2023 Year in Review
2023: My year to pivot & adapt
I started these Year in Review blog recaps six years ago as a sort of “highlight reel” in my professional and personal life. It was a way for me to look back on the year and reflect on my accomplishments, travels, challenges, and growth. This marks my 7th year of carrying on the tradition and paying homage to the previous twelve months.
2023 has been one of the most challenging years I’ve had since I started my business in 2014, both personally and professionally. One of my primary income streams took a big hit at the end of last year, and I spent much of this year adapting and problem-solving. Some things worked out, some didn’t. Some of my new business initiatives have been slow grows, whereas others took off like a rocket. While I wasn’t able to create as much new content (both in terms of artwork and classes) as I’d hoped for this year, I did find creative solutions for repurposing existing content to help buffer out the dip.
On the personal side, some health issues arose in my family and I found myself struggling to find the motivation and enthusiasm to get into my usual creative flow. I created less artwork and published fewer classes this year than any previous year in my business. At first, I felt disappointed with myself for my diminishing drive– I typically approach my work at lightning speed and get so much fulfillment out of shaping new ideas into fully-fledged artwork collections or engaging class curriculums. However, as the months rolled by, that despondency I’d been feeling about my lack of motivation morphed into gratitude. I felt relieved that my livelihood isn’t wholly dependent on my own output and hours. Simply put, I can reduce my workload or even step back from my work entirely for extended periods of time without the entire business falling apart. My business model is based on evergreen content, automated systems, and an incredible internal team that helps keeps everything running smoothly, even if I step away.
And so, I didn’t get as many work goals accomplished this year as I’d hoped for, but I’ve come to realize that it’s okay– not every year is going to be a record breaker, and ultimately, there are more important focuses out there than business goals and growth. I have a newfound gratitude for my family, our health, and my shift in perspective when it comes to my own priorities and what actually matters in life. It was a rough year at points. It was an incredible year at points. I’m wrapping up my 2023 with thankfulness, eagerness for the year to come, and this blog post. Enjoy! 🥂
🎯 Brand Collaborations 🎯
Kate & Laurel at Target
This year, I added a range of new artwork to my boutique collection with Kate & Laurel, bringing me up to 18 total CatCoq x Kate & Laurel designs sold through Target.
Kate & Laurel’s parent company, Uniek, has been integral in home decor for over 20 years. Their newest and most innovative brand, Kate & Laurel, was founded in order to create well-designed home decor pieces with accessible pricing.
The Kate & Laurel team travels to design shows and boutiques all over the world to ensure that they are providing the latest trends with their expertly curated collections. Each piece is special on its own, but together they create a beautiful story.
I’m extending another massive thank you to my agents at Jewel Branding & Licensing team for continue to grow yet another strong partnership in 2023.
🌻 Brand Collaborations 🌻
Boston International
From watercolor paper to paper napkins. When people ask me what products I have my designs on, the answer is everything. Gotta love the big wide world of surface design.
I’m in love with these sunflower paper napkins by my licensing partners, Boston International. (Available on Amazon here.) I’m blown away by the premium quality- both the print resolution and softness of the paper. My signature is even tucked into the bottom right corner, just like how I sign my art prints.
Big shoutout to Boston International for making my designs shine, as always. And of course to my agents at Jewel Branding & Licensing. Thank you for making collaborations like this possible!
🎯 Brand Collaborations 🎯
Americanflat at Target
2023 marks my largest collection to date at Target. Thanks to my partners at Americanflat, I officially have a whopping 181 CatCoq designs available through Target!
Americanflat is one of my most profitable and longest-running art licensing partners. I officially signed on with them back in 2017. In the years since, they’ve secured a strong relationship with Target and have managed to get hundreds of my designs sold through the Target brand! As of December 2023, I have 181 of my Americanflat designs sold through Target. Products range wrapped canvases and framed artwork to shower curtains and poster prints.
🍄 Brand Collaborations 🍄
Graphique
Every year, I test out new strategies as I grow my art licensing portfolio. Here’s a few examples of some really good decisions I made when it comes to my art licensing brand:
⚡️ 2019 was the year I started designing seamless patterns. (I’d been avoiding them for soooo long because they seemed to complicated. Lol, because I love designing them now.) I’m glad I finally got over my fear and leaned into seamless patterns because that same year, thanks to the influx of patterns in my portfolio, I landed my very own wallpaper line! (Seamless patterns are essential when it comes to wallpaper.)
⚡️ 2020 was the year I started building collections around best-sellers in my portfolio. This was huge, because it meant that licensees started selecting 10–15 designs (AKA the entire collection) instead of just one-offs. More licensed designs = more income.
Which brings me to…
⚡️ 2023: This is the year I took an analytical look at my portfolio and tried to figure out if I had any gaps. One thing I realized was that I had almost NO simple patterns. I’ve got plenty of “hero” designs and intricate, bold patterns, but not so many minimalistic and toned-down designs for my licensees to choose from.
So, throughout this year, I’ve been creating a range of minimal patterns for my portfolio, including these “Mini Mushrooms”. As soon as my mini shrooms landed in my licensing portfolio, my partners at Graphique requested a license to use them for an entire line of stationery products. This was the fastest one of my new designs has been selected for a licensing deal. It felt like I was signing the agreement as soon as I wrapped up the illustration on my iPad. It felt amazing to test out a new strategy (minimal, simple seamless patterns) and see the pay off so quickly. Talk about validating a concept!
