Windowsill Chats

Margo chats with Artist & Designer, Esté MacLeod. Esté's paintings are informed by the real and the imaginary. Her background in textile and ceramic design is noticeable in the stylised, abundant and colourful forms used in still life, landscape and floral paintings. Although shapes are distorted and altered, there is a strong sense of the familiar. The variety of techniques Esté uses to layer colour and shapes adds an ethereal element to her work.

Margo & Este talk:

• The importance of ongoing learning and how it affects her teaching
• Being selective with collaborations and partnerships
• Why you should think of yourself as a brand as soon as you start creating
• Being versatile, resourceful, and THINKING as a creative versus just being a creative
• Authenticity
• The necessity in understanding your own likes and dislikes and how you can benefit as an artist
• Sourcing inspiration
• And so much more

Esté's Paintings are inspired by travel, nature, dreams, seasons, sentiments and thoughts as well as everyday surroundings. Working intuitively, she allows a painting to develop over time. By experimenting with the layering of colours, patterns, textures and mark making, and by using her trademark floral and simplified plant forms, Esté's work always retains a freshness. Her creative process often involves painting over areas of detail and colour, revealing just a section of what was painted below. These vibrant and energetic artworks are presented to convey intrinsic beauty, a feeling or memory of a place or impression.

Connect with Esté:

https://www.estemacleod.com/

https://www.instagram.com/estemacleod/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/estemacleod/

https://www.facebook.com/EsteMacLeodArtist

Margo chats with Elise Giordano. The long and short of it is, Elise is a photographer. But also a content creator, magic maker + natural light lover based in the PNW and she has some incredible stories. After eventually letting go of the possibility of becoming a veterinarian, she pursued both journalism and marketing, which is what gives her the edge to tell a compelling narrative through photos. And after spending a summer working as a tour guide in Skagway, Alaska she took over running the local newspaper for a few years before taking a job with Outdoor Research.

Elise and Margo discuss:

• Elise's go and grow spirit that led her to Alaska
• How she went above and beyond to take a job with Outdoor Research
• Cancelled opportunities due to COVID and how her business has changed in the last 9 months
• How she finds creativity outside of photography and her business
• The beauty, magic, and fun in NOT niching down
• Why she finds photography to be important whether it be for people or a brand
• And some really unique people that inspire her!

Most importantly, Elise loves what she does and can't believe that she's fortunate enough to take photos every day and follow her passion wholeheartedly. When she's not photographing wonderful people, she's capturing products and places for brands like Eddie Bauer, NEMO Equipment, Good + Well Supply Co. and more.

Connect with Elise:

https://www.elisegiordano.com/

https://elisegiordanophotography.com/

http://instagram.com/elisegiordano

In this episode of Windowsill Chats, it's a dual interview with go-to PR gal, Beth Nydick. Beth has spent over 10 years working as an online entrepreneur and health coach, her acumen for business had been sought out by other solopreneurs that wanted to increase their authority, but their businesses were not set up for success. Beth saw a hole in the foundations of her communities' businesses and knew that what she had learned over the last 10 years could not only help them increase their bottom line but with a direction she could guide them to work in collaboration to increase their visibility and credibility.

Margo and Beth discuss:

• How they know each other
• Margo's tales of business in China
• Bringing out the best in others and how they each do that in their own ways
• Being unafraid of the messy
• The importance of being truly authentic
• Margo's (organic) creative process
• Why home is Margo's most important place of being
• What brings Beth joy when it comes to PR and business
• The importance of connection and community
• And so much more

Today, Beth helps entrepreneurs to strategically prepare their business and gain exposure through collaboration and visibility so they can reach their full potential, establish credibility and their bottom line.

Resources Mentioned:

https://www.chelseawessman.com/

Connect with Beth:

https://bethnydick.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Bethnydick/

https://www.instagram.com/BethNydick/

Margo is joined by Leigh Standley, the artist, writer and owner of Curly Girl Design, Inc. In its seventeen years, Curly Girl Design and Leigh's line of clever and colorful greeting cards and art have taken the industry by delightful storm. Focused on the magic of the small moments, her product peeks into the corners of life and taps into the hearts of all.

Leigh graduated from college around the dot com boom and was blessed to have a few great jobs until the 2008 recession and 9/11. From there she decided to work at a friends yoga studio but decided she needed to stay creative so she started making greeting cards which were sold at the studio and did exceptionally well. Her friend (and yoga studio owner) knew she had more in her and fired her from the studio in a way to force her into doing something more with her creative talents.

