This week it’s my true pleasure to have Mandy Ford joining me for an interview, where she talks about following your inspiration, doodling, and becoming an illustrator. Mandy is a graphic designer, and she returned to drawing after many years after inspiration struck her in a writing class, and she found herself doodling. This led to her posting her art on Instagram, and landing a licensing deal with Home Goods only 4 months later.
In this episode, Mandy and I talk about:
- her early love of collecting rocks, Lisa Frank stickers and Poochie
- how working at a Earlham College, a Quaker seminary has changed her life and shaped her drawing
- how taking a writing class brought her back to her love of drawing
- how she got a licensing deal with Home Goods just four months after she returned to drawing
- what her creative process looks like, now
- her work with Illustrated Faith, creating scrapbooking kits
- her tips for Instagram and finding a community there
- the work she's most proud of to date (spoiler: it's being a mom to her twin boys)
- what harmony looks like for Mandy
- her thoughts on jump starting your joy - taking time to look up and notice the world around you, being kind, and giving freely to people
Read all of the show notes at jumpstartyourjoy.com/episode97