Lessons in Gratitude: What Running a Creative Business Has Taught me
Photo by Cecilia Badilla Photo
Running a creative business is one part art, one part strategy, and one part “I’ll tackle that after school pickup.” If you’re an entrepreneur, especially a woman or mother, you know building a business, just like raising a family, is never a straight line. The squiggles resemble another piece of pre-school art that I accidentally just set my second cup of coffee on. But between the late night inspiration and the early morning wake-up calls, there is an unwavering belief that work can (and should) fit into a life you actually enjoy.
Over the years, I’ve learned that gratitude isn’t just a feeling. Gratitude is a skill that takes practice, and one that helps shape how I lead, create, collaborate, and show up for my creative team and my clients. While The Look & The Feel has grown, shifted, and redefined itself many times, the lessons I’ve gathered since its creation have become the heart of my work here.
And I want to share with you the biggest lessons so far.
The Joy of Supporting Someone Else’s Dream
We’ve all heard it many times: “it takes a village.”
And whoever said it first (and last) was right. Running a creative studio has taught me that entrepreneurship is never a solo act. Behind every website, every logo, and every blog is someone brave enough to imagine something that doesn’t yet exist. Every time I get to help someone build a brand, someone else is taking a risk. They are wanting a life that looks like their own version of success instead of the 9-5 grind that was forced upon them. And that is beautiful.
I’ve always been grateful for the people who support my dreams, especially in recent seasons of juggling child care with client calls. Now, I get to return that support to my clients.
But beyond that, what fills me with the most gratitude is getting to work with other women and mothers who aren’t just building for profit. They’re building for passion, for purpose, and for freedom. They are dreaming of a life that allows them to show up for their family, their creativity, their mental and physical health, and their community. And that knowingness lights me up more than any number in a Quickbooks spreadsheet.
Finding Your Authentic Voice
If there is one truth I’ve learned over the years, it’s that your brand voice doesn’t magically appear. It isn’t something solid and concrete. It grows and matures with you. It adapts. It has to.
The Look & The Feel has evolved many times over the years, especially after my former business partner, Shelly, stepped away. That transition forced me to reflect on what my voice truly was, not just the voice I had inherited from a shared brand identity. And if I’m honest, that process was equally as uncomfortable and messy as it was clarifying and freeing.
Authenticity isn’t about picking a tone and sticking to it forever. It’s about being willing to shift, move, and expand as you do. And it’s also about trusting your audience and clients enough to bring them along for the often uncertain ride.
Is TL&TF exactly what I imagined it would be 8 years ago?
No.
And I’m grateful for it.
Because the hard moments have taught me even more than the good moments. It has revealed who I want to be as a founder and creative director: a grounded, intentional leader who is unafraid of change.
The Power of an All-Women Creative Team
I’ve said it before and I may say it a few more times, too. One of the greatest joys of this business has been building a team of women who totally get the vision. My team understands what it’s like to pause a meeting because school calls. Or needing to send a Slack message from the carpool line. Or the need for a random wellness day.
We don’t only share project workspaces and task boards, we share the same values:
Flexibility
Empathy
Curiosity
Passion
and the desire to design work around life, not the other way around.
And because of that alignment and ability to honor everyone’s process, the wheels keep turning. When one of us needs to take a step back, another steps forward to lead. Because we all trust in the ebb and flow of life, and in creative partnerships.
And for that, I’m endlessly grateful for the creative brilliance, resilience, and friendship they bring to every project. The energy of a women-led team hits differently. It’s collaborative, supportive, deeply human. It’s exactly the work we’re trying to create and the types of businesses we love to support.
Supporting Women Owned Brands – and Why It Matters
While we serve a variety of clients from all walks of life, the bulk of our work is with women-owned businesses. And there is a reason that feels so wonderful.
More often than not, women entrepreneurs often build companies with values at the center.
They focus on people over profit.
They care about their communities.
They care about the impact their work makes on others and the planet.
They strive for balance and they care about creating something heart-felt and sustainable.
But with only 2.3% of venture capital funding going to women led businesses, the support for these much needed brands is still severely depleted.
I want to provide guidance, inspiration, and creative structure to the movers, shakers, dreamers, and artists. Whether it's a wellness coach, a mental health counselor, a creative educator, a lifestyle brand, or a non-profit organization, we have the pleasure of seeing these businesses grow and thrive because they reflect the values of connection, care, and authenticity (qualities we can all agree are needed in this world).
It’s because of that, we’ve built Embark Website foundations specifically for these industries and customizable to your brand’s look and feel.
These budget-conscious, timeline-friendly Squarespace foundations allow busy owners, fresh new brands, and purpose-driven entrepreneurs to build something beautiful and affordable, with our support and expertise.
The Magic of Collaboration
Whether it is a quick doodle on a napkin or a full length novel, no one can deny that creating a new world from a single idea is a form of magic. That is no different for business design.
Imagine sitting with a client who is equal parts nervous and hopeful, listening to the dream they’ve been holding tightly for years. You create a safe space for them to finally speak the dream aloud, and have the privilege of being able to say:
“Yes! I see it. Let’s build it together.”
Watching an idea turn into a visual identity, and then into a functioning, beautiful website? It is a kind of alchemy I’ll never grow tired of. Collaboration reminds me how connected we all are, even though we’re a fully remote, online agency. Eventually, that connection grows into shifts in confidence, an excited audience, and an impact that reaches far beyond a .com domain.
(And if you’re considering a more creative domain for your brand, here’s a helpful article on alternatives to .com.)
The Freedom to Focus on What Really Matters
One of the biggest reasons I started this business was to build something flexible enough to fit my life, not consume it. My daughters, my ceramic business, the joy of surfing and hiking, my mental health… those things matter more than a new color palette or an incoming invoice (And yes, I know I shouldn’t be admitting that as a designer).
Because of that, over time, gratitude has shown up in the form of boundaries.
Do you know the joy of logging off early?
Or actually embracing the slower, darker season of Winter?
Do you give yourself permission to rest (and not just mindlessly scroll)?
As a business owner, there are moments when those boundaries feel scary. The “What If” monster rears its ugly head in and tells me people will be insulted or hurt if I honor my own needs. Or it growls and insists that if I slow down, my business will lose traction.
But the exact opposite has happened. I know that sustainability beats hustle culture every time. Creating boundaries has allowed me to trust more. It has allowed me to bypass my yearly burnout (and write helpful blogs like this to ensure other creatives don’t burn out, too). And I don’t just want that for me and my team, I want that for my clients, too.
At The Look & The Feel, our goal is simple:
Let us do the hard work for you, so you can reclaim your time for what matters most.
Whether it’s picking up your kids early, taking a phone-free walk, or sitting quietly with a cup of coffee that hasn’t gone cold yet… it matters. Life is too short to spend it buried in brand decisions and endless Canva boards. Let us do what we do best, so you can do what you do best.
In Gratitude—and in Partnership
Running TL&TF has been one of the great privileges of my life. It has stretched me, grounded me, inspired me, and connected me with some of the most incredible dreamers. If there is one lesson at the center of it all, it’s this:
Build something meaningful. It is always worth it. And doing it with others makes it even better.
Ready to build a brand that gives you your time and joy back?
Let us bring your vision to life… together.
