Ideas aren’t everything, execution matters greatly, but starting often requires an idea and so we asked folks to think back and tell us the story of how they came up with the idea for their businesses. We’ve highlighted some of our favorite stories below.

Ceanti Aldridge | Your new favorite Design Strategist

Since middle school, I always knew I wanted to be some type of a designer. It was a fashion designer then and then in college, an interior designer. But throughout those earlier desires, I was always playing around with graphic design, making programs for my church, cards for my mom, posters for my sorority, etc. I also tinkered around with making websites for myself. So graphic design has always been a part of what I’ve done, I just started to take it more seriously. Read more>>

Amanda Lee | Family Communications Consultant & Author

The idea for my business came to me, actually, when I was using art to process and heal from my exceptionally unhealthy marriage. Ever since I was a kid, I used my little doodles in all of my school projects, regardless of the subject. I didn’t draw much at all throughout the course of my marriage but when I was standing face-to-face with the hard truth that I was likely emotionally-abused and needed to get divorced after 12 years and 3 kids, the desire to draw little pictures came back to help me process my pain. Read more>>

Ryan O’Brien | Founder and Instructor, Sanctum Drawing School

Drawing has always been a part of my life, and was honestly one of the most frustrating trials of my young adulthood. I struggled deeply with focus and self-discipline. Through a few lucky hires, I started earning money drawing and, with support from my parents, enrolled in formal art training right after high school. Entering the art school environment was eye-opening, and it was the first time drawing landed with me as a form of meditation. It was an anchor for my attention. Read more>>