🌵 Brand Collaborations 🌵
Artisan by Lang
In the summer of 2019, I attended an entrepreneur retreat on the volcanic island of Stromboli, off the coast of Italy. (Read my recap on my blog here.) During my week-long stay on the island, I was captivated by the stunning landscapes and unique flora that thrived in this incredibly lush & fertile environment.
One particular moment stood out - I snapped a photo of a cluster of prickly pears, growing on the rugged terrain along the coastline. A few weeks later, while I was living in Tbilisi, Georgia, I decided to revisit my memories of Stromboli through watercolors. This painting became my first Stromboli-inspired artwork, which I added to my portfolio as a personal tribute to that memorable experience.
Four years down the line, something fun happened. My Stromboli-inspired painting caught the attention of one of my licensees, Lang, which lead to this 2023 licensing deal. This fortunate turn of events reminded me that older pieces in my art portfolio can find renewed appreciation when the right opportunity arises.
Lang is a brand known for its meticulous craftsmanship. They transformed my painting into beautiful notebooks, carefully matching the colors inside to the floral accents and embellishing the thorns with intricate gold foil details. This demonstrates the lasting impact of art and its capacity to take unexpected paths, highlighting that creativity has no limits and that every piece in your portfolio has the potential for a fresh chance to shine.
🌳 Brand Collaborations 🌳
RoomMates Decor Wallpaper
In 2023, my wallpaper line got some big updates. We added 17 additional designs to my line of peel & stick wallpaper with my partners at RoomMates Decor (launched in 2019). This increases my line to a whopping 39 designs of wallpaper that I have available through Target.
Fun fact: Every single design in this collection started as a hand-painted illustration on paper: some in watercolor, one in gouache, and one hand-drawn with India ink. I must admit- I absolutely love creating patterns by hand. You get all those great imperfections and happy accidents when the pigments pool together on the page and paint colors bloom together.
🛼 Brand Collaborations 🛼
Studio Oh! Greeting Cards
This year, my collection with Studio Oh! increased into new product categories and new designs.
2023 brought about my first greeting card collection with my partners at Studio Oh! They did a fabulous job selecting designs from my portfolio and infusing their own messaging. I love how they aligned the hand lettering and typography with the aesthetic of my artwork. Cheers to another year of profitable partnerships with Studio Oh!
💅🏻 Brand Collaborations 💅🏻
Studio Oh! Nail Wraps
In 2021, I officially added “nail wraps” to my list of CatCoq products. (Check out the tigers here.) This year, the nail wrap line expanded into two new designs: mushrooms & pears!
When I received the product samples in the mail, I tested out the mushroom toenail wraps on my 3-year-old niece’s feet. (Not pictured above– that’s a stock model. 😜) To no one’s surprise, my niece loved her new mushroom toenails. I hope anyone who purchases these has the same “whooooaaaaa!” reaction as Aurora.
Studio Oh! also chose to use my Au Pear artwork as glittery nail wraps this year as well. This particular design has been among my top-sellers with this partner and it’s been pretty cool to see how they repurpose the same artwork for nail wraps, stationery sets, pens, stickers, and more.
🍐 Brand Collaborations 🍐
Studio Oh! Au Pear Stationery
My partners at Studio Oh! expanded my “Au Pear” artwork into an entire box set of stationery items.
This stationery set launched last year and got some great updates in 2023, namely with stickers, pun-packed notecards, and matching envelopes to boot.
I originally painted these pears in 2019 while I was visiting my friend’s family in Poland. I painted each piece of the pear individually in thick acrylic, then scanned the painting into my computer to collage them into a pattern.
To me, this design always reminds me of that month I spent in Biała Podlaska and Warsaw and the kindness and hospitality I received. I’m pretty sure I ate more cheese pierogis that month than any other human on earth. For more on my trip to Poland, check out my 2019 Year in Review.
🪩 Brand Collaborations 🪩
Lang x Target
Lang has continued to be one of my most prolific licensing partners in the gifting + stationery space. Last year, they embraced the retro-inspired designs in my portfolio and created a range of groovy stationery, planners, calendars and more. They even infused my artwork with shimmery metallic accents to make each product truly pop off the page.
Check out the Reel on Instagram!
In 2023, I had several Lang products chosen for in-store placement with Target, which always provides a huge boost of brand visibility for both me and my partners. Looking forward to yet another another year of profitable partnerships with Lang!
💌 Brand Collaborations 💌
Evite
This year, Evite expanded their collection of CatCoq cards and now, even more designs are available on their website than ever before.
Thanks to Evite, my artwork gets to be used in a such a positive and celebratory way. Whether it’s a casual get-together with friends or celebrating a monumental birthday, my artwork can be part of someone’s big occasion.
🌞 Brand Collaborations 🌞
Deny Designs & Society6
2023 Update: New year, new CatCoq collections available in Target through my partners at Deny Designs & Society6.
Five years ago, Society6 and their parent company, Deny Designs, reached out to see if I wanted to license my designs with them through Target. I was over the moon– scoring brand association with Target is one of the holy grails of art licensing. That brand association with Target paved the way for countless other brand collaborations through Target stores.
Online Education & Artist Resources
This year marks my seven year anniversary teaching online classes. What started as a one-off class evolved into a large component of the CatCoq brand and deep personal passion. My enrollment soared up to 551,949 students in my classes and 445,124 total hours of learning. Talk about impact!
