I like to say, \u201cI grew up on Crayola,\u201d and have always lived my life in some, if not many, aspects of the creative world: designer, artist, writer, sculptor, etc. Much to the chagrin of my family and friends, I can\u2019t shut it off; it\u2019s like an autonomic function. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I can\u2019t watch a commercial, see a business with an interesting name, or think of a random pun without sharing campaign ideas stemming from it. It\u2019s one of those \u201cYou know what they should do is\u2026\u201d types of afflictions. But this \u201calways on\u201d creative thinking is a big part of what\u2019s made me successful in my career and as the VP of Brand Experience at PAN. It helps me never get bored and represents a big part of why I love marketing and PR. I\u2019ve just learned to live with my fair share of eye rolls. \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My creative outlet of choice outside of work has always been woodcarving, and I\u2019ve had plenty of stitches over the years to prove it. Making everything from abstract flowers to kinetic birds to waves to characters to woodcut scenes and wooden brain puzzles, it was always my go-to creative outlet\u2026until eventually it wasn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 10 years ago, I hurt my pointer finger and was suddenly unable to do this thing that I loved so much\u2014this thing that I was known for, that was part of my persona. But with my injury, I couldn\u2019t handle the pressure it put on my finger, so it just felt pointless. (See what I did there?) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then,\u00a0about eight years ago, I had the idea of digging out some of my old art school supplies for one of my twins.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0creatively\u00a0inclined,\u00a0and\u00a0had\u00a0also\u00a0grown beyond Crayola, so I thought I would see what I had!\u00a0Cue quixotic montage of going\u00a0back to those\u00a0art school\u00a0days\u00a0filled\u00a0with pastel drawings, wire sculptures, all-nighter\u00a0illustration\u00a0sessions, and some uncomfortable figure drawing classes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That memory lane led me to creating my first watercolor painting in about 25 years\u2014I think it was in April of 2018. Up until then, I had maybe done 5 EVER! Painting just wasn\u2019t my thing\u2026until eventually it was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Painting\u00a0that\u00a0one\u00a0pink-haired,\u00a0abstract\u00a0horse\u00a0started a new creative journey. I\u00a0found\u00a0a new outlet, a new vehicle to express myself and connect with others.\u00a0Cut to\u00a0about 300 paintings later (yes ~300)\u00a0and\u00a0I started seeing some interesting\u00a0patterns and\u00a0\u201crules of the road\u201d\u00a0while\u00a0doing\u00a0the work.\u00a0Approaches and lessons that\u00a0embody\u00a0not only\u00a0a way\u00a0to stay true\u00a0to\u00a0my painting\u00a0but also the way I live my life and keep thriving at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n