Congrats Mike & Ashleigh!!

(The Bride and Groom on their Wedding Day!!)

Hello Again My Darlings!!

I'm so thrilled to be sharing this incredibly special Wedding Portrait commission with you all. Many months ago my most beautiful, supportive, friend through the ages, Jill Zimmerman asked if I would be interested in painting a portrait of her girlfriend (blushing bride Ashleigh) and now husband as a wedding gift. I was so BEYOND honored that she believed in my work enough to actually commission me for this super special gift. It took only a few simple sketches to settle on the direction and one fully-loaded photo album to kickstart the final piece.

I have to share just how nervous both Jill and I were about this gift lol. It was, after all, a pretty important illustration. But when I received a text from Jill this past Saturday informing me that Ashleigh was brought to tears at the sight of her portrait, I knew that all the stress was worth it. Honestly, I don't think I've ever felt so emotional over a piece of my artwork before, and the greatest reward has to be having been apart of such a special moment in two people's lives. All around tearjerker!!

Congrats to the beautiful, beaming, happy couple Mike & Ashleigh; wishing you all the love, light, and laughter in the world!! And last but not least, thank you to my precious friend Jill for being so much more than I could ever dream of in a friend. I love you always!!

Much much love,

Meag xx

Cook & Gates

Hello Loves,

Happy happy Sunday!! I'm so sorry for my mini blog hiatus. Life has been so busy lately between wrapping up my evening classes, finishing freelance projects, and working at Cook & Gates. Finally this afternoon I had the opportunity to paint just for me and I can't tell you how good it felt!! For those of you who don't know me personally, I started working with an awesome hand dyed bag company Cook & Gates back in February. I've been meaning to share the news with you all because it has honestly been one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had.

Sara Gates, the owner/designer, is such a killer business woman. I've picked up so much just by watching her simultaneously run her own screen printing studio Kingsland Printing and handbag line. My lifelong dream has always been to be my own brand and sell accessories with my illustrations on them. Working with Sara makes me realize how easily that dream can become reality. She has supported me so much in my own career, mentioning me in her interview with NBC's Thread NY, and even printing a sample of my textile design for the scarves I'm producing this summer.

At work I do anything from creating techpacks for our handbag designs, the most recent being our backpack for summer, meeting with manufacturers and scouring the garment district for fabric and hardware, to making fun graphics for our hangtags, pocket screen prints, blog posts and communicating with vendors for cool promotional sales etc. The best part has to be working alongside Sara's sweetest french bulldog Janice (aka the love of my life). She wants to be in the action always and insists on sitting next to me at my desk in her own chair, too cute!!

My mom has always said that life is about the journey, especially when it comes to your career. I have to admit that for the first time, in what feels like forever, I'm finally enjoying just that.

Much love,

Meag xx

Postcard from Aswan

Rule No. 5: Survive With Your Head Down

Anna Wintour by Alex Katz

My indelibly brilliant friend, Globe and Mail business reporter Tim Kiladze, pointed me towards this week's New York Magazine article titled How to Make it in the Art World. While I'm still making my way through the dense copy, I did latch to a particular quote by one of my favorite artists, Alex Katz. He proposed:

"It's hard for young artists. You're an adult at 18, but for a painter it takes longer. You don't really get it together until 35 or 45. In the 1950s you had seven or eight years to experiment. But now you have to sell your first show and your second show and get a third show. And if you don't, you're a failure."

While he speaks from the fine art perspective, the sentiment holds true for any genre of art. And I can't begin to tell you how much this little piece of insight resonated with me. I lived by rule no. 5 all year, trying to survive with my head down, trying to keep all my doubts at bay, feeling like everyone was ahead of me. Comparing myself to my McGill commerce peers and their 6 figure salaries felt like a full-time career in itself. But what I realize and accept, as I finally raise my head up high, WAY high, is that the only timeline that matters is mine.

It's your life, it's your trajectory, compare yourself to no one, and measure yourself against only you. It's your dream, give it everything, and hope for the best. And now I've had my head up too long and it's time to get back to work, night class looms, and deadlines are ticking away.

See you on the other side!!

Much love,

Meag xx

New Portfolio Launched!!

Hello, Hello My Precious Darlings!!

I'm so excited to announce that my new portfolio has been launched at www.meaganmorrison.com!! Finally my domain name, which I bought two years ago, is being put to good use YAY!! It's one step closer to an official commissioned website and I'm so thrilled to see all my work in one place. For me it's a reflection of everything I've accomplished over these past three years. It has been a VERY long haul, particularly these past 12 months, but I finally feel like my career is coming together. Today marks the three month countdown to my expiring OPT and I can't wait to find out what's next for me.

Surely meaganmorrison.com will go through many more transitions as it will eventually become the home of my plethora of illustrated textile products. But for now it will help me on my next venture (applying for my work visa in New York) and many other projects I'm sure. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you ALL SO MUCH for your amazing, unwavering support. Be it facebook, twitter, my blog, or emails, you all prove to me how much good there is in the world. Having this blog has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done and it simply would not be without all of you.

Next up, Postcard from Aswan!! Stay tuned for pictures from the Nile.

So much love,

Meag xx

Postcard from Cairo

Illustration for IDEE FIXE Magazine

So typically I'm not really into surprises, unless of course the surprise comes in the form of my illustration being published and made available on newsstands nationwide!! Today I received the most wonderful piece of news when IDEE FIXE Magazine's Features Editor, Katie Kingsbery Palmer, wrote to inform me that after months of waiting the first issue of the magazine had finally been published. Back in January I had created an illustration to relate to their article It's the Singer, Not the Song and was super anxious ever since to see it placed with the actual text.

I'm not sure it will ever get old, the feeling I receive when I crack open a magazine for the first time and see my very own artwork glistening inside. It's quite simply, magic. If you live in the U.S., be sure to pick-up a copy of this uber refreshing, art, beauty, and fashion publication and see for yourself what it means to experience IDEE FIXE.

Much love,

Meag xx

Nile Dreaming

Hello Hello My Loves!!

I've finally returned home safely to New York after what can only be described as the trip of a lifetime. Have you ever had a dream so good that you wished you could live in it forever? Well that's what this Egypt trip felt like for me. As I sit here in my tiny West Village apartment, I play over in my mind visions of Aswan's soothing Nile water kissed by the African sun. There simply are no words to describe the connections that were made along this journey.

In a post revolution Egypt, I climbed the great Pyramids of Giza, sailed the Nile in an Aswan Felucca, smoked shisha amongst locals on the dirt roads of Luxor, walked the Valley of the Kings, rode a camel through an Egyptian Village, danced the night away in Egypt's modern Hurghada, fell asleep on the beaches of the Red Sea, and awoke to snorkel through its crystal blue waters and coral reefs. My heart has been marked perpetually by this adventure and I don't think I will ever be the same again.

I'm hoping you all had a wonderful Easter with your loved ones and I cannot wait to share this expedition with you. Stay tuned for photo postcards and inspired illustrations galore. Egypt Ever After...

Much love,

Meag xx