This year, I decided to expand the online education side of my business. I began offering courses directly to my students for a one-time flat price. I wanted to open this up to give my students all an “a la carte” option. This means that once you purchase a class directly from me, you’ll have lifetime access to it and can reference the material any time you need.
Why the shift? As an educator, it’s important to me to make sure that my classes are as accessible to as many people as possible. And as an entrepreneur, it’s important for me to be open to trying new ways of doing things in my business.
I’m still licensing my classes through partners like Skillshare, but I decided to offer a second learning option to my students as well. This means that my students have more options for how they decide to access my classes.
You can browse my full course catalogue here.
Since this is the first time directly offering classes to my students, it meant a big pivot away from my standard B2B business practices. To help ease the transition, I sought out additional support. In January, I brought on a new assistant to manage customer support. Andrea has been an absolute delight to work with. Plus, she’s a whiz at providing resources and solutions to help guide my students along their journeys. (Andrea– if you’re reading this, I appreciate you so, so much.)
I also hired an agency, Data Driven Marketing, to help me better understand my audience and learn how to craft great offerings for my students. It feels reassuring to have a team of data nerds and conversion specialists to have my back! (Data Driven Marketing team– if you’re reading this, I love you guys and I mean “nerds” in the most flattering of ways.)
More below on some of the impactful offerings I whipped up in 2023:
Draw Floral Animal Silhouettes in Procreate
In 2023, I introduced a new class to my online curriculum, aimed at merging fun drawing practices with essential skills required by professional artists working in Procreate.
The objective of the class was twofold:
Learn professional-level tips and techniques specific to Procreate
Learn how to tap into the trending artwork styles that have strong market potential.
By the time you finish my class, you'll not only produce your own vintage floral animal artwork but also have gained the knowledge needed to create additional designs with the potential to become best-sellers in your portfolio.
My choice of combining animal silhouettes with botanical embellishments stems from the popularity of both animal motifs and floral themes in the world of surface design. The ultimate objective goes beyond merely creating a beautiful illustration; it involves crafting artwork with commercial appeal.
Students quickly learn how to identify current trends and infuse their unique artistic perspective into their creations, ensuring that each artist’s work remains distinctly their own.
My end-of-year surprise: Turns out, this was the most-watched class published by a Top Teacher on Skillshare in 2023! 🎉🎉🎉
Introducing: CatCoq Mini Courses
In 2023, I launched two Mini Courses, geared at providing my students with more resources on the “business-side” of the art licensing industry.
The glowing response from both courses highlight just how well they worked in giving my students the tools and know-how they needed to grow their passions and careers.
Mini Course:
Create a Strong Art Portfolio
A successful art licensing career starts with a strong portfolio. I launched this mini course earlier this year and it’s packed with actionable strategies to help you create a stunning portfolio that will get you noticed by art directors and licensing partners.
Create a Strong Art Licensing Portfolio is aimed towards students who want access to the portfolio tips that have gotten my artwork on over a million products worldwide. When you put together a strong portfolio, it opens up endless income opportunities for your artwork.
Mini Course:
Creative Workflow Blueprint
One of the biggest struggles my students face is that they want to earn money from their art, but just don’t have the time to dedicate to building an art business. So, I created a brand new mini course to help with that exact thing. I took the workflows I’ve implemented over the past decade of running a creative business and put them all into a masterclass to share with my students.
This mini course is full of actionable steps to help you streamline your creative business workflows so you can save hours of time each week.
Live Class: Illustrate Pet Portraits
In December 2023, I partnered with Skillshare to teach a Live Class on Zoom. We had a whopping 221 students sign up to learn how to illustrate portraits of their pets using the drawing app, Procreate.
During the live class, I led students in creating customized illustrations of their furry friends. The standout feature of the class was the ability to transform their class projects into special holiday gifts by uploading them to print-on-demand and fulfillment websites like Printful or Sticker Mule.
I showed my students how to use reference photos of their own pets to guide them in their compositions. They also learned how to infuse their artistic styles with personal touches, such as sunglasses, flowers, scarves, or other custom accessories, adding character to their pet portraits.
By the end of the course, each student had a personalized animal illustration ready for gifting during the holiday season. Beyond the festive spirit, these newfound skills were aimed at bolstering confidence in using Procreate and helping participants build portfolios filled with stunning artwork.
✨Free✨ resources for my students!
This year, I whipped up even more freebies for my students than ever before. Based on the audience surveys I ran in March, I realized that my students had a massive need for more art business-related content from me. To meet the demand, I put together a bundle of free resources for my students to utilize.
Over 10,000 students downloaded my freebies this year! Here’s the full list:
Collections Guide
This year, I was been busy curating a new line of CatCoq collections, blending both existing artwork in my portfolio and fresh, new designs. If you dream of licensing your artwork, working in collections is a must. My new collections have already started to yield promising results, with several of them securing licensing agreements set to materialize in 2024. I put together a PDF of the actual collections that I use to pitch to licensing partners and art directors in a free Collection Guide for my audience.
Creative Business Bundle
Reach your business goals this year! This bundle gives you access to years of industry insights and get all of your burning biz questions answered. This guide covers how to start a creative business, pricing and royalties, contract negotiation, art licensing tips, and much, much more.
