I’m Julie — an illustrator and surface pattern designer in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’m a big fan of laughing, spending time with loved ones, and relishing the little things in life.
I am inspired by the world around me and love to create work that conveys a positive energy through bright colors, playful motifs, and encouraging messages.
I love designing for products because I deeply believe in the power of infusing our daily lives with beauty -- slowing down to see the way light refracts in water, listening to the birds chirping as the day begins, or simply choosing to use products that delight us. It is through these small, intentional acts that we create pockets of joy in our daily lives. It is my goal and honor to create artwork that becomes that pocket of joy in someone else’s day.
My Story
I’ve been creating art for as long as I can remember — drawing has always been something that brings me joy. It was exciting and reassuring to receive positive feedback at a young age, which nurtured my love for making art throughout my life.
Fast forward to 2014 when I made my first journey through creative entrepreneurship and opened an online stationery shop called Whimsy and Wild. It was such an amazing feeling to see my hand lettering and illustration come to life for the first time on greeting cards, art prints, stickers, and more. I had the pleasure of growing my online shop and seeing my work on the shelves of dozens of stores across the country. To know my art was bringing people joy every day brought me an immense amount of joy as well. After over 6 years in business, I made the difficult but aligned decision to close my shop to pursue other things.
For a bit of time I worked at a couple local, creative businesses, eventually finding myself in an office job at a local nonprofit serving low-income youth in our community. It was a bit of a surprise to myself — I never thought I’d work a 9-5! — but it was the best kind of surprise. For 4 years I had the pleasure of working with an incredible group of humans and seeing the very real, positive impact our programs had on the children we served. While I cherished my time at this nonprofit, I began to feel the pull back to my creative roots.
At the beginning of 2025, I made the decision to quit my job to pursue a career in surface pattern design and illustration. I’m having so much fun creating brand new work, playing with lots of color, updating some old designs from my greeting card days, and all around feeling at home again. I’m looking forward to this next chapter in my creative career, jumping into the world of licensing, and seeing my art once again come to life on physical products and more.