In the latest installment of our Meet Our Team series, we talk with one of our Co-Creators, Catherine Lang-Cline. Catherine is one of our fearless leaders who enjoys karaoke sessions in the car with her daughter, traveling, and being involved in the Columbus community.
Hi, I’m Catherine Lang-Cline and I am President and Co-Creator of Portfolio Creative. My journey into this business starts with a fine arts degree from Northern Illinois University. Illinois was where I grew up and started my career as a graphic artist. The fates delivered me to Columbus, Ohio, where my first job here was as a freelancer with Bath & Body Works. This is where I eventually met Kristen Harris, my business partner. After a number of years of working with LBrands, and in my case, freelancing around town, we conjured up the idea to help the creative community find creative people easier and from people that understood the business. Currently, I live in Upper Arlington with my husband and daughter, mostly because I found a post-modern ranch that desperately needed me to save it.
Morning:
I’d love to say that my mornings start out very leisurely, but it is typically a march of packing lunches, getting dressed, and getting hair done. My daughter and I have a lot of hair. Amp that up even more if I need to get to a board meeting or client meeting first thing in the morning. In the background at my house, you can either hear NPR or The Amazing World of Gumball, because my daughter is obsessed with Gumball. Car rides to camp or school can sometimes be impromptu karaoke sessions. Everything typically runs fairly smooth because I have it timed pretty well but if one thing upsets the schedule, we have a scramble on our hands. Weekends are much more leisurely, as I get to sleep in and then exercise my past-life experience of working at a pancake house to whip up something special.
Afternoon:
My work day is all day because it is life, not life balance, you piece together all of it in any way that works. Some of that discipline comes from owning a business. Some of that comes from me loving what I do. Sometimes you leave work at 4 PM knowing that you will be back on the computer after homework is done and everyone is tucked in. I love keeping it flexible and attacking things when you are up for the task, it’s just more effective. I also love jamming as much as I can in my day then getting home exhausted. It feels like I have accomplished something.
Evening:
My hobbies are working on boards. I know that sounds weird but that is where I spend a lot of my spare time and I love it. I love that Columbus has accepted this business so openly and with that, I want to give back in return. I serve on the board for the Greater Columbus Arts Council so evenings involve attending events that support artists in the community. I also serve as the Past-President of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Columbus Chapter, because mentoring and supporting peers is very important to me. Then I also serve on the board for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce because if you want to get things done, you have to know the right people. With that said, every single one of these groups are amazing to work with. They all feed my soul and hopefully, I can help the community in return.
Other hobbies include a range of things including raising an awesome daughter, painting, travel, and reading. I used to have a full-on motorcycle that I rode all over the country but stopped riding when texting and driving became popular, so traded that in for a Vespa, which is still fun, but at much slower speeds. I treasure experiences over things, so the more I do for the community, my family, and myself, the happier I am.
