Exploring the Next Draft

I grew up roaming the high desert of the Sandia mountains, catching frogs in a northern Wisconsin lake, and exploring the underground tunnels of Albuquerque. In short, I was a wild child.

I recognized my inherent curiosity and need for exploration early. My college essay titled “Peak Fever” talks about my desire to reach the top of mountains so I can see what lies beyond.

For a time, I ranged freely. I studied abroad twice, traveled to over 30 countries, and launched a purpose-driven travel company.

Eventually, the need to pay rent caught up with me. I worked as a freelance marketer and shape-shifted into roles as a product manager, lead designer, web developer, and manager, depending on what was needed.

There were parts of each role I enjoyed, but I often felt limited. I knew I was in trouble when I found myself vibing to the song “Don’t Fence Me In” by Roy Rogers.

I continued to accumulate skills, titles, and some accolades, but none of them added up to anything that made sense to me or provided clues to a long-term direction.

So, I took a break and went on a creative sabbatical. And while it’s only been a month, I understand myself better. I’ve spotted patterns in past experiences and reframed my wide-ranging curiosity as an asset rather than a distraction.

Here’s what I found out about myself:

1. I’m driven by the feeling of discovery, specifically finding ideas hidden in plain sight or framing something in a way that shifts perspective.
2. My creativity is highly associative. I connect dots, synthesize ideas, and think in systems. That requires ranging across teams, disciplines, and mediums.
3. I picked up skills in design, code, and marketing as a way to chase ideas and bring them to life. My technical skills support how I explore and express ideas, but I’ve never felt comfortable with the labels of designer, developer, or marketer.
4. I thought entrepreneurship would be my path: pick a problem and solve it. And maybe it might still be, but recently, I’ve found more fulfillment in sharing ideas and supporting others.

I won’t make the mistake of thinking my work will fill all these needs. I’ll continue to write, create, and pursue the “good life” regardless. But I also won’t give up the search for paid work that feels good to me.

After a chapter of introspection, I’m turning outward—looking for the next setting in my story. Somewhere open-ended and hungry for ideas, where I can connect people and possibilities. Ideally, a place that lets the wild child in me roam a bit. If it’s in Maine, even better.

If you know of a community, organization, or person who would benefit from meeting me (and vice versa), please share this with them or connect us.

Some places I suspect I’d thrive:

• Accelerator or Venture Studio (EIR or Mentor)
• Venture Capital or Other Investment Ecosystems (Platform Roles)
• Innovation Group or Consultancy (e.g., TNC Agility Lab, Biomimicry Launchpad)
• Interdisciplinary Creative Studio (e.g., Ideo, MIT Medialab)
• Higher Ed Program with an Entrepreneurship Focus

Better yet, open my eyes to something I haven’t considered. If I’ve learned anything through this process, it’s that we often don’t know ourselves as well as we think. We need mirrors in the form of writing, reflection, and conversation.