I started as a designer, but kept climbing that corporate ladder until I just managed stuff and tried to avoid the politics. Except for my team, no one seemed to know what I did, or why. It was a total bummer.
Every morning, my friend Tenacious B, called to chat. We shared the misery and and tried to figure out why corporations reward mediocrity, and promote people who have no business managing others. Bold, smart and funny, neither of us really belonged there.
We’d make jokes, and say, “That should be a t-shirt!” Finally we decided to REALLY make t-shirts. She was the sales mastermind, and I had total creative freedom, something seriously lacking in my day-to-day existence.
You should never ask a woman her age, but I will divulge that I was born in 1968, and she was born in 1980. Do not do the math. The point is, that 68-80 became 680, and Six Eighty & Co. was born. I had no idea at the time that our little side gig would become the tiny spark of joy in my workweek.
Eventually, my job was eliminated. The first thing my husband said was, “Maybe this is a good thing. You were so unhappy, and you never would have left.” He was right.
It took me months to thaw from the iceberg that was my corporate existence. Six Eighty & Co. gave me focus and kept me sane. I went from, “I have to find another corporate job,” through, “Hey maybe I don’t want that,” to, “I’m so grateful I don’t have to work there any more.” Now I focus on Six Eighty & Co., and run my own design studio.