Artists of HBS: A Rare Breed?

Interviews of Four MBArtists unveil the synergy between creative expression and business innovation

According to official HBS data for the MBA class of 2027, only 5% of the student body majored in arts or humanities-related subjects at undergrad. This figure may bear little surprise to those who perceive business school as a petri dish for quarter zip-wearing cogs in the shareholder value machine. Yet, through the power of investigative journalism, I discovered four intriguing artists who moonlight as MBA candidates. I decided to ask them what we’re all secretly thinking: “What are you doing here?”

Read on for their insights.

Julie Averbach (MBA ‘27): Author, Visual Arts Nonprofit Founder & Appreciator of Trader Joe’s Aesthetics

Undergraduate majors: Art History & Psychology

Before HBS: Author of The Art of Trader Joe’s: Discovering the Hidden Art Gems of America’s Favorite Grocery Store, a book exploring the hidden art history behind Trader Joe’s beloved brand (check out her feature in The New York Times titled ‘She Goes to Trader Joe’s for the Art’). Julie is also Founder & CEO of smARTee, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides immersive live virtual art museum tours for older adults to promote arts access, wellness, and lifelong learning. She dabbles in painting and drawing in her spare time.

Q.) You’re an artist. What are you doing here?

A.) I came to HBS to discover how business can infuse more art and beauty into our everyday lives. While we tend to think of “art” as isolated to museums and galleries, art is everywhere. Art has a strong presence in business—from social media advertising to product packaging design—whether we acknowledge its power consciously or not. 

Before coming to HBS, I wrote The Art of Trader Joe’s based on my college Art History thesis. While visiting 150+ Trader Joe’s stores across the country, I explored how visual storytelling is woven throughout Trader Joe’s brand, elevating the grocery store into a pop culture phenomenon. Trader Joe’s opened my eyes to how art and business can enrich and deepen one another, and so I came to HBS to pursue this intersection.

Q.) How are you keeping your creativity alive at HBS?

A.) HBS is itself an art gallery!  In the 20-minute break between classes, I sometimes like to admire artworks displayed around Aldrich. Carrie Mae Weems’s black-and-white photographs are among my favorites. Over the winter break, I also reconnected with painting; I’m currently working on a pair of painted jeans inspired by Section F (the best section)! 

Q.) Where can we connect with you and your work?

A.) I’m eager to explore all the surprising ways art history and business can talk to each other. To see more of my art adventures, check out @theartoftraderjoes on Instagram or my websites: theartofraderjoes.com and smartee.biz.

Taylor Jean-Jacques (MBA ‘26): Artist, Technologist & Investor

Undergraduate majors: Psychology, Statistics & Machine Learning

Before HBS: Taylor worked as a Technology Investor at General Atlantic. She has also sold dozens of paintings as a commissioned artist, and her pieces have been featured in art shows across the northeast. 

Q.) You’re an artist. What are you doing here?

A.) Art is one of my many pursuits and passions. I’ve been producing art (primarily oil painting) since I was 8 years old. At the same time, I’ve had an interest in coding since high school where I taught myself to code, built apps and websites and spent a couple years as a software engineer at Meta during college. I also have had a long time interest in investing—from buying and selling stocks since I was 13 to working in tech investment prior to HBS. Ironically, I find all of these fundamentally similar—different ways of promoting your view of the world (and where it is going).

Q.) How are you keeping your creativity alive at HBS?

A.) I’m Co-President of the Art Society, where I engage with students on all things art—be it creating art via our studio hours, visiting local museums and galleries, hosting guest speakers and more. We have found that much of the student body appreciates and wants to participate in the arts. We are humbled to have grown the club into one of the largest on campus. Shout out to my Co-Presidents Cameryn Boyd, Filippo Colonna and Youssef Halim!

As for myself, I try to complete 1-2 pieces per semester amidst other commitments. I almost always have at least 1 unfinished painting that I am working through sitting at my apartment.

Q.) Where can we connect with you and your work?

A.) I continue to work on pieces as part of commissions or for personal interest. One day, I hope to open up a gallery/studio of my own. Most of my work and contact information is on my instagram account @tjeanjacques.art.

