In today's episode, I meet with british artist David Shillinglaw in his Margate studio, surrounded by colourful artworks from both his collection and his partner's Lily Mixe (who also sat with us, working on a piece in the background).

It was lovely recording this chat in person, seeing David in his environment and observing his paintings, notebooks and other curiosities up close.

We covered a lot of grounds in our chat, from the magic of travelling on your own to the power of making zines as well as his love of sketchbooks.

David also told me how he started out as an artist and what's coming next for him...

It was a super interesting chat and I really you enjoy it! Now, let's meet David...

You can follow him on social media https://www.instagram.com/davidshillinglaw/ and see his more of his work on his website https://davidshillinglaw.co.uk/

• To learn more about Mimi visit https://mimiforcreatives.com/ and join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mimi.for.creatives/We have cool workshops and masterclasses coming up so check them out too!
• You can also follow me, Mel, on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melanie.johnsson/ or see more of my work on my website https://www.melaniejohnsson.com/

Thanks for listening!

Edit by Melanie Johnsson

Music by The Big Let Down - Sojourney

In today’s episode, I have a conversation with the talented Marloes DeVries, a dutch artist, illustrator and author. She’s truly multi-talented.

In our chat, we explore her upbringing in the countryside and how she knew very early on that she wanted to be a painter.

We also discuss how she progressively went from illustrating other people’s visions, especially in children’s books, to sharing her own.

Marloes also recently released her first book, for now only available in dutch, titled “Having children is optional” which led to a very interesting conversation on the topic and the stigma which surrounds it.

Finally, we talked about freelance life, boundaries and mental health, without forgetting to discuss Marloes' immense love for the UK.

I really hope you enjoy this episode...Here we go!

You can follow her on social media https://www.instagram.com/marloesdevee and see her website https://marloesdevries.com/

• To learn more about Mimi visit https://mimiforcreatives.com/ and join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mimi.for.creatives/We have cool workshops and masterclasses coming up so check them out too!
• You can also follow me, Mel, on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melanie.johnsson/ or see more of my work on my website https://www.melaniejohnsson.com/

Thanks for listening!

Edit by Melanie Johnsson

Music by The Big Let Down - Sojourney

In today’s episode, I chat with the wonderful Alice Buda. Alice is the art director for Frankie Magazine - yes you heard it right - Frankie, every creative person’s favourite magazine.

Based in Australia, Alice has had a wonderful journey from studying visual communication to now working within Frankie’s team.

These days, she is doing a lot of different exciting things, from lettering and illustration to art directing photoshoots and picking collaborators.

I loved getting to know Alice and hearing some of the industry secrets - from paper problems to picking illustrators to work with. Enjoy!

You can follow her on social media https://www.instagram.com/alicebuda_/

• To learn more about Mimi visit https://mimiforcreatives.com/ and join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mimi.for.creatives/We have cool workshops and masterclasses coming up so check them out too!
• You can also follow me, Mel, on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melanie.johnsson/ or see more of my work on my website https://www.melaniejohnsson.com/

Thanks for listening!

Edit by Melanie Johnsson

Music by The Big Let Down - Sojourney

In today’s episode, I chat with the prolific Margo McDaid a.k.a Margo in Margate in my studio. It’s wonderfully exciting getting to talk face to face for a change instead of via Zoom!

Margo is based in Thanet just like me, she lives in Ramsgate but Margate holds a very special place in her heart and in her practice too - it’s no coincidence her artist name is Margo in Margate!

During our conversation, we talked about the idea of success later in life, how one’s style evolves over time and what it really means to put in the work - the famous 10,000 hours. Margo also talked about her upbringing and one very seminal trip to New York in her twenties that basically changed the course of her life.

This chat with Margo was so inspiring and I hope you’ll find yourself picking up a brush after listening!

You can follow her on social media https://www.instagram.com/margoinmargate/

• To learn more about Mimi visit https://mimiforcreatives.com/ and join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mimi.for.creatives/We have cool workshops and masterclasses coming up so check them out too!
• You can also follow me, Mel, on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melanie.johnsson/ or see more of my work on my website https://www.melaniejohnsson.com/

Thanks for listening!

