Card Designer Highlight: Good Juju Ink

The Card Designer Highlight is a collection that includes unbiased makers whose greeting playing cards yow will discover in Paper Supply shops.  Meet and be impressed by a brand new designer each month on our weblog!

Juliana, sparked by her longtime love of playing cards and candid recommendation took her journey full circle from Paper Supply admirer to vendor.  What began with  3 greeting card designs has grown right into a thriving enterprise with over 500 well-loved designs offered worldwide.

How did you start your card-making profession?

First, let’s go means again to elementary faculty. I distinctly keep in mind having just a little white Easter basket in my bed room after I was rising up, and I might fill it with all of the playing cards that I acquired over the course of every yr. Nobody advised me to do that—and I started doing it at a really younger age (perhaps as early as 5 – 6). I’ve great reminiscences of pulling that little basket off of my bookshelf and re-reading playing cards from relations and associates. It was form of like my first actual acutely aware act of self-care!

Okay—quick ahead to 2014. After a few years, I had lastly ended an unhealthy skilled relationship with the performing business (that’s its personal story, however I’ll spare you the main points), and I used to be in want of some critical skilled self-care. I LOVED to attract, and I used to be delighted on the prospect of a brand new profession the place my inventive output was not instantly tied to my very own look. Consider it or not, I began frequenting Paper Supply areas the place I might stand in entrance of the cardboard wall for hours, simply studying playing cards and laughing or feeling impressed or being moved to tears…(nothing higher than card wall, amirite?) One afternoon, I used to be searching for a birthday card for my sister-in-law, and I picked up a pleasant card from an organization known as Fats Bunny Press. It turned out Fats Bunny Press was based mostly simply up the highway from me in San Francisco! So, I known as the proprietor, Eva Hamden Grall (who’s now a lifelong pal) and requested her if she’d take into account hiring me? She had an excellent higher concept—she mentioned, “Juju, when you understand that almost all card corporations consist of 1 chick gluing issues and packing issues in her house till two within the morning, you understand that you simply, too, can begin your personal enterprise. You don’t want an MBA, you don’t must apprentice anyplace…you simply want guts and just a little little bit of insomnia. Juju, simply begin your personal firm!” Two months later, I launched an Etsy retailer with 3 greeting playing cards. Now, now we have greater than 500 designs offered in 1000’s of shops around the globe!

The place do you draw inspiration from?

I feel the higher query is the place does my inspiration NOT come from…celebrated literature, the ocean, lovely butterflies, historic Egypt, toile, rivers and mountains and forests, Parisian structure, the human expertise…and laughter. Tons and plenty of laughter. Thank god I’ve a group to rein me in, as a result of I’ve far an excessive amount of inventive inspiration and much too little time. However I’ll say this—there’s NOTHING extra entertaining than a Good Juju Ink inventive group brainstorming session. My junior designers are completely sensible/humorous/empathetic, and so they assist push ALL of our work to the following stage! Simply have a look at our latest releases and I feel you’ll agree!

What does your day seem like as a cardmaker?

Actually no day is similar. And moreover my morning cup of Irish breakfast tea, I’m not one for routines. So every day may be very very very totally different. Due to this fact, I’ll inform you what I did yesterday, because it’s most likely pretty much as good of an instance as any! Half 1: I awoke, had tea and breakfast with my household, and admired my attractive cat, Wallace. Half 2: I ready for our weekly Good Juju Ink inventive group assembly with my two extremely gifted junior designers. We talked about patterns, dancing snowmen, walruses, vintage clocks—and the way we’d incorporate all of these items into upcoming deadlines. Half 3: I drew all kinds of ribbons for our summer season puzzle launch (GAH, I’m so excited for these!). Half 4: I bought distracted and checked out attractive textiles for a lot too lengthy. Half 5: I noticed that I forgot to eat lunch so I ate some meals. Half 6: I picked up my daughter from preschool and took her to swimming classes. Half 7: We ate dinner as a household and bought my daughter ready for mattress. Half 8: I stayed awake till the wee hours of the morning doing a little mixture of drawing/brainstorming/emailing/studying/ fairly photos. Half 9: I fell asleep on the sofa.

What’s your most well-liked medium?