Hi, I'm Courtney. Okay, enough about me.

Ack, you want to know more? I'm a private person so I've opted not to share too much about myself online. I'm based in the United States, I'm married with one puppy and hopefully more on the way, and I live in the suburbs. I won't say how old I am, but, well, I've lived.

In my day job, I manage a small team of consultants in the US and the UK, helping customers implement our company's software. I have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, a Master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and more than 15 years of experience in HR and Technology. Like I said, I've lived.

None of this qualifies me to build a website, run an online blog centered on creators, or be a creator myself. But, like managing people or somehow remembering to feed people and puppies every day, I figured it out.

And now, here we are.

More than a decade ago I moved across the country and was looking for a way to keep in touch with friends and keep family updated on my move. I created a blog and a Twitter account and documented my travels for awhile. As often happens, I got distracted and slowly my blog faded into the background.

Fast forward a few years and I started a new blog, more personal and present than the first. It went well for awhile but I became increasingly uncomfortable with sharing so much that was so personal with so many people. So, I slowly faded into the background.

Then I discovered Instagram, a photo based social media site. I don't like posting pictures of myself and my photography skills are less than spectacular. I quickly found I didn't have or couldn't find enough images to support what I wanted to say. So, I started creating my own as Lady Bluebottle.

My account grew and I started connecting with other creators and building a community of followers. One day, Instagram was down and I felt lost. What would happen if this community just disappeared? How would we find each other? Where would I get my daily dose of beautifully illustrated, encouraging quotes?

The Inkstand isn't the first online community I've built but it might be the most important one, and I'm not doing it alone. You're here too. It's a space where we can show up as we are, get inspired, and encourage each other. Our mission is to bring together creators and the people who love them, in a welcoming environment that fosters community, creativity, and kindness.

I really hope we do just that. Together.