Grae Drake left corporate for the creative life and helping others

written by Joni Kabana | photography by BARN

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to truly love your job, to the point of feeling completely immersed in and personally inspired by it? After working for years in corporate law, Grae Drake took a leap of faith and jumped into something he could “pour all of himself into” because he loved it so much. Drake is the executive director of Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN), an organization whose mission is to “grow and inspire a creative community through craft, learning and service.”

Drake, a glass artist himself, oversees the daily operations and strategizes how BARN can expand its services and also offer impact to other groups hoping to bring something similar to their communities. The projects he manages are many, but one particular project exemplifies his unique approach to art. Inspired by Eben Horton’s Glass Float project and various other grassroots marble hunting groups, Drake hides most of the marbles he makes, trying to tuck them into places that will be visible to children but hidden from an adult vantage point. “I love the catharsis of letting go of a piece of work I’ve poured hours into and the thought that someone I’ll never meet will find this mysterious and unexpected treasure and imbue it with their own meaning and sentiment,” he said.

“Nonprofit leadership can be incredibly rewarding, but it takes just as much dedication as succeeding in business and often with far fewer resources,” Drake said. “I encourage people to narrow down what it is you actually want. … Nonprofit organizations are only one kind of mission-driven organization. … Don’t tie yourself to a tax status—hitch yourself to a mission you love.”

When he’s not at BARN, Drake can be found working on his other startup. “Parenting is by far the most challenging thing I’ve done,” he said. “Legal training, startups, executive leadership and working with glass are hard, but none require the dedication that raising children does. It’s the greatest thing I’ve accomplished.”