In America, we are constantly trying to find excuses to celebrate. Every birthday, every anniversary, every promotion, we find a way to celebrate. It’s important because, everyone loves to be reminded of the great things happening in life. When we get together with friends we are often able to forget the stressful realities we left at home and enjoy ourselves for a while.

Also, we love to be made to feel special and to make others feel special. Celebrating a birthday or a graduation is telling that person, “We’re glad you’re here”, or “You did a great job!” My mom is the best example of this. She celebrates every good thing that comes her way. Not only does she appreciate the big celebrations and holidays, but she also makes daily celebrations special. As adults, we sometimes forget how to look at the world with a “glass half full” type of view.

My current work is a subtle reminder that there are many things to celebrate, sometimes you just have to look around. As a graphic designer, the bulk of my work, outside of school, includes invitations and event planning. I love being able to help my client take their vision and turn it into something cohesive, and artistically balanced.

I often use cupcakes and doillies in my work. I feel that cupcakes are the perfect way to convey the idea of celebration. They are small, personal cakes that often serve as a “pick-me-up” or an enhancement to any celebration. Doillies are used, most of the time, for special occasions to give your dessert of choice an extra touch of formalness and beauty.

In all of my work, regardless of the medium, I try to incorporate the things I am learning and experimenting with in graphic design. For instance, a lot of my work deals with typography. The different typefaces that Jessica Hische has created have been a major inspiration for me in my work.

I have also experimented with the use of texture in my work, particularly in my print work and my watercolors. Andrew Bannecker is a graphic designer that has majorly influenced my way of thinking about graphic design. He uses mixed media and combines it all on the computer giving his designs a great sense of depth. “Lizzy Makes Cupcakes” is one of the first pieces I have done in which I combined my print work into my design work.

I also look at artists’ blogs daily for inspiration. A few of the blogs I follow are: Design Sponge, Rifle Paper Co., and Share Some Candy.