(Photo by Sandy Carson)
Meet our most recent #CMugshot, Mia Savage. Mia is a designer and illustrator who is currently collaborating with her writing partner on their first children’s book, “Where Do You Go?,” which they expect to submit to publishers later this year. She spends her free time traveling, cooking, and trying to manage her crafting addiction. Her hobby is hobbies.
1. What’s one thing you’ve been inspired by lately?
My creative and business partner just moved down the street from me, so that’s been really inspiring. We always worked long-distance, and sharing a space has been a game-changer. We’re able to bounce ideas off each other and get projects off the ground much faster than before. We’re in the middle of working on a children’s book together!
2. What’s one way you’re weird and how does that inspire you?
I’ve worked in the creative space for a long time—I studied industrial design and taught art for years—but I’m not very confident in my drawing skills! I have this mental block where I think, I’m not someone who draws! In fact, I’ll do everything I can to not draw. But this aversion has actually inspired me with my children’s book project. As little confidence as I have in my drawing, I feel very confident when I’m making physical things, so I’ve decided to take a completely different approach for the book illustrations by creating handmade dioramas. Every illustration will be its own miniature set piece that I will then photograph. As soon as I flipped to that medium, I sat down—no sketching, no planning, no reference—just a pile of materials in front of me and everything started to click. Things come together so easily. You’re working with polymer clay and all of a sudden, you’re holding a tiny toilet! (Our book is about all the places people go to the bathroom.) It’s so inspiring to unlock a new direction that feels right.
3. Where do you go to get inspired?
I like to go into my stash of stuff and do something different—sewing, linocut, gardening, you name it. I go through waves of inspiration. I find that I don’t need inspiration for the work itself. I need inspiration to stay motivated, to network, to go after commissions so I can keep doing the creative stuff that comes more easily to me because I’m inspired by everything.
