AUTHOR: Monica Lee
TITLE: Designer Interview
DATE: 2:07 PM
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BODY:
Here is my interview with the online scrapbooking magazine. My lovely webmaster also put a pdf of all the stamp designs that I created for Inky Antics
Pretty fun for me:) everyone loves being asked about their creative process!
Illustrator and Designer Monica Lee took some time out
to stop in The Studio and talk about her work!
You can find Monica's work at
Inky Antics Rubber Stamps, in addition to her own
site Monica Lee Studios.
1 What do you do? How did you get started?
I am an illustrator and designer. I enjoy working in
both the children's market and the gift industry. I also
love meeting creative people, learning about how they
got started, and introducing them to other creative
people. My art career started in third grade...actually,
my professional life started with my own greeting card
and stationery company, Monica Lee Studios. I attended
the New York stationery Show as a guest and left
knowing, "I can do that". I started as a sales rep for
greeting cards and eventually grew to successfully
designing, illustrating & manufacturing my own line of
stationery.
I got started designing stamps when Inky Antics
found me via my website. I had just made the decision to branch out from the children illustration market. The timing was perfect.
2 What type of research did you do before you got started? Did you have any background in this work?
Research and networking are essential elements of creative careers. I attended trade shows, I talked to shop owners who in turn mentored me, I worked as a sales rep in the greeting card industry, and I joined the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators).
I have a BS in Graphic Arts and I always wanted to be an illustrator, but there is no substitute for hands on experience and the wisdom of others who have already done it.
3 Did you do any additional research before you started designing stamps?
The research I did was to check out current trends. I had stamped in the past but when I started my own greeting card company that took over although I had several stamps custom made for my business and managed to send out every invoice with a stamp on it-nothing like what creative stampers are doing today.
4 How did you manage to get started with rubber stamps?
Jackie Lewis at Inky Antics came to me after she saw some of my “girly” illustrations. She had a tight deadline for a big push to get the stamps released at the July CHA show but the subject matter of glamour girls was so fun, it hardly seemed like work.
5 How are your rubber stamps marketed?The stamps are sold directly through Inky Antics. I
personally think websites are invaluable. They are a great tool for representing who you are and what you are about. You are welcome to visit me at mine, Monica Lee Studios.
6 Describe your work setting.
I recently got a new studio! It's the sunroom in my
charming 1929 home. It's lined with windows and has two
inviting chairs for my family to visit me as I'm at my art table.
At last!...my own...shared space.
7 Are you a rubber stamper and/or scrapper? Do you make cards from your own designs?I now have much more time to scrap and stamp (although I do confess to being a rabid knitter) I love all the embellishments and of course, being a paper person-the papers! I had worked my own hand painted illustrations into pieces with the entire product and sold them to a home décor store. Just another creative outlet!
8 Three things you've learned in the business that have helped you succeed?1. I have learned to “stay connected” Being creative at home with out other creative people to chat with can dull your senses! I put up a blog on my website and found some of the most amazing creative people thru the Internet.
2. I learned to “embrace myself as an artist”. My husband has really help with this, I used to refer to everyone else as an artist but hesitate when I referred to myself that way. It has been a pivotal decision for me, all the art I produced and still was not calling myself and artist? What was I waiting for?
3. Make a Map! After “embracing myself” ha! I got a blank piece of poster board and my design markers and began drawing a map of what I wanted to accomplish in my career and in my personal life. The very act of writing it down was obviously just what I needed I can not believe how much of it has come to pass. Now I simply believe and accept the rest will happen also.
9 Three things you'd do differently?I would have believed in myself sooner.
I would have laid out a plan for my career sooner.
I would have trusted my art sooner.
But I guess settling to an age where you know what it is that you love has some benefits. I have taken the time in my life to figure out what makes me tick!
10 Are you an artist? (Do you see yourself as an artist?)I very much consider myself an artist. I also use the words “creative person”.
I have found that a lot of people (especially women) squirm at being labeled as an Artist. So if I refer to you as a creative person it doesn’t carry any mental road blocks that can keep you from actually creating!
11 Any plans to expand into the scrapping market?
I am in the process of designing scrap papers and embellishments. I wanted to create some “stories” and approach some companies.
One thing I don’t see enough of (and trust me, this is a crowded industry) is young boy stories. I have a 7 and 9 year old and they have moved past a juvenile look. Being an illustrator, I still love something that is somehow, someway hand rendered. It is almost like having an antique in your home. I like the new things and things that make me think of my childhood.
Just on a side note (from Monica) : However you choose to scrap your friends and family brings in a bit of your unique personality for your children to remember you by. I recently read an article that listed the signs of an “amateur scrapper”! Geez, the pressure! If you don’t like modern, don’t have it reflect in your pages, if you don’t do “cute stuff”, don’t do it. I think one of the reasons this craft has taken off is because no one is telling you exactly what to do! Hooray! It really is just letting you be the creative person that you ARE!