Leigh shares:

• Her secret sauce that propelled her self-made career
• The 12 original greeting cards created and her first trade show experience
• Why greeting cards are the most fulfilling creations of her career
• Experiencing burnout and how she's healing from it
• The importance of community and sharing wins and failures
• And so much more

Leigh earned a BFA from the University of Kansas School of Design, holds two LOUIE awards for greeting card excellence and has been a nominee for 5 others. Leigh now finds herself back in her St Louis stomping grounds with her husband and her two antic-filled charming 7 year old twins Ruby & Graham. She believes firmly in the power of creativity and community to unlock our truest selves and is proudly "Living imperfectly with great delight."

Connect with Leigh:

www.curlygirldesign.com

https://www.instagram.com/leigh.standley/

Margo chats with the beautiful, colorful, and wildly creative Dayle Bennett. Dayle hails from Baltimore Maryland and resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She has Bachelor of Arts in fiber/textiles and color theory from Towson University and attended post grad studies at the Portfolio Center where she studied design and art direction and has left her mark on companies such as Hallmark, West Elm, and Center for Civic Innovation before more recently stepping out on her own to help others problem solve and inspire people to make, inspire, and share.

Margo & Dayle go back to the beginning discussing:

• Dayle's start as a creative
• How she learned how to embrace her strong energy
• How large corporations can build better relationships with their employees
• The more challenging times in her life including her attendance at the Portfolio Center
• Alt Summit
• Embracing her own story
• The significance of having a mentor
• And so much more!

Dayle is a consultant, speaker, and glitter sprinkler that provides a fresh perspective to help teams and individuals find joy in their daily lives. She is a creative innovator that uses design thinking with her experience, expertise, and creative energy to solve problems and believes that we are all creative and need a little nudge to unleash our inner creativity. She has been designing wonderful things all her life and loves teaching creative workshops, speaking about design and how to unleash your spark.

Connect with Dayle:

https://number4designstudio.com/

linkedin.com/in/dayle-bennett-77239b8

https://www.instagram.com/designstudio.no4/

https://www.facebook.com/number4designstudio

Margo chats with a dear friend, Contemporary Artist and Author, Lynn Whipple. Lynn is deeply grateful to live her life as an artist. Play and discovery are her dearest and most constant companions. There are a zillion tiny challenges in each art making experience and she often finds, just as many victories. Lynn and her husband John are a part of the founding family that established McRae Art Studios, a vibrant art collective in Central Florida, that is home to 23 artists.

Lynn & Margo share stories on:

• Ways that Lynn follows a creative heart
• One of Lynn's biggest art inspirations
• Finding excitement in everyday details
• The benefits of working with 23 other artists
• Lynn's superpower of not caring what others think
• Humorous tales of travel
• And more

Lynn's mixed media work has been featured in over twenty art books and her work has won many awards over the years as she travels nationally showing her work in juried art shows, galleries and museums. She authored her first book, "Expressive Flower Painting for Bold Beautiful Blooms" with Quarry Books in 2017.

When not creating big, messy flower paintings Lynn is completely engaged in learning abstraction, by drawing and painting, with her dog Daisy, in The Art Fort, her small backyard studio. She also deeply enjoys encouraging creativity and play with her online art classes over at CarlaSonheim.com.

Connect with Lynn:

http://lynnwhipple.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lynnwhipple/

https://twitter.com/lynnwhippleart?lang=en

https://www.pinterest.com/lynnwhippleart/

https://www.facebook.com/Lynn-Whipple-Art-346136962142796/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPKvHgunyfY

https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/mary-blair

Margo meets a dear friend and mentor in her windowsill, Ingrid Liss. Ingrid is the VP of Product Development & Design at Ganz Midwest CBK - one of the largest wholesale gift holiday and home decor companies in the United States. With over 28 years in the industry and extensive experience in product design and sourcing she has honed her creative talents as an inspiring mentor and leader. Her career has taken her all over the world to work with artisans and partner suppliers to bring innovative and unique products to the market. Ingrid works with independent artists, illustrators, graphic designers, and an experienced team of product designers and she delights in the joy of fostering creative spirits and dynamic partnerships.

