I'm an artist, surface pattern + fabric designer, author, mama, and online teacher in Portland, OR. I believe in the power of art-making as a tool for radical self-care. I help people feel a little bit brighter and a little bit less alone through the art and products I make, the words I write, and the classes I teach. Come join 18k+ people in my colorful, uplifting world!
Everything is always working out as it's supposed to
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Hi Reader! I hope you're having a wonderful week. I'm enjoying a quiet Thanksgiving week at home this year with my kiddos instead of traveling to see family like we often do (well, more like a "quiet" week – I hear C and G bickering about something in the background right now, which is pretty standard), and it's funny how things work out so perfectly sometimes... We loosely planned to go to California for Thanksgiving and then decided to go in December instead. Then we made plans for a friends-giving, and that ended up not materializing either. And then I decided it might be nice to just have a quiet Thanksgiving here at home, just the three of us, and be cozy all day and cook what we want. And last week I ended up getting sick (like, real sick, not just an annoying little cold) and I'm feeling somewhat better but it's been lingering for almost a week now, and if I had to travel or host a bunch of people at our house in a couple of days I'd probably be kinda dreading it. But instead, I get to just look forward to relaxing and being cozy at home! It's all working out exactly as it's supposed to. It's not always easy to see things that way in the moment. Things might not make sense sometimes. But I love how often when I look backward at how things have happened that all the pieces fit together so weirdly perfectly and the dots connect so much of the time. It reminds me that I can TRUST what's happening TRUST myself, and TRUST the universe and the great mystery of it all. Anyway, to all my fellow Americans – Happy Thanksgiving this week! LET'S BE FRIENDS ON IG!
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Jessica Swift.
I'm an artist, surface pattern + fabric designer, author, mama, and online teacher in Portland, OR. I believe in the power of art-making as a tool for radical self-care. I help people feel a little bit brighter and a little bit less alone through the art and products I make, the words I write, and the classes I teach. Come join 18k+ people in my colorful, uplifting world!
Hi Reader, It's Spring Break for my kids this week, and we're staying put in Portland this year since we're going on a big adventure to England this summer (my little family of three's first international trip!). which means I'm doing the ultimate juggling act right now, trying to work with 2 kids here 24/7 and also make time for fun stuff so they're not just sitting around in front of screens. Basically I'm bouncing between things like zoom meetings to going to the pool to hosting live...
Hi Reader, Last week I told you about a super special collaboration I've been working on with my friend Sarah Watts, and today I'm excited to share that registration is OPEN for The Variety Show: Surface Pattern Design Edition! The Variety Show is a weeklong workshop – coming up March 31st–April 4th – all about surface pattern design. Sarah and I are hosting it together, and we’ll be joined by a couple of very amazing special guests — artists Jen Hewett and Peggy Dean. Yes! And, we’ll have...
I turned the drawing I shared in my email last week into a repeating pattern! Hey Reader, Happy Tuesday! Today I've got pattern design on the brain, and it's always a good day when I get to focus on patterns because making them is pretty much my favorite creative thing ever. :) I'm working on designing a new fabric collection right now, which has been super fun but I've also felt a bit rusty. I don't like feeling rusty, but I know by now after being a working artist for so many years that the...