Creative Assets Bundle Pack
Digitizing my artwork has opened up so many doors for me, and I wanted to share the digital tools I use in with you for free! I’ve bundled together a collection of over 188 assets that you can use in your artwork royalty free.
Art Supply Recommendations
Want to know what art supplies and tools I use? I’ve compiled a full guide of the items that I personally use when I create artwork and run my business. I hope you find this helpful!
#CreateWithCatCoq Challenge
As an extra perk to engage my creative community, I send out a weekly creative prompt in my Tuesday email newsletter. Behold– the #CreateWithCatCoq Challenge! I ran 52 challenges this year and netted out with over 5,000 submissions to date!
Want to join in on my weekly challenge? You can sign up to my email newsletter here and get weekly prompts straight to your inbox!
Every week you can follow along and share your work using the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq on Instagram! Throughout the week, I highlight select participants’ work on my IG Stories, so be sure to tag me @catcoq for the chance to be featured.
I’m a big believer in community over competition. As artists, it’s so important for us to support each other on our journeys. One of my favorite things to do with my friends is to meet up each week and paint together. Think of #CreateWithCatCoq as a weekly virtual art meetup– we’ll learn together, create together, share ideas, and support each other along the way.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as I’ve built my creative business is that the best way to reach your goals is by taking consistent action. Whether your goal is to start a creative business, to improve your skills, or just to have fun being creative, taking consistent action is going to take you there. No matter what your goals are, this weekly creativity challenge will help you stretch your creative muscles and grow as an artist.
Blog Post Tutorials
I introduced 16 new articles to the CatCoq Blog in 2023. Many of these are resources and step-by-step tutorials to complement the creative and business strategies that I also teach in my online classes.
Here are some of the most popular articles of 2023:
Morocco Retreat
In May 2023, I hosted my third annual watercolor retreat. It was an absolutely unforgettable week in Morocco with a vibrant bunch of artists. Our entire group was brimming with creativity, kindness and a shared passion for adventure.
Each guest joined our retreat with the goal of nurturing their creative business, exploring the art of watercolor, and indulging in a truly unique vacation. However, what we all took away from this experience was not only newfound inspiration, but also lasting bonds and cherished memories that will remain with us for a lifetime.
We extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to all the remarkable guests who took a leap of faith and traveled to Morocco to be part of this extraordinary retreat. This journey has left an lasting mark on me personally, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have shared it with each and every one of you.
Massive gratitude to the team who helped make this happen:
Logan Elliott - my cohost / good friend! (This would NOT be possible without you, Logan!) Thank you for being my partner for three solid years of global retreats!
Adam Palmeter - our photographer extraordinaire! You won’t see many photos of him, but he’s the man behind the lens in every one. (Plus he’s my 🖤)
McKenzie Jane Millican - our social media whizz, HR department, chill hang, and everything in between.
UpTrek - our extraordinary retreat organizers. They do all the heavy lifting in order to make these retreats happen.
Atlas Kasbah - our venue host with the most. So much warmth & hospitality. They welcomed us into their home with open arms (and fragrant tea)!
Here’s a photo album snapshot of the highlights:
Speaking Events, Webinars & Podcasts
2023 brought upon another year of digital events. Between speaking panels, podcast interviews, Zoom workshops, and webinars, I had some pretty incredible opportunities to give back to my creative community this year.
Powerful Portfolio Workshop
My fellow surface design ladies, Liz Kohler Brown & Maja Faber, invited me to guest-present during their Powerful Portfolio workshop earlier this year. I had an hour to pack in all my best value bombs when it comes to creating a strong portfolio chock-full of licensable designs.
This was a 3-day live event that included everything artists need to know to plan, build, and pitch their portfolios.
Also, check out that killer view of Medellín behind me!
Illuminate Conference
One question I always get asked is how I have the time to do everything I do. Whether it’s managing my art portfolio, marketing, filming classes, or even just carving out time to create new artwork, I know that time management can be a big hurdle for creatives.
This year, I was the keynote speaker at the Illuminate conference, hosted by Stacie Bloomfield. The conference was completely focused on automating your art business and optimizing your workflow so you can make more art and scale your business.
Live Q&A on Zoom with Bonnie Christine
I invited surface design industry powerhouse, Bonnie Christine, to join me and the two of us spent an hour answering questions during a live Q&A! 250 watched us live and 1,000 signed up for the replay.
You can watch the recording here.
60x60 Project
I’m so honored to have been featured in the 60x60 project with Bonnie Christine! 60 successful artists, illustrators, and surface designers (including yours truly!) shared how they make an income from their artwork.
Check out the 60x60 video to hear my answer.
Art Licensing Q&A with Stacie Bloomfield of Gingiber
I hopped on a live Zoom call with Stacie Bloomfield of Gingiber to dish out our best advice for anyone interested in making an income from their art. During our hour-long Zoom call, Stacie and I shared our candid answers to your most in-depth questions about how to create a career doing what you love - creating and selling your art.
You can watch the recording here.
I Am An Artist Summit with Mable Tan
My friend and fellow surface designer, Mable Tan, hosted a 5-day virtual summit and I joined in as one of the speakers. The I Am An Artist Summit brought together 19 surface design powerhouses to share our expertise and help others grow as a surface designers. I’m so grateful for Mable for putting together such an impactful event for our industry!
You can watch the replay here.
