Jennifer Wick

Skylines

Sorry for the long absence in posting! Lots and lots of new work to show starting with this super fun project for Hershey. I was asked to create two ‘skyline’ scenes for their two main stores in Times Square and their flagship store in Hershey. Each scene had their own challenges to overcome - I couldn’t show any specific stores or brands in NY except for the Hershey store, so I captured a few iconic landmarks, but otherwise, kept it rather streamlined. The challenge for the Hershey skyline, was that I could not show any of the rides from HersheyPark (because they are actually separate companies under one main company and we did not have enough time to ask for permission, blah blah blah) So, as you can see in my first version, I show a restful dairy farm scene. I still love the farm representation since that is true to our area, and the cows provide the milk for the chocolate. But, they wanted it to have a more urban feel, so you can see the final version with a coaster instead. I’m still really pleased with how they turned out. The designs will be embossed on journals, and will be printed on t-shirts and a few other items that will be available for sale at the the NYC and Hershey store!

Rested

Hello and Happy 2013!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday break. I found myself sorely in need of downtime, so I purposefully did not do ANY work after Dec. 23. This fall into the holidays had been a blur with a record high amount of work, so by the time December came, I was feeling ultra stressed trying to manage my ever-increasing workload, finding time to practice my violin for church every week, and trying to find time to get all of the gift shopping, cookie baking and preparations ready to host Christmas at my house.

I have never been good at delegating work (not that I have anyone to give it to!) and I am not particularly good at overseeing multiple projects with ease. So I tend to beat myself up for not doing more to make the Advent season special for my three kids, or for not getting 90% of my cards out on time, or for not making all the types of cookies my mom made, etc. I know that what I am writing isn’t new or even unusual. I think a fair amount of women, specifically moms, tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves to do everything well and to make it look effortless.

That’s why I was grateful to have the time after Christmas to just do NOTHING. I knew I was trying to handle too many things in my own strength this year, and it was showing as I was getting more and more stressed and enjoying life less and less. I felt that God was telling me to rest, and once I listened to Him, I felt such peace that I haven’t felt in a long time. I did more then rest, I crashed. I didn’t get the rest of my cards out. I didn’t create business goals for 2013. I didn’t create the online store I’ve been dreaming about for the past two years. I didn’t answer my e-mails. I didn’t do billing. I didn’t enter any designs for Minted (this one was particularly hard since I love designing for Minted). Instead, I purposely enjoyed abundant amounts of quality time with my family. We watched every episode of Cupcake wars on demand, we played games, watched Home Alone and Elf too many times to count, had friends over, ate and ate and ate, and just enjoyed being together. And it was great!

Thanks for reading my babbling blog! I hope this can bring a little encouragement to any of you who struggle with trying to balance work & family. Have a wonderful & meaningful 2013, and I look forward to posting more often with new work and thoughts!

XO Jen

P.S All the photos above are from my Instagram account,
if you want to follow me : ) @jwickdesign

It’s here!

I treked out to Hershey (which is a mere 10 minutes from my home) and was so happy to see the Countdown to Christmas advent calendar I design & illustrated for Hershey for sale at Chocolate World. I know how much I loved fun advent calendars when I was kid, so I hope kids enjoy this as much as I did creating it! They are also available online here. Enjoy!

High-res

What does my one cat, Sophie, have to do with my work? Absolutely nothing, but this gives you a glimpse into what I see everyday when I work : ) Even though she crowds my desk and leaves me a 5x5” mouse area to design, I’m thankful for her calming company when the kids are in school. Thankfully my work tends to slow down in the summer, which is a good thing since my three kids are home and have places to go! I wish I could show you the many projects I’ve been working on, but either I can’t until they are published, or else I don’t want to show you until they are all finished (holiday cards for Minted, projects for a chocolate company, corporate identity work, my tan, just kidding… wanted to see if anyone even reads this!).

So until then, enjoy the summer and I’ll post soon! Jen

High-res

I’m feeling very nostalgic today as I realize that our beloved guinea pig, Caramel, won’t be around much longer. Lauren picked him as her pet almost 5 years ago, and he keeps me company as I work by chirping at me and banging on his bars when he’s bored. His tumor is growing quickly and I’m seeing changes in him, so I’m trying to prepare myself and the kids that any day may be his last.

I was thrilled to find out that 8 of my children’s art prints were selected to be sold on minted.com! Each design will have 2 alternate colorways and will be available in 6 sizes. So I’m working on setting up the files as we speak! And if you have any ideas on additional color options, please send them to me! : )

I’m very behind in posting new work, due to my gigantic workload! Here is a logo I created recently for a UK based sporting website. I can’t wait for the site to be launched. I really enjoyed creating a sports logo with a European feel. No American football, baseball or basketball. Think soccer, cricket, rugby and tennis. I was hoping the client would chose the one that is the final mark, since each letter houses one of the sports icons. Good day!

A challenge for a worthy cause

I’m drawn to Minted design challenges like a moth to a flame! But I was especially excited to participate when I read that Christy Turlington Burns was partnering with Minted for the Children’s Art print challenge. She created the non-profit group, Every Mother Counts, which raises awareness and support to reduce maternal mortality around the world. Christy will select three designs to be gifts to those who donate to Every Mother Counts.

I love creating designs for children, so once I was on a roll, I kept designing! The competion is fiece for this challenge, so if you like any of my designs, I’d so appreciate your vote! Links are below each design. Thanks!

High-res

Here’s a sneak peak at a winter wonderland scene I’m creating for holiday packaging (super top secret right now, but I’ll post the printed piece once I’m allowed!) I’ve definitely been channeling my childhood memories of Rankin Bass movies for this one. Fun stuff!

It’s my party!

I should rename this blog to Jen’s Minted challenge entries, since that’s all I seem to post! So on that note, the latest challenge was to design birthday invites for kids ages 1 to 16. I had fun trying to cover all the bases. If you have a moment, please click on the links and vote. Thanks!!

party invitations - The Big One! by Jennifer Wick