Here is my interview with the online scrapbooking magazine. My lovely webmaster also put a pdf of all the stamp designs that I created for Inky Antics
Pretty fun for me:) everyone loves being asked about their creative process!
Illustrator and Designer Monica Lee took some time out
to stop in The Studio and talk about her work!
You can find Monica's work at
Inky Antics Rubber Stamps, in addition to her own
site Monica Lee Studios.
1 What do you do? How did you get started?
I am an illustrator and designer. I enjoy working in
both the children's market and the gift industry. I also
love meeting creative people, learning about how they
got started, and introducing them to other creative
people. My art career started in third grade...actually,
my professional life started with my own greeting card
and stationery company, Monica Lee Studios. I attended
the New York stationery Show as a guest and left
knowing, "I can do that". I started as a sales rep for
greeting cards and eventually grew to successfully
designing, illustrating & manufacturing my own line of
stationery.
I got started designing stamps when Inky Antics
found me via my website. I had just made the decision to branch out from the children illustration market. The timing was perfect.
2 What type of research did you do before you got started? Did you have any background in this work?
Research and networking are essential elements of creative careers. I attended trade shows, I talked to shop owners who in turn mentored me, I worked as a sales rep in the greeting card industry, and I joined the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators).
I have a BS in Graphic Arts and I always wanted to be an illustrator, but there is no substitute for hands on experience and the wisdom of others who have already done it.
3 Did you do any additional research before you started designing stamps?
The research I did was to check out current trends. I had stamped in the past but when I started my own greeting card company that took over although I had several stamps custom made for my business and managed to send out every invoice with a stamp on it-nothing like what creative stampers are doing today.
4 How did you manage to get started with rubber stamps?
Jackie Lewis at Inky Antics came to me after she saw some of my “girly” illustrations. She had a tight deadline for a big push to get the stamps released at the July CHA show but the subject matter of glamour girls was so fun, it hardly seemed like work.
5 How are your rubber stamps marketed?The stamps are sold directly through Inky Antics. I
personally think websites are invaluable. They are a great tool for representing who you are and what you are about. You are welcome to visit me at mine, Monica Lee Studios.
6 Describe your work setting.
I recently got a new studio! It's the sunroom in my
charming 1929 home. It's lined with windows and has two
inviting chairs for my family to visit me as I'm at my art table.
At last!...my own...shared space.
7 Are you a rubber stamper and/or scrapper? Do you make cards from your own designs?I now have much more time to scrap and stamp (although I do confess to being a rabid knitter) I love all the embellishments and of course, being a paper person-the papers! I had worked my own hand painted illustrations into pieces with the entire product and sold them to a home décor store. Just another creative outlet!
8 Three things you've learned in the business that have helped you succeed?1. I have learned to “stay connected” Being creative at home with out other creative people to chat with can dull your senses! I put up a blog on my website and found some of the most amazing creative people thru the Internet.
2. I learned to “embrace myself as an artist”. My husband has really help with this, I used to refer to everyone else as an artist but hesitate when I referred to myself that way. It has been a pivotal decision for me, all the art I produced and still was not calling myself and artist? What was I waiting for?
3. Make a Map! After “embracing myself” ha! I got a blank piece of poster board and my design markers and began drawing a map of what I wanted to accomplish in my career and in my personal life. The very act of writing it down was obviously just what I needed I can not believe how much of it has come to pass. Now I simply believe and accept the rest will happen also.
9 Three things you'd do differently?I would have believed in myself sooner.
I would have laid out a plan for my career sooner.
I would have trusted my art sooner.
But I guess settling to an age where you know what it is that you love has some benefits. I have taken the time in my life to figure out what makes me tick!
10 Are you an artist? (Do you see yourself as an artist?)I very much consider myself an artist. I also use the words “creative person”.
I have found that a lot of people (especially women) squirm at being labeled as an Artist. So if I refer to you as a creative person it doesn’t carry any mental road blocks that can keep you from actually creating!
11 Any plans to expand into the scrapping market?
I am in the process of designing scrap papers and embellishments. I wanted to create some “stories” and approach some companies.
One thing I don’t see enough of (and trust me, this is a crowded industry) is young boy stories. I have a 7 and 9 year old and they have moved past a juvenile look. Being an illustrator, I still love something that is somehow, someway hand rendered. It is almost like having an antique in your home. I like the new things and things that make me think of my childhood.
Just on a side note (from Monica) : However you choose to scrap your friends and family brings in a bit of your unique personality for your children to remember you by. I recently read an article that listed the signs of an “amateur scrapper”! Geez, the pressure! If you don’t like modern, don’t have it reflect in your pages, if you don’t do “cute stuff”, don’t do it. I think one of the reasons this craft has taken off is because no one is telling you exactly what to do! Hooray! It really is just letting you be the creative person that you ARE!