Our story
There isn't just one meaning behind the name Cut a Fig. Like the fruit itself, it has layers.
Layer 01
A fig has layers. Cut it open, and you find something completely different inside.
For us, cutting into a fig is a metaphor for opening yourself up to discovery. There are talents, ideas, stories, and creative possibilities inside all of us that we don't always get the chance to explore. Sometimes, all it takes is a little encouragement, a new skill, or a space where it's safe to try.
Cut a Fig is that space.
Layer 02
The name is also inspired by Sylvia Plath's famous fig tree in The Bell Jar, where each fig represents a different possibility for a person's life. We saw something deeply familiar in that image: the many things we could become, and the fear of choosing one path and losing all the others.
But we wanted to imagine something different.
Here, we won't let the figs wither.
You don't have to decide who you're going to be before you begin learning. You can try something new, change your mind, pick another fig, and discover that there are more possibilities than you thought.
Layer 03
There is another, much older meaning to the fig, too.
Fig trees have long carried associations with knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment. In Buddhist tradition, the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment while meditating beneath the Bodhi tree, a sacred fig tree. Across different cultures and traditions, the fig has also appeared as a symbol of abundance, knowledge, and life.
That idea of enlightenment resonates deeply with what we hope to create: learning as a way of seeing more clearly, discovering more about yourself, and understanding the world around you.
So Cut a Fig is about all of these things at once.
Cutting open. Uncovering. Exploring. Learning. Becoming.
We believe everyone has something inside them worth discovering—and that learning shouldn't be reserved for those who already know where they're going.
Sometimes you just have to cut into the fig and find out.
Meet the founder
Writer, educator, and founder of Cut a Fig
Elise has an extensive career in marketing with a focus on content, working across copywriting, SEO, social media, and paid ads. She has also authored educational eBooks on writing, and is currently working on her debut novel.
Her background in strategy and storytelling now shapes how Cut a Fig teaches: practical, grounded in what actually works, and built for people who want to create with intention.
A few highlights from her career
Grew a US spiritual newsletter's subscriber base from 110,000 to 138,000 — a 25% increase — in two months, driving $2,800 in incremental revenue through digital products, including paid guides, eBooks, and worksheets.
Built the content strategy and editorial framework for a food tech startup in the UK, helping grow organic site traffic by over 60% within the first two quarters.
Served as eCommerce Content Director for a promotional products supplier in Australia, leading SEO-driven content production that lifted organic search revenue by roughly 35%.
Owned content strategy for a US investment group and its sister companies, improving email click-through rates by 40% and paid ad performance by 200% (leads and conversions), while growing organic reach through SEO-led content.
Worked as Content Manager across several digital marketing agencies, managing content calendars and campaigns that consistently beat client KPIs by 20–30%.
Set up AI-assisted content workflows for several companies to streamline research, drafting, and production, cutting turnaround time by roughly 30% — built to support writers and speed up the process, not replace them.
Our belief
Cut a Fig began with a simple belief: people deserve the opportunity to learn, create, and express themselves without needing to have it all figured out first.
It's built around creativity, curiosity, and the belief that there is always more to discover.
Cut a Fig began because Elise saw how difficult it can be to find spaces where learning feels both accessible and welcoming. Creative workshops can be expensive. Some spaces can feel intimidating if you're a beginner. And sometimes, you just want to learn something because you're curious—not because you're pursuing a degree, building a career, or trying to become an expert.
We wanted to create a place where you could simply show up and learn.
What we do
Our workshops are designed to be practical, thoughtful, and welcoming to people at different stages of their journey.
We work with mentors who have knowledge and experience they can share, but we don't believe expertise should create a wall between the teacher and the learner. Our workshops are spaces for questions, experimentation, discussion, and sometimes simply realizing that you're capable of more than you thought.
You don't need to be a writer to join a writing workshop.
You don't need an art degree to make art.
You don't need to consider yourself “creative” to try something creative.
You can be a beginner. You can be curious. You can come just because you want to.
And you can leave with something new.
Browse workshops ↗Affordability
Affordability isn't an afterthought at Cut a Fig. It is part of our philosophy.
We want our workshops to remain within reach of students, young creatives, early-career professionals, and anyone who might otherwise have to think twice about spending money on learning something for themselves.
As we grow, we want to grow without losing that part of who we are.
We don't want learning to become more exclusive simply because our community gets bigger. We want to find more ways to make knowledge, creativity, mentorship, and opportunities available to more people.
That means:
Continuing to keep our classes accessible
Exploring different formats and price points
Collaborating with communities and organizations
Finding new ways to bring learning beyond a single classroom
Belonging
We also want Cut a Fig to be a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves.
Writing, art, and creative work can be deeply personal. Learning can be uncomfortable when you're afraid of being judged for not knowing enough or not being “good” enough.
We want to create spaces where people can ask questions, share ideas, make imperfect things, change their minds, and try again.
You don't have to arrive as an expert. You just have to arrive as yourself.
We want more people to read.
More people to write.
More people to make things.
More people to discover that creativity belongs to them, too.
What's next
Cut a Fig began with workshops, but our vision has always been bigger than a classroom.
We imagine a future where learning can reach people in more places and in more ways: through workshops, resources, publications, collaborations, communities, and other projects that make knowledge and creativity easier to access.
We want to build an ecosystem where people can learn something, discover something, make something, and then pass it on.
Because we don't think learning should stop when a workshop ends.
We want to help build a culture where curiosity is encouraged, creativity is valued, and people have more opportunities to explore the possibilities inside them.
More readers. More writers. More artists. More makers. More people discovering what they're capable of.
