About the Owner:

My name is Amy Holmes and I am the founder of the Cat and Octopus. I have over 17 years of experience in business: from retail sales to customer service to Vice President of two major banks. After working in the banking world for over 10 years, most recently as a Six Sigma Certified Black Belt, I decided, with absolutely no regrets, to leave behind the office, the suits, and the endless meetings, and strike out on my own.

One day while traveling on business I had an epiphany.

I was sitting in a rental car, in a traffic jam, in one hundred degree heat, wearing a business suit and high heels. I was on my way to a meeting about how to increase the productivity and profits for a company I had lost faith in. At that moment I realized that I could work as many hours as humanly possible every week, doing a job I was good at, and still never make a real difference in anyone's life, including my own.

I made it to the meeting, did my presentation, then flew back to Seattle knowing that something inside me had changed forever. I was sure that if I didn't make a personal change soon I would be unhappy and unsatisfied with my life.

Less than a month later I quit my job and decided to start The Cat and Octopus. I feel I have a unique opportunity now to directly affect people's lives in a positive way. Most people looking for unique art aren't able to personally visit Cambodia, or India, or South America to find beautiful traditional artwork.

And most of the artists don't have the resources to sell their art to the Western world. The aim of The Cat and Octopus is to bring the buyers and the artists together while providing much needed income to continue traditional arts. I feel I'm lucky to have the opportunity to aid in this exchange. Thank you for supporting us.

An artist and photographer, Amy has a passion for travel, people, and humanitarian issues. She resides in Seattle.