From Laid off to Lit Up

Hi, I’m Jaimie Stites — a 24-year-old digital marketing professional and painter living in New York City.

A month ago, I was laid off from my corporate job. It was the first time in over a decade that I wasn’t working, and the first time in my life that I filed for unemployment benefits. At first, I felt crushed. For two weeks, I grieved the loss of structure, purpose, and the identity I had built around my work.

But then, something unexpected happened: I got bored. Really bored.

Each morning, I’d wake up with the same restless feeling; I wanted to build something. I was still producing short-form content for my boyfriend, Hunter Neumayer, which kept my creative muscles warm, but it wasn’t enough. I missed making things.

One afternoon, while journaling on the couch, the idea for jaimiestites.nyc came to me.

As both a painter and a digital native, I’ve always lived in the space between art and analytics and this new venture is the natural fusion of both. My mission is simple: to help artists, makers, creatives, and entrepreneurs bring their dreams to life online, so they can focus on what really matters — creating — instead of chasing algorithms.

This little spark of an idea has already reignited my sense of purpose. And if you’re a creative who wants to grow your digital presence with authenticity and soul — I’d love to help. Let’s make magic.