At work, Colleen Tartow is the Field CTO and Head of Strategy at Vast Data, but when her laptop closes for the day, she picks up a pen. Yes, this tech maven’s artistic outlet is modern calligraphy—and it’s more than just a pastime. Hear how calligraphy has influenced her personal and professional lives in interesting ways and why she absolutely does not want to craft invites for your wedding. Whether you’ve got your own feathered quill or not, you’ll still appreciate Colleen’s artistic flourish in this inspiring episode.

Highlights:

One: Calligraphy as a Tech Escape: Calligraphy provides Colleen with a much-needed creative and therapeutic outlet after work.

Two: Practical Calligraphy Tips: Like most good hobbies, calligraphy is all about the gear: pens, custom-mixed inks, and paper.

Three: Real Talk on Focus: If you feel fidgety during meetings, calligraphy might help be the answer.

Four: Personal Expressions: Colleen incorporates humor and personality into her calligraphy, like her ornate "take the motherf**king leap" piece. A reminder that art can be both beautiful and hilariously real.

Jump into the conversation:

05:03 Decided to take calligraphy courses during pandemic downtime.
12:11 Quality printer paper with a smooth texture is recommended.
17:21 Colleen prefers traditional, flourished calligraphy and has developed her own style.
22:07 How to overcome an overactive imagination: chill and take one step forward.