Interview with F Stop Collaborate & Listen
Earlier this year, I was interviewed on the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. We discussed my journey as an artist and what led me to where I'm at now, plus how I advocate for myself during contract negotiations and score great deals without burning bridges.
We also dove into diversifying income streams, the power you wield when you retain your copyright and don't transfer your IP and how I expanded my brand offerings by listening to my audience.
Watch the interview here.
Interview with Artists Soar Podcast
During my interview with Artists Soar, I spoke about my journey from a graphic designer to a nomadic artist, plus shared the unconventional path I took to become a successful artist.
Fun fact: I met co-host Jules during my art retreat in France in 2021. We clicked immediately and have stayed in touch over the years. I met up with her in Mexico last year and then again in Spain for my 2022 art retreat. It’s pretty cool to forge lasting friendships with other artists that span the continents!
Listen to my interview here.
Interview with The Creator's Adventure
While I was living in Colombia in March, I had the opportunity to speak with The Creator’s Adventure podcast. I shared what licensing clients are looking for (and what they aren't looking for), how teaching filled a gap I had in my life and made me feel more fulfilled, how creative burnout can impact your life, trends that became best-sellers in my portfolio, things you can put into a licensing contract that will massively benefit you, and much more.
Watch my interview here.
Redbubble Ambassador Program
In 2023, Redbubble launched a new Ambassador program to put artists at the heart of what they do and ensure our voices are part of the conversation as Redbubble evolves. I was thrilled to be selected for the program and share my thoughts to help shape the future of one of the biggest print-on-demand sites out there. As an ambassador, I hope to help improve new features, policies, and improvements to the artist experience in the years to come.
New Artwork of 2023
Most Memorable Moments
Summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro
In November, my friends and I hiked and camped seven days to reach the top of the tallest mountain in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro. At 19,340 feet, this is officially the highest altitude I’ve ever reached on foot. The landscape changed day by day, from lush jungle to a snowstorm on the summit. That final push up to the top was grueling, and absolutely the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I now have a newfound respect for my physical & mental fortitude. And my knees.
Sleeping above the clouds at basecamp
This was our final night before the push to the summit of Kilimanjaro. The skyscape was unreal at this altitude. The stars were vivid and at one point, the clouds cleared and we had a crystal clear view of the city of Arusha. Our final sleep before our ascent to the summit was anything but serene, though. The wind was so piercingly loud that at points, I had to cover my ears with my hands as I nestled deeper into my sleeping bag for warmth.
Week-long African safari
I’ve been wanting to embark on a safari for ages, and this year, I finally had the chance to do it. My friends and I joined Pamoja Safaris for a week in the Serengeti. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and I felt so grateful just to be there. We saw dozens of different animals, which inspired me to base my next art collection off this experience. Keep an eye out for my Serengeti Collection in 2024!
Spotting a cheetah in the wild.
Bucket list item: ✔️. After driving around on the lookout for the better part of the day, we finally spotted (ha) the number one animal on my safari bucket list: cheetah! We got two bonus cheetahs: a mom with her two adolescent cubs. I was in awe of how close we got- they seemed pretty unfazed by our presence. I tried “psst psst psst”ing at them while wiggling my fingers out the window, but they didn’t take the bait.
Reuniting with my college roomie in Africa
Tiffany and I met junior year of college when we moved into an apartment together. We clicked immediately and our friendship has grown and evolved over the last dozen years: we graduated college together, started our first “real” career jobs at the same time (hers as an engineer and mine as a designer), we both changed career paths (she became a commercial airline pilot and I pivoted into self-employment), plus all the experiences in between these milestones. Tiff and I have hiked together all around the US, Philippines, and Thailand. For ages, we’d talked about tackling Kili together and in 2023, we finally achieved our goal. I’m so grateful to call Tiffany a lifelong friend.
Reuniting with old friends in Chiang Mai
Speaking of strong friendships, I was on cloud nine when I arrived back in Thailand and reconnected with some of my closest nomad friends. I originally met these ladies in Chiang Mai when I first arrived six years ago, and our friendships have grown over our similar life experiences: owning our own businesses, travel adventures, and our shared network in the entrepreneur community. It’s so refreshing to just relax and be yourself with friends who truly get you, because they’ve lived through so many of the same things. This year’s return to Chiang Mai felt like the sweetest homecoming.
Adam’s feature in Uppercase magazine!
Adam was a featured artist in the fall issue of UPPERCASE magazine! Adam paints these incredibly intricate murals all around the world and he often donates his time to paint at schools, nonprofits, and small businesses. I’m so happy to see him get the recognition he deserves for his talent and give-back. Check out his gorgeous mural footage on his Instagram Reels.
Volcano hiking in Costa Rica
My friends and I road-tripped up to Arenal National Park for a few days of hiking and exploring the area. While it’s prohibited to hike up the volcano itself, we made excellent use of the hiking trails surrounding the area. We also had some bonus monkey drama, a cattle traffic jam, and a narrow escape from a baby pit viper. (Not really, it was just minding its own business.) Costa Rica really has it all.
Meet Luna!
Welcome to the world, Luna! My parents have a new adorable addition to their household. My favorite quirks of hers are her little beige eyebrows and the fact that she matches the coloring of her new sister, Bali the calico.
Hiking in the Costa del Sol
While staying in Malaga, Adam I spent a day hiking nine miles of Mediterranean vistas. From certain vantage points, we could even see the Africa peeking out past the Alboran Sea.
