Welcome to Studio Experiments
A behind-the-scenes look at my art studio practice, and thoughts on crafting a creative and meaningful life
Great to meet you
I’m Bernadette, an artist, writer, and leadership coach. I started my career at Google and Twitter. I was on a path with a lot of momentum, but I wondered if it was the right (or only) direction for me.
To explore these questions, I started making art while working full-time–on nights, weekends, and early mornings. I share my story and this body of work in my first book. A year later, I had my first solo show at the SFMOMA Artists Gallery.
From my studio, I started coaching mid-career and experienced professionals who are going through job transitions.
So, how does my art and coaching fit together? As you’ll see from this newsletter, they are simply fractals of one another. Mutually interdependent, they nourish and inspire one another. To use a metaphor from weaving, tech and coaching form the “warp” (vertical, y-axis) and art is the “weft” (horizontal, x-axis). Together, they create a fabric that’s soft, strong, and whole.
Through my work, I continue to challenge readers and viewers around the world to consider the lives that we’re creating for ourselves and for one another. In tracing my ongoing journey from separation to wholeness, I invite others to do the same.
You can find me on my website, on Twitter, and on Instagram.
About this newsletter
The word “studio” comes from the Latin word studium, “study.” Both art and coaching use questions as the main tools of inquiry. In both art and coaching, I am as much as a student as a teacher or guide.
Like many creatives, I see my studio practice as a laboratory, a place where I can explore, try things out, and fail. One of the books that has inspired my journey is Gandhi’s autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth.
In this newsletter, I share the smaller projects, experiences, concepts, and skills that form the building blocks of my creative practice. Through these notes, you can trace the development of my work. Hopefully they help inspire studies of your own.
In the meantime, tell your friends!