Some projects come full circle

I met Todd in design school. Back then, we were both trying to figure things out, learning the software, staying up too late, building portfolios, and wondering what our careers might eventually look like. Like most people starting out, I assumed creative careers would move in a fairly straight line.

They rarely do.

Over the years, our paths moved in different directions. Todd built an impressive career leading brand and creative teams, while I spent years working across branding, murals, packaging, illustration, music, and projects that didn't always fit neatly into one category. Life happened, careers evolved, and eventually we found ourselves working together again.

Before the murals at LendingTree, there were smaller projects. One of the first was a series of time-lapsed chalkboard illustrations created for social media. The work performed well, which led to more opportunities and, more importantly, more trust. Looking back, those projects were less about chalk on a wall and more about learning how each other worked. How ideas were discussed, refined, challenged, and executed.

Over time, that trust grew.

Years later, Todd called with a different kind of opportunity. LendingTree was opening a new headquarters in Charlotte and had an idea for a series of large-scale murals representing the company's core principles. The kind of project that requires trust from the beginning. Not just trust in the design itself, but trust in the process and in the person carrying it through.

Some ideas sound unusual before they become something people believe in. In this case, that included painting large black squares directly onto walls in a brand new office before the murals started to take shape.

Over four long days, those walls transformed into six murals, each with its own personality while still feeling connected to something larger. The finished murals became part of the space, but the thing I remember most isn't the paint, the scale, or even the final result. What stays with me is the relationship behind the work and the confidence to call someone years later because you believe they'll care about the outcome as much as you do.

The story didn't end there. Todd has since moved into a new role at Guitar Center and, once again, we're working together. Different company, different challenge, different season of life. The same relationship.

I've thought about that more as the years go by. Creative careers are often built slower than we expect. Less through breakthrough moments and more through years of showing up, staying curious, doing good work, and treating people well along the way.

The projects change, titles change, companies change. Sometimes the people don't.

Some projects come full circle. Occasionally, if you're lucky, the relationships behind them do too.