1) My Painting Partner
When I won the Wesleyan Distinguished Alumni Award, my college advisor, Kit Hall, gave me this paint brush. It belonged to my Wesleyan art professor, the late Mary Apple, who taught me to love art history, drawing and painting — and who once awarded me a first-place ribbon for a still-life I painted.

2) My Stress Outlet
From someone I admire — Debra Morrow, creative genius and former creative director and partner of Witherspoon Advertising — this “Emergency Clown Nose” reminds me to keep things fun in this mad advertising world.

3) My Gumby Mini
The Gumby and Pokey cartoon is a childhood favorite of mine. The career I’ve chosen is full of deadlines and dynamism. No day is the same. Perched on my desk, Gumby daily reminds me to be flexible no matter what adversity I face — and not to take things too seriously.

4) My Connection to the Past
Old, vintage photographs have always spoken to me. This photo especially — it shows my grandmother, Dormalee (center), and two of her sisters, Kathleen (left) and Jane (right), sitting on a Model T. This is only half of the entire clan!

5) My Idea Zone
There’s something nostalgic about lined paper, reminiscent of elementary school. I have such an affinity for notepads, especially ones like this (created by aplcreations.com) where each page reveals a different type of paper.

6) My Trusty Exacto
This exacto knife has been with me since my college graphic design classes, and we use it in our office to this day. I can’t claim it’s “lucky.” It sliced off my finger tip and left me with scars from multiple stab wounds… But there’s something rewarding about using this knife to put together a beautiful mockup for a client.

7) My Handy Power Tool
I use this Black & Decker Gyro all the time — particularly when I’m framing art. Small and lightweight enough for my ridiculously small hands, this drill makes all five-foot-two of me feel powerful and handy.