“You, and no one else, are entirely responsible for who you are”

This Petit Pli portrait blog features Grace Ho, a product designer and artist in Virginia, USA. When she isn’t going on motorcycle rides with her MSK, you will find her making art or simply watching Netflix on the couch with her husband and two dogs. 

 Keep reading to learn more about the amazing and innovative Grace.

1. What do you do?

I'm a Product Designer at WillowTree, a digital product company in Virginia, USA. I spend my days dreaming of ways to innovate digital products (mobile apps, TV apps, websites, etc.) with amazing client teams. I'm also an artist at heart and spend weekends crafting with my hands.

2.What is an average day like?

Coffee first, then I always spend a few quiet hours designing when my mind is fresh before meetings and team collaboration times. I spend my evenings on the couch with my husband and two dogs, watching a show or movie.

3. What has been a window of job for you during the pandemic?

We have beautiful mountains in Virginia, so when the weather is warm, my husband and I usually go on motorcycle rides. It's a nice way to be outdoors while being away from people. I also enjoy redecorating my house and making art. Most recently, I picked up some clay, moss, and resin to upgrade a wooden tray I found at a thrift store.

4. What does sustainability mean to you?

Mass production has never been easier. Plastic is a lot cheaper to make, cheaper to buy, and easier to discard, when it then ends up in the ocean or exported to a developing country, supposedly to be recycled. Sustainability, to me, is to understand the devastating effect that plastic consumption and waste has on the environment and humans; to recognize that recycling alone cannot keep up with the volume of plastic waste; and to make critical personal lifestyle adjustments. I reuse as much as possible, buying products designed to last a long time and buying products that recycle plastics to reduce existing waste, like Petit Pli MSK.

5. If you could go back and speak to your LittleHuman self, what would you say?

I’d tell myself: “A lot of people are going to impose their idea of what a woman should be on you. But remember, you, and no one else, are entirely responsible for who you are, what you'll get out of this short life, and how you’ll leave your footprint.”