How A Family Enterprise Was Birthed Out of Quarantine & Remote Learning
Of all the creations and businesses I’ve launched, this one is the dearest to my heart. After hundreds of hours of doodling, painting, and learning alongside my two little munchkins, I am immensely proud to announce the launch of Preston and Harrison.
This is an endeavor born out of our love, as a family, for art and imagination, as well as from being quarantined together and adjusting to remote learning for the past 14 months. My boys love to doodle their ideas and journal their dreams. Every morning I’d wake up to them both lounging in their jammies, drawing away on the dining table. They’d then continue to tell me stories behind each character: their superpowers, foods they like, and how these superheroes go around laser beaming their enemies while munching on Bobas.
As a creative myself, I appreciate these moments deeply — knowing that those exceptional imaginative skills could diminish but might also flourish with nurturing, validation and encouragement. I also realized how much I wanted the world to be inspired and to look at life through a child’s lens of awe, wonder, joy, curiosity, and, most importantly, HOPE and LOVE.
Creativity Begins With Purpose
In my all-time favorite Jodie Foster movie Contact, her character Dr. Ellie Arroway famously quoted, “Funny, I’ve always believed that the world is what we make of it.” And that is exactly how the kids and I view the world — still believing the good in humanity while honoring Mother Earth with a deep sense of gratitude.
This immense respect for life itself is how and why we create at Preston and Harrison. The bold expressions of colors, the beautiful patterns, and the careful layering of textures juxtaposed against the quiet negative white space reflect the yin and yang in life. We are not afraid of expressing our ideas. And in our house, nothing is impossible. If we can imagine it, we can create it. We want our work to inspire, transcend, and elicit laughter. We want it to be ALIVE and a force for good.
A Cause, Every Month
Preston & Harrison was born out of LOVE for imagination. We believe the world needs more dreamers, healers, creatives, poets, and artists to inspire HOPE and change. And we believe that it is through creativity that we can create positive transformation and impact. From women’s empowerment, climate action, children’s health and education, and endangered or unwanted animals, we are committed to giving in ways that help protect, uplift, and preserve people, the creatures on our planet, and our beloved Mother Earth. When you shop, we donate. Every month, we will highlight a cause that is close to our heart through our work.
The Process
Kids create. Mama paints. Evan (Preston) is our Chief Creative Officer, Tyler (Harrison) is our Chief Product Officer. Mama here…well, if you want the shortlist, I am the CEO, chef, driver, bedtime storyteller, laundress, dog walker, and remote learning coach.
The kids start with hand-sketches and color exploration, and mama puts the finishing touches on their art through media such as gouache or acrylic paint. Those pieces then are carefully processed digitally to bring vibrancy and life to each of the characters and designs. Evan storyboards all of the ideas for the animation, and Tyler visualizes where the art/characters live.
Their inspiration comes from a broad range of life experiences, including their dreams, favorite foods, time at the beach, favorite movies, and their travels. Their art reveals how they “see,” interact with, and are impacted by the world.
From Concept to The Business of NFTs — The First Collection: The Bobani Series Exclusively On Portion
Committed to embracing the future of Art and Life, we are super excited to announce Preston and Harrison’s first NFT collection exclusively on Portion.
The Bobani Series is genuinely about the celebration of the kids’ love for Boba and monsters. It all started with a trip to our favorite boba shop. The boys began dreaming up their fantastical Boba creatures that they call Bobanis. They produced their first six Bobanis based on their all-time favorite flavors: mango slushy, the classic honey milk tea, matcha green tea, Thai ice tea, rose milk tea, and jelly ice!
All buyers will receive a 3600 x 4500px Mp4 and a high-res 300DPI JPEG of the artwork upon purchase. As a bonus, US buyers will also receive a physical autographed print. There are only three pieces minted per Bobani, as the number 3 symbolizes LIFE/BIRTH itself in Chinese culture.
This month we are bringing awareness to the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage and so 30% of sales proceeds from The Bobanis series will be directed to raising awareness of #stopasianhate.
