We’ve always believed that forming a strategy is impossible until your clear on what your values and principles are. Without values and principles to guide you, making decisions can seem impossibly difficult. Given how important setting values and principles is to decision making we asked folks we admire to tell us about the values or principles that matter most to them.

Jared LaCroix | Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director

Community matters most to us. We have a festival that fosters a diverse and vibrant community of artists and movie lovers. We also try to keep our pass prices low, and we offer a variety of passes so that barriers to the OIFF community are as low as possible. It’s our privilege to partner with students and faculty at Ouray School, which widens our festival community through educational initiatives. Read more>>

Katie Hathor Jones | Abstract Expressionist Artist

There is one value that I hold most strongly in the pursuit of my artistic career, make the art that moves through me. It’s incredibly important for me that I allow my work to be propelled by my curiosities. If I become distracted by what I think people might want, I lose the vitality that is required to make work with energy, and it’s the energy of a piece that people connect to. They feel something in the work that resonates with something inside themselves and meaning is made. Read more>>

Jackie Reynolds | Designer & Motivational Speaker

As a surface pattern designer I can create graphics on surfaces ranging from home decor products, clothing and anything else in between. Some of my graphics are influenced by my interest in the complex geometric art of mandalas. One of my greatest accomplishments to date is having my products sold on WayFair, Overstock, Joss & Main & Kavka Designs for a number of years. I am proud to be extremely creative, genuinely kind and an innovator of original designs. Read more>>

Ruth (RJ) Lawlor | Visual artist

Living in a place surrounded by natural beauty is a gift that influences and shapes my values, It is my aspiration to convey my appreciation for the transcendent beauty that envelopes me. Read more>>