Marisa's blog: www.marisamidori.blogspot.com
Marisa's website: www.marisaseguin.com
Marisa's shop: www.etsy.com/shop/marisamidori
Today we are joined by the fresh and delightful Canadian illustrator Marisa Seguin. I am in love with her "Here and There" city series - whimsically illustrated maps of famous places. When Marisa is not illustrating, she says that she spends her time "baking obnoxiously coloured cakes, dancing around my room, and spending inordinate amounts of time reading blogs." Sounds good to me! Enjoy your weekend and Marisa's fun interview! xo
Why did you decide to become an artist and could you imagine doing anything else? If so, what?
My parents have always told me that I loved drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil. I wasn't a huge Barbie kid or any other toy for that matter — I just wanted to draw! So careerwise, it's been a pretty straight path for me. If I weren't an illustrator, I think I would really enjoy having my own bakery. I love to bake and experiment with recipes in my free time.
Do you still believe do what you love and the money will come?
Well, I'm just starting my career and haven't been jaded by the industry yet haha so I'm still very optimistic (but I'm just a really optimistic person in general). I believe that when people love what they are doing it shows in their work and people will be excited about a product that the maker was equally excited (if not more) to create.
How has blogging and the internet influenced your work as an artist?
I am a complete blog addict. I love to read them in my spare time (and not-so-spare time!) and always turn to them when I am in a creative rut. I don't believe in creating in a bubble. The internet and blogging specifically have introduced me to so many great artists that I probably would never have found without this incredible resource. Now that I'm beginning my career, the internet has also helped me connect with so many great people in my industry. It is an invaluable tool!
Please name 3 of your favorite blogs and tell us why these blogs are special.
Oh man, just three??
Where the Lovely Things Are - Mallory, the curator of this blog, always find the best stuff. She features a great balance of beautiful photographs and illustrations and I can always find something to be inspired by here.
Pikaland - My absolute favourite illustration blog. Amazing features, projects, and advice.
GrainEdit - My favourite more graphic design-oriented blog. They feature work from the 50s-70s (the Golden Age in my opinion) and contemporary work that draws inspiration from this time period.
What is your greatest fear and what do you do to overcome it?
I guess my greatest fear is just not being good enough. To overcome it, I just keep telling myself that if I love what I am creating then hopefully others will too. One of my teachers always said that if you are laughing or smiling while you are drawing then that is generally a good sign.
Who would you like to trade places with for one day? Why?
Tina Fey! Such a wicked smart, hilarious, and talented woman. No brainer. I finally got around to reading Bossypants (I'm still at the beginning) but every page just makes me like her more and more.
What are your secrets for managing your time wisely?
I am a list maker. They help me visualize everything I need to do. I start by writing everything that needs to be accomplished and organize that list based on highest priority to lowest so I can help judge what needs to be done immediately and what I can put off until a bit later.
If you could live anywhere in the world – all expenses paid – for one year, where would that be? Why?
Ohhh tough choice! I think it would have to be Paris. I am a huge Francophile but have yet to visit this incredible city. I would love to spend a year in Paris just being immersed in the art, food, and beautiful architecture. I would also love to just be in Europe so that I could travel easily to all of the wonderful cities there.
How do you maintain a healthy balance between your professional and private life?
I don't haha. But I think that is just part of being an illustrator. My professional life is still there when I'm in “private life” mode and I am constantly finding beautiful books, interesting sights, anything that could inspire me. And also vice versa, I could be having a funny conversation or see something while on vacation while in “private life” mode that could later creep into an illustration.
What are your top 5 goals that you’d like to accomplish within the next 5 years?
1. I definitely want to expand my Here & There poster series. New York, Chicago, Seattle, Florence, Rome, London. I've got a lengthy list of cities I would love to illustrate!
2. Uppercase Magazine is a great Canadian magazine that is published quarterly. They feature a ton of awesomesauce illustrators and always have fun ways to participate. I would love to submit some work sometime in the near future.
3. Printmaking is something I've always wanted to try but never had room in my schedule in college for any intro classes. I'd love to experiment with screenprinting and other types of printmaking and see how these techniques could be incorporated into my illustrations.
4. I've always wanted to illustrate an A-Z series of some sort. Desserts, flowers, weird sea creatures, I'm not sure! Maybe all of them!
5. Participate in this year's Sketchbook Project (and actually finish it this time)! I got one last year but forgot it when I flew home to Vancouver and never finished it.
What is your advice for someone who would like to turn his or her creative dreams into reality?
I think surrounding yourself with creative people (both in the real world and also virtually) is a good way to start turning your creative dreams into a reality. They can help you to see what is out there already, motivate you to keep creating, and in general, are just a lot of fun!
Thank you Marisa - you really are an optimistic, encouraging artist! You inspire me too :)