Launch Day ??

It’s been a year since I left corporate America, six months since I tried to launch a startup, three months since I pursued a full-time art career, and 6 minutes since I launched my first portfolio and storefront. While my professional journey has certainly had its twists and turns, I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned along the way. It all began with taking the first few months of my career break to discern where and how I wanted to leave my mark on the world. One transformative silent retreat and many conversations with close friends and family later, I felt ready to explore new career opportunities and build something I was truly passionate about.

A great manager of mine at Microsoft once said that the best product managers take time out of each day to consider everyday objects they use and how they can be improved. That design thinking is what drew me to the discipline in the first place and is how Lockstep was formed. I learned a lot about creating a brand, drafting business plans, and fine tuning my pitch to really showcase the mission, vision and ethos of the platform I was trying to create. These learnings as well as the desire to also explore a career in fine arts are what led me to put this startup work on hold and start my art business.

For as long as I could remember, I have always loved creating art. Whether it was sculpture, wood carving, painting, cake decorating, or drawing-I just loved creating things which reflected the beauty around me. During my time at Microsoft, I let that creativity out in the form of bullet journals, team newsletters, whiteboard quote art, and cakes to celebrate new releases. During COVID-19, my artistic endeavors took a curious and unexpected turn towards watercolor pet portraiture.?

It began when I ordered my first watercolor set as a way to re-learn a new medium (it had been a hot second since I last worked with watercolors in elementary school). I was then inspired when a friend of mine posted pictures of her dog on social media and the textures, expressions, and overall personality of her puppy caught my eye. I documented the process of painting Ellie the golden on my own Instagram account and soon other friends were sending me pictures of their pets as well. Before I knew it, people I didn't know were asking for commissions and ways to pay for these portraits, so I set up a donation-based pricing model where all profits would be donated to local charities (Northwest Harvest, New Bethlehem Day Center, Albany Food Bank, and Lumen Vitae are some of the amazing organizations where these funds go and I'd highly recommend checking them out if you're looking for nonprofits to support!). I was then incredibly fortunate to place an ad about these portraits in a horse show program and offer a commission for a Montessori school auction. A portfolio of artwork and experiences with its own quirks and charisms started to take shape.

These watercolor pet portraits really helped me build the confidence I needed to consider building a business as a full-time artist. It was around this time that I also read this letter by St. John Paul II and truly felt inspired to continue creating art and capturing "epiphanies of beauty". I knew I wanted to go back to my roots as a landscape painter so I decided to take the next step and paint my first series. Inspiration hit when a close childhood friend sent over some classically moody pictures of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and the memories came flooding in.

I had the pleasure of living in Seattle for three years and both the personal and professional growth I experienced there was unparalleled. It was through Microsoft's non-profit donation matching program that I started my watercolor pet portrait project. It was on a hike at Rainier National Park that I attempted my first plein air painting. From working in the tech industry, adventuring through new landscapes, picking up hiking and running, finding causes I truly care about, and meeting lifelong friends - the city's influence was palpable.

I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and am so excited to capture the same sense of awe and wonder I experienced (even from a simple drive to work when "the mountains were out") in my artwork. I chose to showcase a wide array of the natural beauty I associate with the region in this first series. I wanted to give everyone a glimpse into the diverse landscapes in the northwest by capturing scenes of majestic waterfalls in Oregon, colossal king tides at Cape Disappointment, and many of the glorious vistas you come across throughout the seasons while hiking.

These are the landscapes which are now available as prints on my storefront! I'm hoping to display my original pieces in a gallery back in Washington later this year and hope these prints can bring a small piece of this beautiful region into homes around the country in the meantime. I'm excited to continue exploring landscapes, painting pet portraits, and writing icons (more on that deeply meaningful and spiritual discipline on my blog) over the next few months and hopefully for the rest of my life. The adventure is just beginning as I launch this site.

This launch day feels similar to the many I experienced during my time as a product manager. I am filled with the same nervous excitement and intrigue at how the site will be experienced by customers, the same retrospection of what I've learned throughout the development process, and the same anticipation of what's still in the works. Now there is also the added element of pride and ownership of a small business that is bounded only by my own creativity. Needless to say, working on a product of my own has been incredibly gratifying. I'm ready to use the skills I did learn as a PM to tackle this new challenge and build a business which aims to inspire others to seek beauty in the world around them.