Stanley Tong (MBA ‘26): Ceramic Artist, Sculptor & Mechanical Engineer

Undergraduate major: Mechanical Engineering

Before HBS: By day, Stanley worked in advanced manufacturing and industrial 3D printing in the automotive industry. By night, he became a self-taught ceramic artist of four years, focusing on forms that explore structure, motion, and contrast.

During HBS: Stanley led the creation of HBS’ first ever Student Art Show. He shared reflections on this experience in an earlier Harbus article titled ‘Left Brain, Meet Right Brain.’

Q.) You’re an artist. What are you doing here?

A.) In my opinion, art is the unique combination of materials and concepts to create something new. Most of the time, that creation is meant to convey a story or message, or to give us a new way to view the world. It’s not so different from many other fields of work, where we take existing things and recombine them into something new.

While I am an artist, at my core I am an engineer, and I’ve spent most of my career focusing on industrial 3D printing technologies. What excites me most is when seemingly unrelated fields come together to create cutting-edge breakthroughs. For me, coming to HBS was a way to expand my worldview, meet new people, and learn the skills required to build a career discovering, leading, and scaling breakthrough innovations.

Q.) How are you keeping your creativity alive at HBS?

A.) As a sculptor and ceramic artist who primarily produces larger, more complex pieces, it normally takes several weeks and dozens of hours to complete a single work. Because of that, I’ve had to take a bit of a sabbatical from ceramics while at HBS.

Since creative time is an essential form of respite and an outlet to calm my mind, I’ve picked up some alternatives to keep my creativity alive and continue learning new things. For example, I’ve been teaching myself piano and cooking more! These activities are less time-intensive but still satisfy my drive to create with my hands and my love of learning something new.

Q.) Where can we connect with you and your work?

A.) I have a long list of ideas I want to explore once I have the space and time to do so! Once things settle down a bit, I’m excited to get back into creating more. You can connect with me and my art on Instagram and TikTok @stanleytongceramics, or check out my website at stanleytongceramics.com.

Krissy Wang (MBA ‘27): Self-Taught Painter, Ex-Tax Accountant & Budding Entrepreneur

Undergraduate major: Accounting

Before HBS: A painter since childhood, Krissy primarily works with acrylic to create artwork that celebrates everyday life such as food and her beloved dog. She cites Wayne Thiebaud as a source of artistic inspiration. Professionally, she started her career as a tax accountant before working as a product manager.

Q.) You’re an artist. What are you doing here?

A.) I came to HBS because I want to start my own company one day. As an artist, I love creative freedom and building from zero to one; entrepreneurship feels like the same instinct to me.

HBS is my place to learn, experiment, and iterate. I’m actively pursuing my business idea right now, and it’s both exciting and a little surreal to see it getting more concrete with every user interview and brainstorm session.

Q.) How are you keeping your creativity alive at HBS?

A.) In the first semester, I didn’t. I was busy exploring, saying yes to everything, and my art slipped to the side. After finals, I finally sat down to paint again and was reminded how life-giving it is to create art.

Going forward, I want to show up differently. I’m planning to carve out protected weekend “studio hours” as non-negotiable self-care. I also want to host small arts-and-crafts hangouts so people who miss their creative side have a place to play. It’s my way of building a tiny creative bubble inside the HBS grind.

Q.) Where can we connect with you and your work?

A.) The most productive stretch of my art life was summer 2024, when I had gallery representation in San Francisco. I’d love to recreate that momentum in Boston by finding a physical home for my work—a gift shop, coffee shop, or gallery that carries my pieces and keeps me motivated to keep creating. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, you can find my past work on Instagram at @krissy_1202.

Closing thoughts from the Editor

From launching art shows to cultivating creative communities, these MBArtists are charting many paths for the business leaders of tomorrow to keep artistic expression and appreciation in their hearts. If you spot any of them around campus, be sure to thank them for their service!

Folu Ogunyeye (MBA ‘27) grew up in Milton Keynes in the UK. She graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in Human, Social and Political Sciences. Prior to HBS, Folu worked in HR at BlackRock in Atlanta and in social impact consulting in New York and London. Beyond work, Folu loves to write, explore art galleries or catch a live jazz gig.