Everything led me here, eventually
Following my dreams hasn’t always been easy, and I’ve learned some very difficult lessons along the way. But the outcome has always been 100% worth it- even if I couldn’t see it (or appreciate it!) in the moment.
I truly believe that with passion, purpose and drive, pretty much anything is possible. But the driving force behind it all is listening to intuition and trusting the process, even when it’s scary AF.
It starts with art school
I’ve been an artist my entire life. It may sound weird, but it’s always come completely natural to me. As a kid I spent tons of time drawing, making little worlds out of modeling clay, painting, collaging, sewing… I customized pretty much everything I owned; it just felt like the best way to express myself (and it still does!). So it only made sense to study fine art in college. I went to SJSU and got a BFA with an emphasis in Pictorial Art.
Dali and Beardsley were my biggest inspirations. Back then, hand lettering was not quite in my orbit, but illustration certainly was; my style became less expressive and more illustrative.
I never thought I’d be a classic working artist; making paintings, showing in galleries and selling to collectors did not sound appealing to me. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to truly do, but what I did know is that I had to continue creating. I taught painting and drawing for a while at a private after school program. And while it was truly rewarding to work with talented children, dealing with the high strung, pushy tech parents of the Bay Area was simply not for me.
I had always wanted to run my own business, and- for reasons beyond my understanding- the idea of opening a tea shop would not leave me alone. The more I thought about it, the more it became an obsession. So I eventually quit my teaching job, moved in with my parents, and decided to figure out how to make this tea infused dream happen.
opening a tea shop
I opened my tea shop at age 26, but it took a number of years to even get to that monumental moment. While living with my parents, I took on a bartending job to save money and enrolled in a community college course to help me write a business plan. I also started blending my own tea blends, learned how to put together a website, started an Instagram and a newsletter, and promoted the shit out everything I was doing everywhere I could. Small Christmas event at the community center? Sure, I’ll sell there. Friend of a friend loves green tea? Put them in contact with me! A tiny knitting shop in LA wants to wholesale my small line of teas because I went to high school with a girl who works there? Hell yeah! I literally said yes to every opportunity.
This was my life for about a year. But the entire time, my goal was to open an brick-and-mortar tea shop where I could sell and serve my tea blends. But not high tea- no, no, no! This would not be your grandma’s doily lined tea room. I wanted a cool, modern take on a tea shop- the same vibe as a coffee shop, but entirely tea.
After my business plan was done I started scoping locations. I thought San Francisco would fit my vision best, but an opportunity came along in the outskirts of the Easy Bay Area that I couldn’t pass up. A small, 600 ft space in a historic brick building suddenly came available; it was already zoned for food/beverage and it happened to share the same landlord as the bar where I was currently working. The owner of the bar put in a good word for me, and everything completely aligned.
I had this sign made by a local sign painter that hung on the back of my building for many years.
How on earth did I pay startup costs, you ask? Well, I tried my best to get a business loan through the banks, but I wasn’t exactly their ideal client. Sure, I had written an entire business plan- including 5-10 year profit/loss projections- and had very minimal living expenses since I was staying with my parents. But I was still a massive risk; I had no savings, I had no assets…I had nothing but my charming personality and delusional dream. Nobody was risking losing money on that!
Ok, Bank, you won’t give me a business loan…what about a credit card (or five)?
And that’s what I did. I opened my whole damn business entirely on credit cards (and bartending tips- which were actually pretty good and helped a lot).
I signed the lease and went to work. I got the proper permits and licensing from the city and county health department, but I didn’t have the money to hire an architect to make blueprints. So, using my trusted creative skills, I drew everything myself on graph paper. Then I recruited everyone I knew for build-out: my mom built my front counter, my dad did all the plumbing, a regular from the bar did the electrical work, my boyfriend at the time and his brother helped with other construction projects. My grandfather shipped me a beautiful maple butcher block he had sitting in his garage for years (it became my 8ft front counter). Other friends and family helped in any way they could; a family friend donated her mom’s vintage, 1960s low back floral couch that was in perfect condition (it became the most Instagram-able spot in my shop).
The whole shop came together in about 6 months. And finally, I opened my doors in August of 2015. The first day was quite a blur, but I remember at the end of the day my dad asked me,
“Well, how does it feel to finally be open?”
“Honestly, I feel like I am capable of literally doing anything” I replied.
And that’s the truth. I felt entirely empowered in my ability to problem solve and build my dreams.
The front counter had an eclectic assortment of tea cups, and if you ordered a pot of tea you got to choose the cup you wanted to drink from.
3×5ft tea shop menu that I hand lettered and painted.
Four of my top selling tea blends, packaging that I designed and printed in house.
the Thing I Didn't Expect to Love
The 5 years I owned and operated Luna Tea Co. are some of my fondest memories. My mom was one of my longest employees, and working with her almost everyday for those 5 years is an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life. The laughter, tears, stories…a sounding board for all my wild entrepreneurial ideas…all shared over copious amounts of tea. I’m forever grateful for those moments.