🩶 Pollo del Gato 🩶
This is the kitty we all fell in love with in Costa Rica. My friends and I lived in a little community of homes for a couple months, and within a few days of us moving in, Pollo meandered over to say hello. The first thing I fed her was a pouch of chicken cat food, and so the name just kinda stuck.
Eventually, Pollo became a member of our household. I cannot understate how obsessed our the four of us became with this cat. We’d sing to her, roll her up in blankets and snuggle with her, and scoot to make room on the couch when she visited us for movie night. She loved it all. Turns out, Pollo’s real name is Griselda (Grisi for short) and she belongs to our neighbor, but we felt like she was part of our family.
Rainforest hot springs at sunset
To wrap up our roadtrip to Arenal, Costa Rica, we took a dip in the natural hot springs, fueled by the nearby volcano. I nearly lost it when a giant black spider floated past me, but managed to hold it together for the sake of the experience.
We’d just spend the past couple days hiking in the rainforest, so the 100° water was a soothing balm to our muscles. After a few hours, once the sun had set and we were luxuriating in steamy darkness, I found myself way too relaxed to spare a thought to spiders.
DCBKK conference in Bangkok
Every October since 2017, I fly down to Bangkok for the annual DCBKK entrepreneur conference. One of my favorite parts is just reuniting with friends from all around the world who reconvene for a week of masterminds, biz talks, rooftop parties, and meetups. This conference is extra special to me, because it’s where Adam and I met six years ago. True love blooms in Bangkok.
Monitor lizards in the city
While in Bangkok for the DCBKK conference, my friends and I took a break from the confines of the hotel in order to get some fresh air. Monitor lizards live in the waterways in and around Bangkok, so we decided to go get a look. Within two minutes of us walking into Lumpini Park, we spotted our first monitor, and dozens more after that. It was a lovely outing as Kate, Charly and I caught up on each others’ lives, intermittently halting the flow of conversation to burst out laughing whenever a monitor’s head poked out of the water to peer over at us.
Quality time with Aurora & Apollo
I love these kids so much. One of the highlights of coming back home is spending time with my niece and nephew. Aurora enjoys “pickle time” (exactly what it sounds like– we eat pickles together), and exploring “Aunt Cat’s car”, probably because it’s a 2-seater Miata where she can crawl all around and press buttons. Her two favorite features are the horn (obviously) and the button to pop up the headlights. Wait until she sees what the roof can do.
Fun fact 1: the car is 28 years older than her.
Fun fact 2: both sets of her grandparents have Miatas. She clocked even more time in Florida exploring the other one. Future Miata enthusiast over here.
Hiking Colombia’s Cocora Valley
While living in Medellín with friends, we decided to take a mid-week hiking trip to Cocora Valley, a majestic slice of South America. Cocora’s claim to fame = the tallest palm trees not just in the Andes, but also in the world.
We knew we’d get caught in the rain, but we really wanted to complete the ten-mile loop around the valley, so we went for it. The first 3/4 of our hike = breathtaking beauty. The last 1/4 = hysterical laughing as we slipped & slid though a downpour + mud up to our ankles.
As soon as we got back to our Airbnb, we ordered a pizza and ate in the hot tub overlooking the rolling hills. A slice of pizza in one hand & a beer in the other = great ending to an adventurous trip. I feel so insanely grateful for this life.
I took 101 one-on-one Spanish lessons
In 2023, I prioritized something that’s been on my to-do list for awhile now: actually, truly put some effort into learning Spanish. So, I dove right in: In addition to daily Duolingo lessons for vocabulary building, I also signed up for one-on-one classes with a Spanish teacher through LiveLingua.
My first lesson in January was incredibly difficult for me, not just because of the challenge with language learning, but because it triggered deep feelings of ignorance and shame. I felt so stupid stumbling through my first lesson in my basic Spanish. My face was beet red throughout the entire call and I nearly hung up mid-lesson with a plan to blame it on a poor internet connection. But perseverance won through. (Although I did take a two-hour mental exhaustion nap immediately afterwards.)
Fast-forward twelve months: by December, I’m now at the point of actually looking forward to my Spanish lessons with Rocio, my fabulous teacher. My confidence has bloomed and I’m eager to get down to Latin America next year so I can practice my Spanish in the real world. Take that, limiting beliefs!
Reunited with CornNut
Last year, I fell hopelessly in love with a feral cat in Chiang Mai, who I affectionately named CornNut. When returning back to my same apartment in Chiang Mai this year, I didn’t want to get my hopes up– feral cats in Thailand don’t tend to live very long lives.
Imagine my shock when, shortly after arriving, I was walking through my neighborhood and CornNut darted towards me. I pulled out a pouch of cat food I carried just in case, and we were immediately back to our old routine.
Within seconds, CornNut’s baby from last year (now full grown CornNugget) trotted out of the bushes and joined his mom for a cat food feast. My daily interactions with the Corn family were among the highlights of my time in Chiang Mai this year.
2022 recap: Encounter 1: Meeting Cornnut • Encounter 2: Earning CornNut’s trust • Encounter 3: CornNut brings me her baby
Places I lived & traveled in 2023:
2023 marks my 7th full year living out of a suitcase as an expat. The world is a big place & I feel incredibly grateful for being able to dip my toes into a small slice of it.
