‍In our Staff Spotlight series, we’re pulling back the curtain on the talented artists, artisans, and craftspeople who make up our crew. Our team is a gumbo pot of creativity: painters, sculptors, woodworkers, fiber artists, costume designers, metalsmiths, actors, musicians, and the list goes on. If you can dream it up, chances are we’re already doing it in our free time, too. That’s what makes us so good at our day jobs as custom experiential fabricators.

Each month, we’ll shine a light on one of our team members—their inspirations, their after-hours projects, and the creative spark they bring to both their life and our shop floor. Because behind every masterpiece is a person with a story worth sharing.

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This month we had the chance to sit down with our Assistant Project Manager, Brittney "Izzy" Isbell.

Raised on a family farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Lenoir, North Carolina, Izzy grew up as the oldest of seven kids. That meant learning early how to build things, solve problems, and share her creative spirit with others—skills that now serve her well on our project management team.

“I’ve always had a lot of interests,” she says. “I started with obnoxiously loud, playful wooden earrings in high school—then moved to shelves and more functional things. Then came wood art, then painting, then metalwork…”

Her creative evolution is rooted in both resourcefulness and wonder. Sustainability is second nature for Izzy—it was how she was raised. She often cuts down larger artworks once their time has passed and transforms them into jewelry, giving each piece a second story. 

A Maker in Many Forms

Izzy is what you might call joyfully multidisciplinary. She’s a:

• Woodworker
• Jewelry artist
• Painter
• Cosmetologist (braids specialist!)
• Musician and composer

Add “vibes consultant” to the list, and you’re still only scratching the surface. Whether she’s helping a friend plan a wedding, styling a table, setting the tone for a cozy dinner party, or shaping space and flow for an event—Izzy was into creating experiences long before she ever came to work for an experiential fabrication firm.

That intuitive attention to atmosphere is what ultimately drew her to need to learn how things are made—especially the way experiences are physically built.

From NC to NOLA

After earning her teaching degree and working in classrooms across North Carolina and New Orleans (11th and 12th graders—no small feat), Izzy realized it was time to begin a new chapter.

Following three school closings in five years, something shifted. “I started to think about what really made me excited,” she shared. She’d always loved construction, design, and problem solving. So she started exploring what that could look like outside the classroom.

That’s when she stumbled upon Downtown FabWorks—more specifically, our work on the Windows on Canal project with Celebrate Canal! and Where Y’Art Works, via artist friends. Curiosity kicked in, and the rest is history.

The Music of Her Life (Literally)

Izzy’s musical roots run deep; she’s the third generation Sousaphone player (a big, curly brass instrument that’s related to the tuba) in her family! But that’s not all. She also plays piano, bass guitar, and sings.

She’s currently finishing her first EP, Soft, set to release in 2026—a collection of personal tracks recorded with songwriter, producer, and long-time collaborator Kevin Beck.

“This music has lived through different chapters of my life,” she says. “It still feels really close to me.”

Another musical dream of hers is joining a second line brass band in New Orleans one day. Hit her up if you have an opening!

Symmetry & Soul

Ask Izzy about her art style, and she’ll light up with the kind of kid-in-a-candy-shop glow.

She’s drawn to abstract geometrics—primary shapes, bold colors, intuitive lines—and is deeply inspired by artists like Mondrian and Kandinsky. But when you look closer, there’s meaning beneath the shapes. Her work often reflects themes of family, nature, and human connection.

And the inspiration? It finds her in conversations. Relationships. Music. Curiosity.

Recently, Izzy flew to Houston on a whim to catch Solange performing with the Houston Symphony as part of On Dissonance, a concert series highlighting works by Black women composers—a niche Izzy feels deeply connected to. The premiere of “Not Necessarily in Arms Reach,” a piece Solange composed for orchestra and two tubas, felt oddly perfect. It was one of those rare, affirming moments where her passions—music, identity, and creative curiosity—seemed to align effortlessly.

Crafting New Stories, One Project At A Time

Izzy’s journey is still unfolding—and that’s exactly what makes it so exciting to have her here. Whether she’s managing timelines, lending an artistic eye, or jumping in where extra hands are needed, she brings empathy, groundedness, and a whole lot of personal flair to the table.

We couldn’t be more thrilled to build with her.

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