About

About Arts to Embers

Hi, I’m Zak—artist, maker, and the person behind Arts to Embers.

I believe making art should fit into real life.

Arts to Embers began in a small walk-in closet in our master bedroom in Puyallup, Washington—a space my wife helped convert so I could build something of my own while being a stay-at-home dad.

At the time, I was a hobby artist facing a challenge that felt all too familiar: finding time to create.

Like many artists, I found myself juggling responsibilities, schedules, and everyday life while trying to hold onto a creative practice. The tools I owned worked, but they weren’t designed for the way I actually created. They weren’t built around portability, simplicity, or making the most of limited creative time.

So I started building solutions for myself.

What began with handmade sketchbooks and a simple pencil case gradually evolved into designing creative tools that helped remove barriers between life and creativity. Every product started with a real problem I was trying to solve—whether that meant making supplies easier to carry, simplifying my setup, or creating systems that helped me create more consistently.

I’m completely self-taught in design, and every product has been shaped through experimentation, failure, iteration, and countless hours of real-world use.

As I shared those solutions, I discovered I wasn’t alone.

Conversations with customers, fellow artists, urban sketchers, and travelers began shaping the direction of my designs. What started as personal solutions became collaborative ones, influenced by the experiences and feedback of a growing creative community.

Today, Arts to Embers focuses on creating thoughtful tools and adaptable systems that grow alongside an artist’s journey. Rather than designing products that need to be replaced as your needs change, I strive to create solutions that evolve with you—allowing you to refine, expand, and personalize your creative setup over time.

Every new design is an opportunity to simplify, improve, and better support the realities of making art in everyday life.

Everything is designed and manufactured in-house while balancing business ownership, homeschooling my son, and supporting my wife’s ever-changing work schedule. That reality has shaped the way I approach every product I create.

I believe creative tools should fit into real life—not require life to revolve around them.

The name Arts to Embers comes from a simple belief: creativity matters.

Even the smallest act of creating can send out embers of hope, encouragement, and inspiration that reach farther than we realize. A sketch in a notebook, a painting shared with a friend, or a few quiet moments spent making something meaningful can have a lasting impact.

My goal is simple:

To create thoughtful tools that help artists spend less time fighting limitations and more time creating.

If something I design helps you make even a few more minutes for art, then Arts to Embers has done exactly what it was created to do.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your support allows me to continue designing, experimenting, and helping artists make space for creativity in everyday life.

— Zak