Community, Creativity, & Purpose
Let’s Grow Together.
I Design Growth Ecosystems for Creative Leaders and Organizations
Hi, I’m Leah. This all started with trying to convince people that being an artist was a real job.
Now I build systems that help artists operate like real business owners and design experiential rooms where people confront their purpose rather than chase it.
I’ve spent the last decade learning the hard way what actually works when you’re building community, scaling a creative organization, and trying not to accidentally burn the whole thing down in the process.
Now I design systems and rooms that help leaders grow without romanticizing the struggle, because growth isn’t a vibe. It’s infrastructure.
I didn’t learn this the easy way.
I built a creative workforce organization from scratch in one of the highest-failure industries… (arts AND nonprofit!). No roadmap. No business training. Just instinct, debt, burnout, and a decade of figuring it out in real time.
I grew up with the organization. That meant real wins, real financial risk, and learning the hard way what actually makes something sustainable instead of just exciting.
Here’s what I know now: Community doesn’t grow because it’s inspiring. It grows because it’s structured. Purpose doesn’t scale because you talk about it. It scales when there’s infrastructure strong enough to hold it.
For a long time, I romanticized the struggle. Scrappy felt noble and relatable. Now I understand growth requires systems, not just passion.
We are moving into an era where ecosystems matter more than individuals. If you feel called to build something, you are not behind. But you do need structure that can survive your ambition.
That is the work I do now. I live a life of coherence instead of trial and error, and I would love to show you how to do it too.
Developing Artist Collaboration (DAC)
The Ecosystem I Built. Now Built to Outlast Me.
DAC is the creative workforce organization I built from scratch over the last decade. What started as proving artists deserve to be paid has grown into a multi-program ecosystem serving over a thousand creatives. I’ve created spaces (like West Side Creative Market from an empty parking lot!) that have generated over $2.1 million in artist sales.
Today, DAC runs flagship local programs, markets, workforce initiatives, and community events. And now, with experienced leadership stepping into day-to-day operations, the organization is positioned to thrive beyond founder dependency.
I built it. I scaled it. Now I’m strengthening it to last.
Emerge
Our 2025 Emerge Cohort - the group that took the leap of faith with us.
A Workforce Pathway for Creative Businesses
Emerge is where my energy lives. It’s a structured, year-long creative workforce program built specifically for artists running real businesses in the real world. Not hype or an overnight success system. Infrastructure.
Artists move differently than traditional businesses. I had to learn that the hard way. Emerge is built around that reality, to make tools for artists built by artists.
Inside Emerge:
• A custom business tools app integrating AI, audits, productivity, and project management
• A five-month structured video framework
• Consistent virtual and in-person community
• Post-framework expert support and strategic integration
We’re expanding regionally in partnership with the Delaware Art Museum and the Delaware Division of the Arts to transform how artists build sustainable careers.
If DAC was the proof of concept, Emerge is the model.
Purpose in Progress
Experiential Rooms for Leaders Who Are Building Something Real
Purpose in Progress isn’t a motivational talk, or an ice-breaker, or for god’s sake, not a team bonding activity for me to deliver before the keynote speaker.
It’s a facilitated experience for founders, teams, and leaders who feel the tension between ambition and alignment.
Through collaborative abstract painting, structured reflection, and facilitated integration, participants confront their purpose rather than chase it.
Purpose stops being a destination. It becomes something you build capacity to hold.
This work lives in retreats, leadership rooms, and curated experiences for people building movements, organizations, and new models.