The piece that started it all!

In May 2019, I was in the middle of a big transition—moving from traditional consulting into the innovation space. At the time, the practice was still so new that our office was under construction to build it out. As a fairly new team member in a rotational role, I found myself in the kitchen during lunch, listening to my colleagues talk about their passions outside of work.

Up until that point, I rarely talked about my art at work. It just didn’t seem to “fit the brand” of an engineer in consulting. But that day, something told me to share. As I talked about painting as my hobby, one of my directors happened to be passing by. She overheard my excitement and immediately asked to see some of my pieces. Right then and there, she followed up with a question that would change everything: “Would you want to create a piece for the new space?”

At first, I thought it was one of those hypothetical questions. But the more we discussed it, the more I realized it was real. This was happening. I took the project seriously, using it as an opportunity to build a framework for how I approach commission work—something that would later become essential in my art journey. This project also pushed me to finally create my art Instagram account, a step that made my work more visible and connected me to a whole new world of possibilities.

Today, seeing that painting in the kitchen—the very place where it all started—feels magical. That’s why I titled the piece: May you always reach for innovation, strive for greatness, and believe in the power of casual conversation. It serves as a reminder to myself and others that bringing your true self to work can be a game-changer. Sometimes, we try to fit into a box to belong, but it’s our authenticity that sets us apart. And when we embrace it, that’s when we do our best work.