Between Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, I spent the first chunk of the year in Latin America. This turned into the catalyst I needed to actually put some effort into learning Spanish (more on the above). My summer began in Spain, my landing spot before I hosted my third annual art retreat, which I held in Morocco this year. Autumn was the sweetest homecoming as I returned to my favorite place on earth, Chiang Mai. The couple months I had in Thailand flew by, and by November, I found myself in Africa, hiking the continent’s highest summit. I ended the year with family in Kansas City with a not-so-wonderful case of pneumonia that landed me in the hospital just before Christmas. I’m looking forward to a healthy start to 2024.
📍 Medellín, Colombia
At the end of 2022, I moved down to Medellín. A big group of friends were already down there and I got to plug right in: coworking at the nearby cafe, walking through the colorful barrios, working out at the same gym, and movie nights + marathoning Narcos (season 1: Pablo Escobar, obviously).
📍 Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Santa Teresa is a little slice of Central American heaven. Our house was within walking distance to the beach, which meant an evening routine of vivid sunsets over the Pacific. The whole vibe of this town is chill, healthy, and happy. I’m looking forward to even more time spent here in 2024.
📍 Mexico City, Mexico
This place really has it all. I’ve been in and out of CDMX a handful of times in the past few years, and it’s so just effortlessly easy– I get the benefit of big city amenities while enjoying a vibrant neighborhood packed with great restaurants, small art galleries, and massive city parks. Every evening, Adam and I would go for walks through the lush parks and come up with names for the dogs we passed.
📍 Malaga, Spain
This city has become a familiar pocket of Europe for me to return to each summer. We chose to stay in the same apartment as last year, which is within walking distance to the sea, the Alcazaba fortress, walking streets, and our favorite kabob shop. My favorite place, hands down, is Alley Cat Alley (I named it myself), where Malaga’s street cats congregate for socializing, sunbathing and dining. (Local volunteers keep these guys well fed.)
📍 Marrakesh, Morocco
Morocco was a new country and new continent for me. During my first walk through the Medina, I saw snake charmers with their cobras, monkeys on leashes, animal pelts, genie lamps, peacocks & pet falcons, and all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff. Decibel level: LOUD.
This place is anything but boring. Between the chaos of Marrakesh, hosting a retreat in Agadir, and some R&R time in Chefchaouen, Morocco was an adventure to say the least.
📍 Chefchaouen, Morocco
The Blue Pearl of Morocco. This was the perfect destination for chilling out, exploring, and hiking in the Rif mountains. (Adam painted three murals here, too!) We’d planned to stay for a few nights, but changed our plans and stuck around for nine days.
Not pictured: about 500 cats that wander around the city: loafing on steps, stretching out on sidewalks, hunting in the parks, and weaving between feet as we stroll down the street. (Classic cat move.) Luckily for me, pretty much every bodega sells cat food.
📍 Arenal, Costa Rica
My friends and I drove up to Arenal to explore the area and get a better feel for Costa Rica. I’ve already shared quite a bit about my experience here above (volcano hiking, hot springs, rainforest), but I’ll summarize it here in one sentence: See you again, soon, Costa Rica!
📍 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai has a special place in my heart: it was my first destination as a digital nomad back in 2016. I’ve returned every year (barring the pandemic) and each spell of time in this city is more nourishing than the last. Simply put, this is my happy place here on this planet.
📍 New York, USA
Between visiting my family in KC and Adam’s in Buffalo, we were both able to pack in some much-appreciated family time this year. Adam and I also squeezed in a few days in NYC between visiting his fam in Buffalo and flying to Spain. I got to reunite with my friends, Zak and Sam, for vintage shopping, street food, NY comedy, and just catching up on life in general.
📍 Tanzania, Africa
In November, I flew to Tanzania for a 3-week group tour with my friend’s travel company, Pamoja Safaris. We spent the first half of the trip on safari and the second half hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro. Three weeks of nonstop group activity definitely threw me out of my introverted comfort zone, but I think it’s important to challenge your routine from time to time. I fell in love with the natural raw beauty of Tanzania and had an unforgettable trip.
📍 Kansas City, USA
Home sweet home! This year, I’m more thankful for family than ever before. It was a challenging year in terms of health complications for my family and I wound up spending more time in the USA this year than any other year since I began traveling full-time. I’m so grateful that my flexible lifestyle allows me to easily change plans and return home when I need to, or simply take time off work to focus on what’s most important– family.
Giving back this year.
Alright, time to dial this back down to earth. Although I work very hard, I’ve also gotta admit that I live an incredibly privileged life and I have so much gratitude for that. I get to combine two of my passions, art and travel, and make a living as an artist.
So, I want to take a moment and, in the spirit of giving back, highlight a few organizations that are very dear to me. Here are eight non-profits that I support and hope you will, too.
I donated funds to build an outdoor cattery for Hand to Paw.
Last year while I was in Chiang Mai, I attended a workshop led by Amandine of Hand to Paw, an organization that helps dogs and cats of Northern Thailand. During the event, she provided resources and advice to those of us who were interested in getting involved with helping the stray animals in and around Chiang Mai.
Immediately after that event, I set up automatic monthly donations to her organization to provide funding for mass spay and neuter events, vaccines, heart worm and tick medicine, and miscellaneous medical fees. For the past year, I’ve been contributing monthly donations to help cover a fraction of these costs.