Edit by Melanie Johnsson

Music by The Big Let Down - Sojourney

In today's episode, I chat with the wonderful LA based artist Bijou Karman. I've loved Bijou's work for years and I first met her online when I asked to interview her for my magazine Spellbound. In our chat, we talk about her creative upbringing and super cool mom as well as her love of vintage fashion. We bring up the latest book she illustrated called Style Legends, Rebels, and Visionaries which is absolutely beautiful. She talks us through her process and we also learn what her favourite style legends are... We also discussed why having an agent works for her now and what some of her biggest creative dreams are. I really hope you enjoy our very laid-back (very californian) conversation.

You can follow her on social media https://www.instagram.com/bijoukarman/ and see her more of his work on her website https://www.bijoukarman.com/

• To learn more about Mimi visit https://mimiforcreatives.com/ and join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mimi.for.creatives/We have cool workshops and masterclasses coming up so check them out too!
• You can also follow me, Mel, on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melanie.johnsson/ or see more of my work on my website https://www.melaniejohnsson.com/

Thanks for listening!

Edit by Melanie Johnsson

Music by The Big Let Down - Sojourney

Today's episode is the last one of Season 1 of the Mimi podcast and it's a great one! I am chatting with Charlotte Love, a stylist and image-maker from the UK. You've probably seen her faces on Instagram - quirky and funny compositions she makes by adding eyes onto random objects. But Charlotte doesn't just make faces, she's also a very accomplished stylist whose journey is fascinating. In our chat, we discuss what lent her to styling, how much she loves it and what crazy cool experiences she's had along the way. We also talk about her faces, when she first started doing them and how she navigates wearing multiple creative hats - styling and image-making. It was such a fun conversation and I think a lovely way to end this first season of the Mimi podcast. I really hope you enjoyed all the episodes and hopefully I'll see you soon!

• You can follow her on social media https://www.instagram.com/charlottelovely/
• To learn more about Mimi visit https://mimiforcreatives.com/ and join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mimi.for.creatives/We have cool workshops and masterclasses coming up so check them out too!
• You can also follow me, Mel, on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melanie.johnsson/ or see more of my work on my website https://www.melaniejohnsson.com/

Thanks for listening!

Edit by Melanie Johnsson

Music by The Big Let Down - Sojourney

In today's episode, I chat with Myriam Van Neste, an illustrator and maker from Quebec. Before embarking on her illustration journey, Myriam was a sculptor - and you can still see the influences of her previous creative life in her creations and all her collages. We talked about the idea of reaching success "later" on in life and how it feels to always be ready to re-invent yourself. It was so fun hearing about her process and how much she loves using paper and colour in her work.We also discussed her love of Scandinavian design, what she wishes would change within the creative industry and how she juggles motherhood and freelance life. Enjoy!

• You can follow her on social media https://www.instagram.com/myriam__vanneste/ and see more of her work on her website https://www.myriamvanneste.com/
• To learn more about Mimi visit https://mimiforcreatives.com/ and join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mimi.for.creatives/We have cool workshops and masterclasses coming up so check them out too!
• You can also follow me, Mel, on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melanie.johnsson/ or see more of my work on my website https://www.melaniejohnsson.com/

Thanks for listening!

Edit by Melanie Johnsson

Music by The Big Let Down - Sojourney

In today's episode, I have a conversation with Tabara indjiai, the creative mind behind La Basketry. Tabara founded her small business back in 2017, inspired by the skills and stories of the female artisans in a small village outside her parents hometown in Senegal. In our chat, we explored her journey from growing up in Paris to moving to the UK and building a life in London. Tabara shared the beautiful story behind La Basketry, alongside the joys and the struggles of growing a small business. We also talked about her love for writing, her latest pop-up and what her dreams and goals are for the coming months and years. It was really exciting hearing Tabara's story, I hope you'll find yourself really inspired too! Enjoy!

• You can follow her on social media https://www.instagram.com/labasketry/ and buy from La Basketry at https://labasketry.com/

• To learn more about Mimi visit https://mimiforcreatives.com/ and join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mimi.for.creatives/We have cool workshops and masterclasses coming up so check them out too!

• You can also follow me, Mel, on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melanie.johnsson/ or see more of my work on my website https://www.melaniejohnsson.com/

Thanks for listening!

Edit by Melanie Johnsson

Music by The Big Let Down - Sojourney