Author Archives: amy

By Kerry Hyndman

By Åh Studio

By Billie Jean

By Matthew Dent

Map-making is one of my favorite forms of art. It’s safe to say that everyone, no matter their age or whether or not they are an artist, has sketched out a map. At least once in their life anyway. (And if you haven’t, you should try it out – because people understand maps better than just spoken or written directions!)

So I was really happy to see that Adam Hayes has started up a blog showcasing maps made by artists and illustrators! Each artist has responded to his call by making a map of somewhere that they feel they belong, and responses can include maps of places they live or grew up in, maps of the future or even of fictional locations and even maps of nowhere.

You can always contact Adam directly if you want to take part over at his blog.

And also, here’s a book on maps if you’re REALLY into these sort of things: The Map as Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography

I am loving the fashion illustrations of Natalia Sanabria, a student from Costa Rica who is currently illustrating for Nylon Mexico. Her pencil lines are soft and beautiful, and I love how the pops of color in her work focuses your eye without screaming for attention. In some ways, her use of color carefully extends the eye and leads it to the more interesting bits without having every element vying for attention.

You can see more of her work via Flickr.

By nature, I hate competing.

I gave up competitive hockey when I was 12.
I gave up rhythmic gymnastics when I was 15.
I gave up playing volleyball when I was 17.

I gave up not because I hated to lose – but because I couldn’t quite bear to swallow the fact that I couldn’t be number one. I compared myself to others all the time and if I couldn’t be number one, why bother at all?

Suffice to say, I grew up a lot since then. I thought long and hard about how I wanted to live my life, and came to realize that I didn’t want to do things in the name of oneupmanship.

So I did things that felt RIGHT, not right by society’s standards (let’s face it – it’s one big race there too.)

I lost a few battles and won a few too. I got a bit bolder and tried out things I normally wouldn’t (like quitting my job for Pikaland), and pushed my boundaries – and comfort zone – a little bit more everyday. The more I fell down and picked myself up in this big race, the more I realize that I’d very much prefer to play in the sandbox all by myself (you’re all invited, of course) instead of sprinting all the time.

It’s really exhausting to keep up in the long run anyway.

I’d rather build something that would be deeply satisfying in the long run as opposed to having a temporary medal hung around my neck.

Have a lovely Monday folks!