Her creative process includes cutting up paper and moving it around – a blend between collage work and illustration. “I use a mix of medias and have a spontaneous approach,” she shared her process with Bibelot Magazine. “It’s often collage, but not necessarily photo-based.”

Often, D’Aquino finds this playful process full of unpredictable results and is surprised at the images that seem to land on her art table. “I draw and paint, then I cut things up and see what happens – though being contrary by nature, I don’t like to stay inside any box that is too pre-defined,” she notes. “Whenever someone calls me a ‘collage artist’, I never fail to be surprised – really? Is that what I am? I really don’t know, but maybe.”

“Some of the best things I’ve made are mistakes, however – this does not imply sitting and waiting is any kind of effective choice,” she adds. “I think all art is work, it takes effort and doing things over or just organizing and experimenting without a clear cut goal or without seeing pleasing results.”

D’Aquino’s latest book, “A Life Made by Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa”, was published by Princeton Architectural Press. You can see more of her work on Instagram.

The post Illustrating and Collage Making: Andrea D’Aquino’s Unique Creative Process appeared first on PlayJunkie.

While Chalie is an illustrator and product designer, Gav, a graphic designer himself, is a more behind-the-scenes sort of guy, in charge of the artwork set-up, and managing print production as well as the technical side of the products and social media. They also have a cat, Mr. Miaow, who acts as CCEO (Chief Cat Executive Officer), involved in all elements of the business.

“Mister Miaow’s job is to wait till I’m working on something very important and launch himself ninja-style onto my desk,” joked Charlie in an interview with the Printed blog. “He’ll flump himself onto whatever I’m drawing or making.”

According to Chalie, though our world is fully immersed in all things digital, there is still a real need for stationery. “I’ve asked a lot of people to recall the last time they sent or received a lovely handwritten letter,” she says. “Hardly anyone could remember. There’s no getting away from the ease of an email, but I really hope that by selling these products I can get as many people as possible taking a little time out of their day to correspond to a friend or loved one with a letter.”

Sleepy Bee Studio’s products include notebooks, postcards, letter paper, envelopes, and gold-foiled logo stickers. They have also designed illustrated tissue paper that’s printed using soy ink and added in self-adhesive wax seals to the range to give it a lovely finish. The gift sets also come with little handmade faux-leather envelope pencil pouches. In other words: it’s all quite wonderful.

The post The Sleepy Bee Studio Will Encourage You to Handwrite Your Letters appeared first on PlayJunkie.

His hard work and dedication paid off, and now with more than 1.7 million (!) followers on Instagram, he’s a force to be reckoned with. “I came into 2016 with 251,018 followers,” he told the Newyorker, talking about his rise to fame. “I entered 2017 with 515,164. I am a workhorse. I think a lot of people in my industry are content with the ‘struggling artist’ ideology. I’m not. On any given day, my account brings in 600,000 to one million ‘likes.’ The object is to be seen or heard, and I make a lot of noise.”

And when it comes to his online success, he’s very much committed. “Your account should be growing, you should also be growing. Evolving is the point,” he stressed. “People bulls**t in our niche, they say follower count doesn’t matter but how in the hell do you expect to reach this generation if they’re not following you in some form or capacity?”

Aside from making noise, his goal with his writing is a feminist one. “My words are what I would say to my sister, my mother, or the women I want to protect,” he added. “Even after being hurt by a woman in the past, I understood where it came from and why she was the way she was as soon as I met her father, the man who had broken her heart long before she’d even known me.” 

Follow his Instagram page for a dose of truth.

The post R.H. Sin Makes a Lot of Noise Through His Poetry appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“When I first started sharing my work online, I wasn’t very serious about it and I really just wanted an outlet for the things I was too afraid to say,” she admitted in an interview with Isaase. But soon enough, she learned that her words had an impact and turned her passion for poetry into a career.

Now, with more than 80k followers on Instagram, it’s clear that people are tuning in. “My poetry is very much a reflection of who I am,” says Reddy. “I started writing as a kid, simply as a way to verbalize feelings I didn’t know how to talk about – and while my writing has definitely improved since – I still write for the same reasons.”

“I think the biggest lesson educators or counselors need to learn is to listen, and to really understand,” she added. “The greatest creators in the world are still in high school – we should be learning from them. One of the most frustrating parts of school for me was believing there was something wrong with my feelings because the adults I spoke to couldn’t relate, and I believe that’s one of the main reasons why kids don’t feel comfortable speaking up for themselves. Listening is key.”

Follow her Instagram page for more sound advice on life and love.

The post Pavana Reddy’s Poetry Will Soothe Your Aching Heart appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Her poignant writing clearly resonates with others, with her Instagram page amassing more than 500 thousand followers. Now, Elle also passes her knowledge through workshops and retreats that are centered around assisting others in finding their voices through storytelling, poetry, and narrative writing.

“The highlight of my career has been building a community near and far, in-person and online,” she shared with Create & Cultivate. “It blows my mind how writing, storying telling, and standing in comradery can shift the dynamics of sisterhood and self-love in such a positive way, time and time again.”

But even with that many followers, she admits it’s still hard for her to open up. “I still feel vulnerable when I share my writing. It’s my heart’s work. I think vulnerability is good, so I lean into it. People relate to authenticity and I truly believe that being vulnerable helps amplify that.”