This year, when I arrived back in Chiang Mai, I saw a post on the Hand to Paw Facebook page: They urgently needed donations to build an outdoor housing shelter for 26 cats. A women in Mae Tang is known as the local animal lover and people keep dumping cats onto her property. She reached out to Hand To Paw because her neighbor had gotten upset again with her animals. The cats had been attacking the neighbor's chickens and the neighbor was threatening to poison the cats if it continued.
No one likes the idea of putting animals in cages (but being poisoned to death is a very real threat here in Thailand) so Hand to Paw decided to raise funds to build an extra large outdoor cattery filled with toys, cat trees, and hammocks all around. We are hoping that once the neighbors have seen that considerable efforts have been made, they can talk about a compromise, like letting the cats out at night for example.
Because of the urgency, I donated enough to get the cattery built ASAP. A local engineer worked with builders and the entire structure was finished in only five days. In addition to moving into their new safe home, all the cats have been vaccinated and all but the two youngest kittens have been sterilized.
I bought two washing machines for Lanta Animal Welfare.
This year, I purchased two new washing machines for Lanta Animal Welfare. Back in March, they posted an urgent request on their Facebook page: Their old washing machine had broken down and they needed a replacement immediately. If you’ve ever volunteered at an animal shelter, you know how much the staff depends on washing machines to provide clean bedding. At Lanta Animal Welfare, the washing machine is run 16 hours a day, seven days a week, never taking a single holiday.
Without a working washer, Lanta Animal Welfare was in real trouble. Their rescue dogs and cats need lots and lots of bedding and that creates dozens of kilograms of washing every day. With rainy season fast approaching, the need for a replacement washer was more urgent than ever before.
Lanta Animal Welfare is the only animal shelter on Koh Lanta, a small Thai island. I first visited Lanta Animal Welfare back in 2017 while on vacation. In the mornings, I volunteered at the shelter as a dog-walker because it was a fabulous way to start the day- a morning walk with a couple dogs for company. I was impressed by how well-organized and clean the facilities were. This is the only resource on the island to help these animals. I’ve been donating intermittently ever since.
12 years and 463 micro loans with Kiva
Kiva is a nonprofit that allows you to lend money to low-income entrepreneurs. Every month for the past twelve years, I choose a woman from a developing nation and contribute a small amount to help her grow her business.
Each micro loan is as small as $25 each, but with enough lenders pooling money together, these women can reach their larger business goals.
Kiva harnessed the power of micolending and made it accessible to everyone. Help someone help themselves, too. Lend here.
2 years with Kotor Kitties
I first visited Kotor, Montengro back in 2018 to visit my friend, Kate. (Pictured above in my “friends in Chiang Mai” highlight.) Kate introduced me to the coastal town of Kotor, a medieval fortified port town in the Mediterranean. I fell in love with the Old City and returned only a few weeks after I left for more hiking trails, epic views, and cats.
I returned again in 2021, which is when I learned about Kotor Kitties, an organization that helps the homeless cats of Montenegro live healthier lives and reduces the homeless population through spaying and neutering.
1 year and 536 trees planted with Ecologi
Offset your carbon footprint. When you donate to Ecologi, you’re supporting a fairly broad range of projects geared at reducing or avoiding greenhouse gas emissions.
One aspect that really resonates with me is the heavy emphasis on reforestation projects. It’s now common knowledge that one of the best tools to tackle the climate crisis and keep our temperatures from rising above 1.5C is to plant trees. They are also crucial in preventing ecological collapse. Ecologi supports partners who grow millions of trees per month.
11 months with Children of Medellín
While we were in Medellín earlier this year, Adam donated a mural to Children of Medellín. When he finished painting his mural and came back home, he told me about the organization and the incredible work they do for over 500 children and their families in the city center and in the barrios of Medellín.
I found their organization online and set up monthly donations through PayPal to contribute to their cause. I’m grateful for how easy it is for me to give back to the community in a place that I had the privilege of calling “home” for a couple months this year.
8 years with Unbound
Sponsor a child in need. Unbound allows you to sponsor a child anywhere in the world. At $40/month per child, you can help a family lift themselves out of poverty.
Your contribution directly benefits the specific individual you choose to sponsor and helps meet their basic needs.
Plus, you get to engage with your child through letters, photos, and birthday cards.
I’ve been able to watch my “kids” grow up over the years and pursue their dreams of higher education from India to the Philippines.
2 years with Animal Welfare Institute
Reduce Animal Suffering. Animal Welfare Institute seeks better treatment of animals everywhere— in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild. Here’s some of what your donation helps AWI accomplish:
Abolish factory farms, support high-welfare family farms, and achieve humane slaughter for animals raised for food
Improve the housing and handling of animals in research, and encourage alternatives to experimentation on live animals
Preserve species threatened with extinction, and protect wildlife from harmful exploitation and destruction of critical habitat
2 years with Wildlife Conservation Society
Save Wildlife & Wild Places. Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. WCS works with local people and governments in over 40 of the best wild places on the planet.
WCS's goal is to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions, home to more than 50% of the world's biodiversity.
Their goal is a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth.
1 year with Thai Freedom House
Support refugees from Burma and minority peoples of Thailand. In the aftermath of 2021’s military coup d'état in Myanmar, Burmese refugees streaming over the Thai border need support now more than ever.
Thai Freedom House is one of the only full resource centers that addresses the varied needs of Thailand’s population of refugees. Your donation will directly support displaced people who are struggling to survive.
