My First Portland Market!
Creative Entrepreneurship, Process Documentation Estella Tse Creative Entrepreneurship, Process Documentation Estella Tse

My First Portland Market!

Huzzah! Look, mah! My first time selling in-person in Portland!

It was ultra special and meaningful for me to start boothing at my own neighborhood’s annual summer fair — the Foster Summer Soirée!

This chapter for me is about focusing on the places + circles I can influence. Coming from Oakland, I believe strongly in grassroots efforts — putting in energy and love to my direct neighborhood and region. When it’s clear the govt isn’t there to support us, we must rely on each other to create the world we want.

For me, this means:…..

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Recalibration and Cycles
Art, Creative Entrepreneurship, Designing a Sustainable Life, Daily Creative Practice Estella Tse Art, Creative Entrepreneurship, Designing a Sustainable Life, Daily Creative Practice Estella Tse

Recalibration and Cycles

From my XR era, I’m so used to SPRINTING my way thru projects, creativity, and - well — life itself!

I’m learning to do SLOW AND STEADY these days. Taking my learnings from compounding wealth, I am learning to build strong • steady • progressive. What is this “marathon” way of designing life? 😂


With my creative process right now, I feel like it is:

  • Creating for Me:

    • Quieter, inward, reflective days

    • Painting and creating art pieces as my heart and soul needs + desires

  • Generating revenue:

    • Moments of sprints and intensity with market or shop pushes

    • This is where my high level brain gets to do creative R&D experimenting with products, workflow, optimization. Testing, building, deep-diving into things like building out my user journeys, how audiences might experience my work, tech integrations into physical art, etc……

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First Print Run: Performance, Lessons, & Learnings!
Process Visualization, Augmented Reality, Process Documentation, Creative Entrepreneurship Estella Tse Process Visualization, Augmented Reality, Process Documentation, Creative Entrepreneurship Estella Tse

First Print Run: Performance, Lessons, & Learnings!

Success! I launched my first print run, featuring my new line of physical products — greeting cards and mini-prints to start!

Why go from VR/AR art to greeting cards? What the heck, Estella?

I’m still thinking and building immersively! I realize that my creation approach is always weaving in and out of dimensions, physicality, and designing for emotionally meaningful experiences.

Just like how traditional illustration has influenced my 3D work, my virtual work is influencing my physical work now.

I believe the world needs more beauty, more authenticity, and more tangible and FELT connection right now.

I also am using this as a pathway for my physical + XR creations. 👀👀👀 Stay tuned via my newsletter for my future XR-activated physical art pieces!

This is a long blog post with all of my “behind the scenes” thoughts and strategies for my first print run. Read on!

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Daily Painting Workflow
Process Visualization, Art, Daily Creative Practice, Resources Estella Tse Process Visualization, Art, Daily Creative Practice, Resources Estella Tse

Daily Painting Workflow

Do you love data visualization and making creativity sound super rigid and analytical?
Well, welcome to my brain! 😂

I’m trying to get into the habit of visualizing, documenting, and sharing my process and flow. I’m a kinesthetic and visual learner, and words help me feel structured. Documentation is something I love to do! It takes time but it’s the “show my work” portion of my creative process.

I think most illustrators would show their process via drawings and even fun zine/comics style. Welp! I do charts! And HOW-TO docs! 😂😂😂 Perhaps why my friend Heather has called me “Data Maiden” more times than once!……….

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you can’t save everybody
Art, Daily Creative Practice, Writings on Life Estella Tse Art, Daily Creative Practice, Writings on Life Estella Tse

you can’t save everybody

Being with ultra compassionate and empathy-driven friends, this is something we’ve been learning — and still struggle with.


Or maybe that people can be saved - but not by me.


There’s a limit of what can be done; there’s a limit of how much can be given; there’s a limit to capability and capacity.

I spoke tenderly to a friend last week about how there’s a part of me that wanted to be the hero. I wanted to take pride in being the savior. There’s so much history loaded there with my role in my family and the pain I wanted to take away (and absorb!!!) from my parents. If I could hold it, maybe they wouldn’t have to suffer. I was young, I had so much capacity, I could be their container.


I think that showed up in some of my hardest moments in life, too.

If I don’t have needs or wants, I could make sure others will be released from their suffering.


Martyr mentality! WHOOF!!!…….

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Cultivating a Creative Practice
Designing a Sustainable Life, Writings on Life Estella Tse Designing a Sustainable Life, Writings on Life Estella Tse

Cultivating a Creative Practice

Since I began my daily meditation + painting practice, I’ve had these post-its around me.

To lessen the pressure of “doing things right,” perfectionism, and immediately think about making things into sellable products, it helped to focus on CURIOSITY.

What happens if I do this?
What if I show up every morning and do this?
How can I engage in PLAY with my creativity again?
WHAT is my creativity right now?

It’s clear my creative endeavors rarely stay stagnant. Likely the reason why I love working in Innovation — I never get bored!

But my goal right now isn’t to hustle and chase the unachievable. My goal right now is to create a sustainable, long-lasting life….

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