A Message from Anna: How Saint Scout Came to Be
Starting Saint Scout has been a step—or a swan dive—out of my comfort zone in more ways than one. One of those ways is that, after years of being a (happily!) passive content consumer, it's nudged me to be more visible with both my work and myself.
During the months when I was gathering the guts to leave the full-time world and go out on my own, I benefited hugely from those willing to share their stories. Maybe it’s the English major in me, but I love a good story about someone straying from the beaten path—I find all the detours, trials, and unexpectedly pivotal moments to be inspiring.
Having started Saint Scout so recently, my "story" is more of a prologue. I don't yet have deep wisdom to offer, or a viral list of "9 business-changing lessons I wish I'd known sooner" (if someone does have that: please send). Nonetheless, I wanted to share a glimpse into the events that lead to Scout coming to life.
2013 – 2017: Starting the Design Journey
In 2013, freshly graduated from a liberal arts college, I found myself asking myself (as many do) what on God’s Green Earth one does with English Literature and Studio Art degrees. After weeks of pondering and anxious late-night Google searches, I had an “aha!” moment: maybe writing plus visuals equals advertising.
Armed with this revelation, I packed up and moved from Seattle to NYC, determined to break into the agency world. After a crash course in the Adobe suite, I found myself lucky enough to be working on accounts like Adobe, Merck, and T-Mobile as a visual designer, and later as art director. It was exciting, fast-paced, and I was fortunate to have some seasoned creatives take me under their wing.
But a few years in, I hit a wall. I realized that a) I just couldn’t see myself designing ads forever, and b) I didn’t yet have the design chops to branch out into something else. Cue the next “what now?” moment. After some soul-searching (and—once again—many late-night Google searches), I decided to enroll in a two-year intensive design program at Seattle Central Creative Academy.
2017 - 2022: The UX Era
It was during my time at SCCA that I delved into the world of user experience design. Being from Seattle (surrounded by Amazon, Micosoft, Expedia etc.), it was a field I’d heard of, but I hadn't been properly introduced to until SCCA.
After several design school projects got me acquainted with the field, I became torn between the “traditional” design route (which we were told would basically make us glorified starving artists), and the UX path (filled with promises of booming tech companies offering high salaries and supercushy benefits!). Spoiler alert: I went for the latter. Partly out of fear, yes, but also because I was surprised by how many aspects of the UX process I genuinely enjoyed.
And so, upon finishing my design program in 2019 my 5+ year product design adventure began. From a scrappy Seattle startup to a bigger one in Atlanta, and eventually landing at Shopify, I got to experience the full tech spectrum. Shopify in particular was the dream job: the name-brand company with an industry-leading design culture and all of the supercushy benefits! I had an amazing team, loved my work, and it felt like I'd really made it.
2022 - 2023: Plot twist(s)
In August ‘22, filled with post-Covid travel itch, I took advantage of Shopify’s “Destination 90” program, which allowed employees to work from another country for up to 90 days. I planned a month-long stay in Madrid. What I didn’t plan was meeting my now-partner on the last night of that trip (yes, really). Within just a few months, I realized that I liked him enough to pick up my life and move to Spain.
Then in May ‘23—amidst the process of getting a Visa and moving from Atlanta to Madrid—my entire Shopify division was laid off. Cue the scrambling for a job while also dealing with the Spanish visa process (this is a combination that I cannot recommend highly enough to anyone who loves mind-boggling logistical and bureaucratic challenges). Luckily, in late summer I landed a senior UX role based in Spain.
2023 - 2024: Then What?
A whirlwind year of unexpected changes and life-plan-deviations will prompt a lot of reflection. On the other side of all my thinking, I got clarity on a few things:
- I deeply value professional independence & self-reliance.
- Website design & development—something I’d dabbled in intermittently—is a pretty cool combination of many things I love and have gained experience in over the years.
- While working for large global enterprises was an incredible learning experience (one that I’m very grateful for), I’m happiest when applying my knowledge from those experiences to supporting purpose-driven smaller businesses and entrepreneurs.
And So Saint Scout Was Born
In summer of 2024, I took the plunge. I left the full-time UX world to start Saint Scout—a web design and branding studio built for business owners and entrepreneurs who have big goals and who value great design. There’s so much to learn, but hearing others’ stories of taking the leap inspired me to follow suit. I hope I can do the same for someone else out there.
