Why did you first start Wit & Delight?

Wit & Delight was a personal project to get to know myself through sharing my love for design, food, fashion, and travel. I wanted to connect with people like myself through blogging and social media, too!

What is your design process?

I’m an intuitive creative, which means I either complete a project quickly or take the very long and winding road toward completion. My background is in graphic design and brand strategy, which has taught me to always ask “why” and have a solid foundation for whatever it is I’m creating. I wrote a blog post about my interior design process, which you can read here. 

As for the artwork I create for our print and stationery collections, I start the design process with word associations (similar to this process). It is how I develop the conceptual framework to guide design choices. From there, I sketch thumbnails and select one or two to begin exploring either on my computer, iPad Pro, or with physical materials like paint, paper, and canvas. I work within a select palette of colors and materials so I don't have as many big decisions to make while I'm working on composition. 

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Do you have any advice for fostering creativity?

Amazing things happen when you remove the pressure to make something amazing every time you sit down to create. Most of my creative breakthroughs happened when I had the mental space to see opportunities in quick sketches. Then you can take the time and effort to take those ideas and flush them out.

In short, don’t take yourself too seriously.

Can you share any daily routines for someone who has a hard time focusing? 

I took big chunks of time away from work last year to deal with burnout and hold daily rituals very lightly now. I don’t do well with really rigid routines or ones that take a lot of time or energy to get though. I do still plan out my week with our Stay on Track planner, so I know what's in store. I organize my weeks so meetings are on Monday through Thursday, and Friday can be used for big projects, which I plan alongside my team. This way I can keep trucking toward long-term goals while keeping the smaller administrative tasks from turning into big projects themselves. This also ensures that my team knows what’s coming down the pipeline and I know what they need from me. These small tweaks have helped me maintain the stamina I need to do the work I love while also taking care of myself. 

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I’m coming to the Twin Cities. What are your recs for where to eat, stay, and explore?

Welcome! This is my adopted home and I love love love living here. I would highly recommend renting a car so you are able to make the most of your stay. Start with our St. Paul blog post, and consider visiting the Linden Hills, North Loop, and South Minneapolis neighborhoods too. There are lots of wonderful local shops and restaurants to enjoy. 

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How does Wit & Delight make money?

We sometimes earn a commission via sales of product links we share. We also partner with several sponsor brands each month. Additionally, we make money through display ads on the site as well as through courses on Skillshare. We only recommend products and brands we genuinely love. Thank you for supporting Wit & Delight!

What is your favorite part about the W&D platform and community you’ve built?

I am always learning something new from this community. It humbles me daily and reminds me that what started as a little personal project was my own intuitive way of finding my passion in life: connecting people with the beauty (and joy) around them.

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