Hi, I’m Ari

Field notes for people building something uniquely their own.

I’m an artist and entrepreneur who designs places, products, and businesses that make neighborhoods better. I trained in architecture and city planning, and I use that systems-level thinking to solve practical problems for small businesses and communities. (I sometimes joke that I’m a pathological problem solver.)

My path hasn’t been linear, but each step has built on the last:

  • I opened Viscera, a brick-and-mortar shop selling clothing, accessories, art, and 3D-printed jewelry. I also became a perfumer and launched a natural perfume line now sold in shops across the country.

  • I accidentally became a muralist, despite a fear of heights.

  • I founded Viscera Studio, a design studio that helps independent businesses with everything from branding and logos to strategy, marketing, and building out their physical spaces, often drawing on the story of their neighborhood.

  • Most recently, I started building software for small businesses, which was named a Black Ambition Prize semifinalist.

I’ve worked with Google, Salesforce, Mercy Housing, and the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, using creativity as a tool for change. My work has been featured in 7x7, Thrillist, and the San Francisco Chronicle, and I landed on the cover of Oakland Magazine.

I have a BA in Architecture from USF and a Master’s in City Planning from UC Berkeley, and I serve on the boards of SPUR and Community Works.

Design Studio

Speaking

Murals & Art

My Creative Universe

Shop & perfumes

Opportuned

Podcast

Instagram

Writing

Constellations Newsletter

Featured
Three Lessons from Three Years of Bicoastal Living

It was June 2023, and I was about to drive across the country, two dogs in tow, leaving the Oakland apartment I'd lived in for 10 years and heading to New York City — without an apartment and knowing only a handful of people. I'd always loved New York and traveled there roughly twice a year for fashion tradeshows back when I was running my boutique. After surviving the Covid lockdown (and, unlike a lot of my friends, staying put), I felt like I was emerging a different person than I'd been in 2020 — and that deserved a life change. Realizing just how short life can be gave me the kick in the butt I needed to finally try living bicoastally. My people, my business, my network are all in Oakland — the Bay has been my home for all of my adult life — so I didn't want to leave it all behind. But I was ready for the next adventure.

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Betting on the Underdog: What the NYC Summit Taught Me About Optimism

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the NYC Summit and seeing our Mayor Zohran Mamdani (and when I say "our," I mean all of the US) speak in person. The room was full of other business owners, folks from the City of New York, and people from embassies and trade commissions across the world.

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2025 Booklist Wrapped

Inspired by Spotify's annual "Wrapped" here's my favorite reads of 2025. A few a these are on repeat (Yes, Ross Gay is my favorite poet) and you'll see my reading taste is about as eclectic as my interests are. 2025 was a tough year and so you'll notice some themes of coping, rage, resisting capitalism, and just trying to make sense of the chaotic times.

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Get into
my orbit.

If you’re into bold ideas, cross-disciplinary magic, and building things that don’t fit neatly into a box (or galaxy), we’ll probably get along. Send a signal and we can collaborate on projects and launch some new things into our world.