The post Alexandra Elle Teaches Self-Healing Through Notes appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Her creative process includes cutting up paper and moving it around – a blend between collage work and illustration. “I use a mix of medias and have a spontaneous approach,” she shared her process with Bibelot Magazine. “It’s often collage, but not necessarily photo-based.”

Often, D’Aquino finds this playful process full of unpredictable results and is surprised at the images that seem to land on her art table. “I draw and paint, then I cut things up and see what happens – though being contrary by nature, I don’t like to stay inside any box that is too pre-defined,” she notes. “Whenever someone calls me a ‘collage artist’, I never fail to be surprised – really? Is that what I am? I really don’t know, but maybe.”

“Some of the best things I’ve made are mistakes, however – this does not imply sitting and waiting is any kind of effective choice,” she adds. “I think all art is work, it takes effort and doing things over or just organizing and experimenting without a clear cut goal or without seeing pleasing results.”

D’Aquino’s latest book, “A Life Made by Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa”, was published by Princeton Architectural Press. You can see more of her work on Instagram.

The post Illustrating and Collage Making: Andrea D’Aquino’s Unique Creative Process appeared first on PlayJunkie.

While Chalie is an illustrator and product designer, Gav, a graphic designer himself, is a more behind-the-scenes sort of guy, in charge of the artwork set-up, and managing print production as well as the technical side of the products and social media. They also have a cat, Mr. Miaow, who acts as CCEO (Chief Cat Executive Officer), involved in all elements of the business.

“Mister Miaow’s job is to wait till I’m working on something very important and launch himself ninja-style onto my desk,” joked Charlie in an interview with the Printed blog. “He’ll flump himself onto whatever I’m drawing or making.”

According to Chalie, though our world is fully immersed in all things digital, there is still a real need for stationery. “I’ve asked a lot of people to recall the last time they sent or received a lovely handwritten letter,” she says. “Hardly anyone could remember. There’s no getting away from the ease of an email, but I really hope that by selling these products I can get as many people as possible taking a little time out of their day to correspond to a friend or loved one with a letter.”

Sleepy Bee Studio’s products include notebooks, postcards, letter paper, envelopes, and gold-foiled logo stickers. They have also designed illustrated tissue paper that’s printed using soy ink and added in self-adhesive wax seals to the range to give it a lovely finish. The gift sets also come with little handmade faux-leather envelope pencil pouches. In other words: it’s all quite wonderful.

The post The Sleepy Bee Studio Will Encourage You to Handwrite Your Letters appeared first on PlayJunkie.

His hard work and dedication paid off, and now with more than 1.7 million (!) followers on Instagram, he’s a force to be reckoned with. “I came into 2016 with 251,018 followers,” he told the Newyorker, talking about his rise to fame. “I entered 2017 with 515,164. I am a workhorse. I think a lot of people in my industry are content with the ‘struggling artist’ ideology. I’m not. On any given day, my account brings in 600,000 to one million ‘likes.’ The object is to be seen or heard, and I make a lot of noise.”

And when it comes to his online success, he’s very much committed. “Your account should be growing, you should also be growing. Evolving is the point,” he stressed. “People bulls**t in our niche, they say follower count doesn’t matter but how in the hell do you expect to reach this generation if they’re not following you in some form or capacity?”

Aside from making noise, his goal with his writing is a feminist one. “My words are what I would say to my sister, my mother, or the women I want to protect,” he added. “Even after being hurt by a woman in the past, I understood where it came from and why she was the way she was as soon as I met her father, the man who had broken her heart long before she’d even known me.” 

Follow his Instagram page for a dose of truth.

The post R.H. Sin Makes a Lot of Noise Through His Poetry appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“When I first started sharing my work online, I wasn’t very serious about it and I really just wanted an outlet for the things I was too afraid to say,” she admitted in an interview with Isaase. But soon enough, she learned that her words had an impact and turned her passion for poetry into a career.

Now, with more than 80k followers on Instagram, it’s clear that people are tuning in. “My poetry is very much a reflection of who I am,” says Reddy. “I started writing as a kid, simply as a way to verbalize feelings I didn’t know how to talk about – and while my writing has definitely improved since – I still write for the same reasons.”

“I think the biggest lesson educators or counselors need to learn is to listen, and to really understand,” she added. “The greatest creators in the world are still in high school – we should be learning from them. One of the most frustrating parts of school for me was believing there was something wrong with my feelings because the adults I spoke to couldn’t relate, and I believe that’s one of the main reasons why kids don’t feel comfortable speaking up for themselves. Listening is key.”

Follow her Instagram page for more sound advice on life and love.

The post Pavana Reddy’s Poetry Will Soothe Your Aching Heart appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Her poignant writing clearly resonates with others, with her Instagram page amassing more than 500 thousand followers. Now, Elle also passes her knowledge through workshops and retreats that are centered around assisting others in finding their voices through storytelling, poetry, and narrative writing.

“The highlight of my career has been building a community near and far, in-person and online,” she shared with Create & Cultivate. “It blows my mind how writing, storying telling, and standing in comradery can shift the dynamics of sisterhood and self-love in such a positive way, time and time again.”

But even with that many followers, she admits it’s still hard for her to open up. “I still feel vulnerable when I share my writing. It’s my heart’s work. I think vulnerability is good, so I lean into it. People relate to authenticity and I truly believe that being vulnerable helps amplify that.”

The post Alexandra Elle Teaches Self-Healing Through Notes appeared first on PlayJunkie.