Marjorie Lacombe-Jelinek

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Picnic Weather | Picnic Weather Instagram | Portfolio | Personal Instagram

1. Tell me a little bit about you, who is Marjorie outside of work?

I am a multifaceted creative who is always on the lookout for color and positive things. I was born and raised in sunny San Diego, California and went to Harvard for college with the plan to be a doctor. That all came crashing down a few weeks before I started medical school when I had an epiphany that I actually wanted to make a career out of creative work instead. I married my college sweetheart and we currently live in California.

2. What do you do for work?

In my day job, I work for Sephora's corporate headquarters in San Francisco as a Senior Art Director. In any given day, I'll do a mix of things such as creative strategy, concepting for campaigns and shows, as well as managing a team of art directors and designers to produce a myriad of design/photo-based projects. Outside of my 9-5, I have two types of projects I work on: freelance photography/branding for companies, and leading my sustainable jewelry business, Picnic Weather. For the latter, that usually means strategizing around new design launches, pursuing business opportunities, working with vendors/sourcing supplies, running the website/social platforms, as well as managing all the necessary workflows around fulfilling orders.

3. As a female business owner, what are some of the biggest obstacles you have faced within your industry / the workplace?

Broadly speaking, I have actually had a lot of positive work experiences as a woman in the industry, which I'm really grateful for and certainly know this is not the experience for every woman. At Sephora, I'm surrounded by women in different roles and departments every day so working with my colleagues often serves as a daily inspiration. I would say though, growing up, I was certainly influenced by the expectation that women—especially women of color—have to navigate their career with extreme care (e.g. don't be too "bossy" or else no one will want to work with you; don't be too "feminine" or else no one will take you seriously). Sometimes it's just the internalization of these expectations that can pop up in your head and make you doubt your work/success. When I started my jewelry business, Picnic Weather, these certainly came up but I think seeing and surrounding myself with other women who are successfully running their own businesses gave me a lot of motivation to keep driving forwards.

4. What women in your life inspire you and why?

Definitely my mother. She moved to the US from Haiti as a teen, went to college, got a medical school degree, learned multiple new languages, and still devoted most of her energy towards making opportunities for me and my brothers to excel that she never had growing up. She also has a natural eye for design and color that I definitely inherited from her.

5. What advice would you give to women who want to pursue a new life direction -- whether that be moving to a new city, pursuing a new career path, starting a side hustle or choosing a new major in school?

Do your research by immersing yourself into it as much as possible before making the leap. When I made a major career change from medical school to creative work, I must have talked to dozens of creative professionals before actually taking the leap. Friends and family can be great for emotional support, but they often aren't looking at your options with the same lens you are. At the end of the day, it's your path you're carving so be informed and immerse yourself in where you think you want to go next. Want to start a big business one day? Then start with a small one so you get more familiar with what's actually required and decide if you love that process before diving fully in. Taking the time to be informed doesn't mean you're timid—it only strengthens your confidence when you're ready to make the leap.

6. How do you balance a job, personal life and passions? Is there such a thing as balance?

Thanks for questioning the idea of "balance" in the first place! Ever since I started a creative career full-time, I feel like I'm constantly weaving in and out of projects—some for fun, some for work—and that's actually the type of balance I really enjoy most because being creative gives me life, as well as a paycheck. Thankfully my husband is fully supportive but also interested in entirely different things and activities, so we balance a lot of behind-the-computer-life with hiking and traveling (can't wait to do that again!).

7. What are some ways you implement self-care?

I've slowly gotten better at saying "no" to projects, which is honestly the hardest thing for me to do but probably has the greatest impact on my self-care. I love being busy, but being overstretched never works out.

8. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders, movers and shakers?

Don't limit your imagination to what people like you have done before.

9. How can women advocate for each other?

Spend less time criticizing and tearing each other apart, and actually supporting each other where it's needed. Sometimes that's being a friend, a sounding board for ideas, an investor in a new business, or just putting in a good word when it counts.

10. What is your power color and why?

Okay, I might have to cheat a little bit here and pick two. My power combo is when I merge light blue and red. I think it defines me most as a person. Red because I have all this internal creative energy that's always buzzing and light blue because all that energy always gets expressed outwardly in a soft and sweet way. That's just who I am!

11. What is your female anthem – the song that hypes you up and makes you feel like a girl boss and that you can take on anything in the world?

Hmm that's a tough one! I tend to listen to music of a certain genre for periods at a time to get my creative juices flowing. Currently, I'm in a major deep dive of French chanson music from the 1960s-1970s.

Portrait illustrations are by Hailey Coral.

WOMEN ARE MAGIC | Marjorie Lacombe-Jelinek