Margo and Ingrid discuss:

• The intricacies and interpretations of art
• Repurposing art from 2d to 3d art
• The question of "is licensing dead?"
• Fun and harrowing stories of international work travel
• Ingrid's start as a product designer
• And more!

Connect with Ingrid:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingridliss/

https://www.pinterest.com/ingridaliss/

https://www.ganz.com/Midwest-CBK/

Mati Rose McDonough joins the Windowsill to talk all about her journey from legal assistant, to artist, to teaching art, and mentoring. Mati (pronounced Matey, like Ahoy!) is an artist and daring adventurer. After wanting to be an artist for many years, but feeling like it was "impractical," at 29 years Mati took the leap and went back to art school at the California College of the Arts. Now over ten years later, she is still excited and terrified every time she sees a blank canvas, but embraces the adventure of life as an artist— penning her first book with this philosophy called "Daring Adventures in Paint". She has had dozens of art shows, taught painting classes internationally in Italy, Morocco, Costa Rica and more to come!

Mati shares:

• How a divorce and grief opened up new doors for her career
• How her career has evolved many times over
• What keeps her grounded

• Trusting your intuition and that the next step will present itself
• Ways we can get better at trusting our intuition
• Allowing ourselves to have confidence in the things we are good at and enjoy rather than disowning what we are good out
• Why it's never too late to show the world your magic
• And more!

Mati's illustrations grace all sorts of products from camera cases to giant elephant billboards as well as her own home decor line and dress line too— dreams come true! She is pinching herself after all those years that she is making her living as an artist. Mati has illustrated four children's books and through her workshops, books, and popular online course, she spreads a warm message of creative courage.

Connect with Mati:

https://www.matirose.com/

https://www.instagram.com/matirose/

Margo takes to her virtual Windowsill to chat with THE Gary McNatton. In simplicity, the best way to describe Gary is the nose that knows, as for him, every scent tells a story. After studying art history and psychology at Vanderbilt University, Gary lived in Chicago and Los Angeles but now resides in Marin County. His resume notes launching product design firm Mottura, Senior Vice President at Gap Inc., and Co-Owner of Hudson Grace to name a few.

Margo and Gary have a lengthy discussion about:

• Gary's impressive career history
• The stories that inspired the scents Gary has created
• The power of scent
• Gary's passion for wheeling and dealing
• His path of entrepreneurship to the corporate realm, and back to entrepreneurship
• How Hudson Grace came to be
• The Napa Valley Fires
• And much more

Gary has three decades of experience delivering award-winning design and production in personal care, fine fragrance, home product and package design. He is passionate about the authenticity and simplicity of Hudson Grace products. "There's a comfort in holding something beautiful and chunky and not at all delicate," he says. "We choose items that are meant to be worn, to be used, to be loved."

Connect with Gary:

Hudson Grace

LinkedIn

A Nose that Knows

Meeting Margo on her windowsill today is Eulalia Mejia. Eulalia is an illustrator, graphic designer and mixed media artist living in the rural mountains of Colombia. Eulalia's painterly illustrations are a well balanced mix between traditional and digital mediums, ranging from watercolors, gouache, acrylics and collage to Illustrator, Photoshop and Procreate. Having the ability to work in both worlds brings her a sense of freedom and joyous exploration that is tangible in her designs.

Margo and Eulalia discuss all things around:

• Eulalia forging her own path to being a creative artist while being surrounded by a family of engineers.
• Life and work in Colombia, South America
• The pros and cons to working on your own
• Working with an agent that keeps your best interests in mind
• Giving yourself permission to create without boundaries (not everything has to be sellable when you're an artist)
• Where Eulalia finds inspiration
• And so much more!

Eulalia's artwork is often inspired by the exotic and magical tropical land she lives in, making it both alluring and enchanting. She believes that we are never too old to be amazed by everyday life and that surrounding ourselves with beauty is the best way to remember there can be magic in the world.

Most days you can find Eulalia in her studio creating. Her interests are diverse and encompass a wide variety of creative projects like: doll making, embroidery, book binding, mixed media painting, collaging and art journaling. When she is not creating she enjoys riding her bicycle through the mountains and watching horror movies while hiding under the cushions.

Connect with Eulalia:

Website: www.eulaliamejia.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happychinchilla/

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HappyChinchillaShop

Creative Market: https://creativemarket.com/HappyChinchilla

3 People that Inspire Eulalia:

Mati Rose

Natlie Lété

Monika Forsberg