A career software engineer with a passion for all things creative, Colette has long dabbled in graphic design and branding for friends. In late 2023, she finally picked up a paintbrush—and hasn’t put it down since. Painting quickly became an unmatched outlet for her creativity and proved to be deeply therapeutic.

This journey is where the mantra “Don’t Follow the Herd” came to be. A former volleyball player at Marshall University (home of the Thundering Herd), her senior year took an unexpected turn with the blessing of her son Logan’s birth. At that moment, she chose to give up her scholarship and leave the herd behind.

Decades later, the emotions she had carried for nearly 30 years found their release through art. Her son, who shares her love of creativity, reminds her that leaving the herd behind was the best decision she ever made and inspires her to honor her true self.

Her journey now blends painting and photography, as she uses her photographs as the foundation for bold, creative expressions on canvas. Fittingly, she encountered an actual herd while celebrating her 50th birthday in Wyoming—a subtle nod that her journey is exactly where it’s meant to be.