Theo fell into real estate sideways. Before getting their real estate license in 2018, they spent a decade in tech support, got their MFA in writing, and rode the adult coloring book wave of the 2010s as the author and illustrator of books like Unicorns Are Jerks and The Apocalypse Coloring and Activity Book. During their free time, they gawked at real estate online. Looking for homes felt like a scavenger hunt, so when their friends were worried about finding new places to live, Theo happily helped them search. Several of those friends said “You should do this for a living,” and eventually, that peer pressure won out.

Now, with more than 7 years’ experience as a Realtor, Theo can admit that their friends were right: this career is a perfect fit. Real estate lets them exercise their creative problem solving, customer service skills, and endless curiosity to help people navigate a major life event. (Getting to ogle cool houses every day is a bonus.) They loves working with all kinds of clients and transactions, but their favorites are often first-time buyers and transplants from out of state–both situations where they get to help make a big, intimidating change feel more approachable. Real estate is a weird industry with a high learning curve and a large potential for stress, and being trusted to guide someone through it is an honor. 

When they’re not out with clients, Theo can usually be found in their 1913 bungalow in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood of St. Paul, trapped under one or more cats. In their free time now, they enjoy making art in their studio, doing yarn crafts and DIYs, learning woodworking, and watching sci-fi movies with their partner and kid. They continue to write and illustrate books (like The Trans Self-Care Workbook and The Doomsday Detectives), but don’t ask them to fix your computer.