Sharon Gottula

If you would’ve asked Sharon Gottula early on what she wanted to be, she would’ve quickly told you, “A Scientist!” The natural curiosity that had her pouring over her Discover magazines eventually led to her discovery of cameras, and from there, to a career telling visual stories.

 

That curiosity is what brought her to co-found Idea Decanter in 2014, where she now serves as Chief Creative Officer. Sharon keeps the company ahead of what’s actually working in financial advisor marketing, researching emerging trends in visual content, social media and AI, then making sure that intelligence reaches the team before it’s old news. She sets the standard for visual aesthetics and social strategy across client work, and she’s the one who gets called in when a visual isn’t landing or something needs a second look. In a world where AI can mimic almost anything except real connection, Sharon believes showing up as your actual self has never mattered more, and that belief is what shapes every standard she sets.

 

Creativity isn’t something Sharon sets aside after work. It’s the belief that beauty enhances life, that a great graphic can make a story more accessible, and yes, that fonts matter. 

 

Outside of Idea Decanter, she paints in oil and encaustic, sculpts in clay, and still, after all these years, loves photography. Each medium teaches her something different about texture, story, and what makes an image or object worth stopping for, and that range shows up in the work she brings to Idea Decanter’s clients. When you’ve spent decades moving between a camera, a paintbrush, and potter’s loop, you start to see storytelling problems differently than someone who’s only ever worked in one form. That’s the perspective she brings to every advisor’s brand.