Heartfelt Gift for a Coworker Who Made a Difference

When I started PainterMade, I knew I wanted this work to be about more than birthdays and anniversaries. I wanted it to help people honor the full range of relationships that shape our lives - mentors, teammates, friends, collaborators.

One of the first portraits I created in this spirit was for Jeff.

Jeff and I worked together for nearly two years, collaborating on the design and build of a complex financial services application. He was a brilliant product owner - sharp, intuitive, and relentlessly focused on the end user. Together, we wrestled with big challenges and thorny decisions, often under real pressure. It wasn’t easy work, and it wasn’t always smooth.

But through it all, Jeff was one of the best teammates I’ve ever known. He led with empathy and clarity. He knew when to push for the right outcome and when to find common ground. He kept the spirit of collaboration alive, even in the hardest moments.

And beyond the work, we connected as people - two oddballs with a love of cooking, living in the South, finding humor and warmth in the in-between spaces. After we both left the company, we kept in touch, and I’m grateful to call him a friend to this day.

When I launched PainterMade, it felt only natural to create a portrait for Jeff - as a true gesture of appreciation.

This is the kind of relationship that often goes unrecognized when we think about giving thanks. But honoring a great coworker, a thoughtful collaborator, or a client who changed your trajectory is just as meaningful as marking a family milestone.

A custom portrait is a powerful way to say: You matter to us. You matter to me.

Employee appreciation gifts often lean toward the generic. Client thank-you gifts can feel perfunctory. A portrait, paired with a handwritten note, offers something deeper - an totem of gratitude that endures.

In painting Jeff’s portrait, I wanted to celebrate all the qualities he brought to our work and to our friendship: intelligence, intuition, good humor, generosity of spirit. It was my way of saying thank you for making hard work feel more human—and for making the work itself better.

If there’s someone in your own orbit - a mentor, coworker, client, or friend - whose presence has shaped your path, I hope you’ll consider how you might honor them. A meaningful thank-you gift doesn’t have to be elaborate. It just has to be personal.