes uncomfortable from a lack of blood flow. It’s also insanely hard on the knees. The 120° angle of The Austin gives her the same results without sacrificing the well-being of her legs and feet. 

There’s really nothing better than hearing when our odd little chairs provide our customers with the exact help they needed to get through their workdays pain-free and happy. It’s tough out there for freelancers, so the least we can do is help remedy their little pain points! 

Make sure you check out Ari’s work at www.arithompson.com!

We have plenty more Austin Project blogs coming up with so many rad people. Make sure you check out the other issues here! You can also check us out on Instagram for more photos from the Kara Marie Collective and more from our conversation with Ari.

If you’re located in Austin and would like to be featured in future Austin Project blogs, please reach out to us directly at hello@sleekform.com.                               

You can shop the Austin Kneeling Chair here.