Now it’s obvious.

Today is the last day of my full-time contract at The Obvious Corporation. As a freelance creative who collaborates with teams on a short-term basis, I’ve grown accustomed to saying goodbye. But when you’re completely immersed in a project and grow close to the crew around you, it’s not easy to just flip the switch and move onto the next thing.

I was introduced to the idea of Medium exactly four weeks before we shared it with the world and today is exactly four weeks and one day later. It was my first contract since moving across the country to San Francisco and it was the first time I had ever worked with a start-up. I had no idea what I was in for. This is not your average Bay Area start-up. It’s a huge idea and my new boss has a blue check mark next to his name on Twitter, which made my face turn red.

Because I can’t put into words everything I’ve learned (plus, I think I signed something saying I couldn’t talk about that kind of stuff) I’ll just say that the people who work here are the most brilliant folks I’ve ever met. From casual chats around the office to highly focused meetings to reading their words on Medium, I have learned so much from each one of them. These past eight weeks have been creatively challenging, educationally thrilling, often confusing, and yet always fun.

Sitting three feet away from Ev and Biz and observing how they interact with and guide a visionary team has been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. To say I am encouraged by their approach to work and energized by how those ideas are ripe with potential to positively impact the world would be an understatement.

As I head down the elevator for the last time, the most important thing I’ll take away is this: I’ve learned that being extraordinary at what you do and being an extraordinary human can go hand in hand. It wasn’t clear to me before, but now it’s obvious.