But I didn’t just open a tea shop for memories with my mom (unexpectedly awesome, though). I opened a business to fulfill a creative itch that kept me up at night. And let me tell you, the creative high was on another level. I had the freedom to do literally anything I wanted- my shop became my creative playground and I was living in the flow. New drink idea? Let’s develop it, test it, promote it, and put it on the menu. I want to do a cool art installation on the wall? I’ll create it and put it in during slow times. Re-design all my packaging? Sure, why not!
Believe it or not, I quite literally did everything at that shop. I wore all the hats: I was the barista, the tea blender, the janitor, the accountant, the customer service rep, the website designer, the social media person, the buyer, the blog writer…name a thing and I had the title. The shop was making money and paying for itself (and myself..I did eventually move out of my parent’s house), but I wasn’t making enough money to put any additional roles on payroll. The employees I that did have were seasonal, family or friends, and all paid under the table or in trades. So hiring help was not an option for me. When it came to the visual marketing, I really didn’t know what I was doing, but it also never occurred to me that I could outsource design. I was creative, so I did what I always do and figured out how to do it myself.
As I worked more and more on branding, design, social media, and visual marketing in general, the job of running the day-to-day business slowly became the job I hated the most. And the job I found myself looking forward to doing was the visual marketing. My brand became so cohesive that other business owners would ask me to refer them to my designer or marketing company. That’s when I eventually realized that I was super burnt out on running the business, and I only want to do the visual marketing parts, instead.
Want to see my shop in action? Check out this video interview on meet your maker:
moving into brand design
Tea had been my life for the majority of my twenties, and moving on was difficult. Even though I very much craved a new season, I did have a mini identity crisis. Who am I if not the local tea lady?
Very shortly after I closed the shop, the pandemic happened. Weird timing, right? I’m not sure the physical shop would have survived the pandemic. The online aspect of my business probably would have thrived (I sold in the top 1% of Etsy for a period of time and I also had a ton of stockists around the US).
The pandemic was the perfect time for me to learn design; I taught myself Illustrator and Photoshop more in-depth; I learned how to design websites in Squarespace, and I eventually started taking on freelance clients as a brand designer. I did a ton of logo and website design, but I also did many freelance illustration projects and developed my lettering artist skills. I had the opportunity to do some commercial illustration for Almanac Beer, Livermore Pride and Cornerstone Doula Trainings to name a few. I’ve worked with tons of local Livermore (and non local) businesses in doing rebranding, graphic design, illustration, and packaging design.
I learned a ton while starting and running my tea shop, but I also learned a whole lot more while freelancing. In addition to building my design and technical skills, I learned the importance of communication, priorities, organization, project managing, and marketing to name a few.
I also learned that while I truly enjoyed working with small businesses, I especially loved the projects where I got to be a bit more creative with my own preferred style. I found that businesses that wanted to work with me because of my style made for a much more fulfilling process, experience, relationship and outcome. I was getting hired for work I truly LOVED doing, and businesses were getting value so much beyond “I just need this quick design made”.
I loved freelancing and thought I would continue for many years, but life changed again (rather dramatically this time) and I quickly needed more stability.
The stability chapter
I currently work a day job in the corporate world; I am the Creative Project Manager for the design team. I maintain all client communication, make sure the designers understand the vision and scope of the project, communicate feedback to the designers and push back on design decisions to the clients. Essentially, I make sure everyone is happy and the projects run smoothly.
The decision to go into corporate design wasn't a creative one- it was actually survival. I had a 12 month old baby and I had just separated from my husband. And then very shortly after I landed my corporate job, my husband passed away. Needless to say, financial stability became everything.
My son is now four, and we’re in a vastly different place than we were 3 years ago (financially, spiritually, emotionally…). That season was the hardest of my life and it changed me in ways I'm still understanding. There is a lot that comes with part of my story, and I’m sure I’ll share it as I create more of my own personal work.
So while it hasn’t been fulfilling on a creative level, working in corporate has given me the opportunity to become the stable (on many levels). It’s also taught me patience and it has reminded me that there is SO much more to life than what I do to make money.
I have met an incredible group of creatives, and I truly do love my team. I’m grateful I get to work alongside such creative, funny and wonderful people every day. It makes the office so much more enjoyable!
The design team at Vagaro.
Where I’m headed
One of my simple pleasures is sending and receiving snail mail. I love hand writing notes on a custom made piece of art and sending it to my friends. Thank yous, Birthdays, Just Sayin’ Heys…who doesn’t love a note that makes you smile?
So I’m launching a stationary and paper goods line, pursuing licensing and collaboration, and building something that adds another interesting layer to my creative journey. I want to work with brands that value human-made, emotional depth, and storytelling. It would be incredible to work with wellness brands, tea companies, or other paper goods/stationary companies that love my style.
My ultimate goal is to leave corporate and go back to working for myself full time. It’s a lot scarier with a little human to provide for, but if I’ve learned anything, it’s that my insatiable desire to create has never steered me wrong.
