All images courtesy Emily McDowell & Friends unless otherwise stated.
Illustrator and writer Emily McDowell is growing her creative business and bringing friends along with her.
Chances are that if you’re into great greeting cards, you’ve heard of Emily. For many years, she has delighted people with her cheeky and heartfelt sentiments that confront life’s difficult moments with compassion, humor, and above all, realness. She has the gift of finding the right words and making them feel so relatable that you wish you would’ve said them yourself.
After five years of being the CEO and illustrator of her business, Emily was on the cusp of reaching a massive burnout. Looking to simplify her business—particularly in the wholesale market—she helped form the Who’s There Group in January 2018. Together with Knock Knock and People Places & Things, Emily’s studio was rebranded as Emily McDowell & Friends.
Knock Knock is experienced in licensing and wholesale, and their infrastructure means that Emily McDowell & Friends can collaborate with talented creatives—something that Emily has always wanted to do—and provide a platform for creating products. “The hardest part is getting stuff made,” she tells me.
March 19 is the launch of Emily McDowell & Friends first collection! Lisa Congdon is the inaugural illustrator to collaborate on 27 pieces featuring tote bags, notebooks, mugs, and of course, cards. Bringing Lisa on was fitting. “Lisa is my actual friend,” Emily says. (Not all future collaborations are with her friends.)
Emily McDowell (left) and Lisa Congdon (right). Photo: Clay Walsh.
As Lisa tells me, their meeting was serendipity. The two met at a pop-up shop at Rare Device in San Fransico. In speaking, they turned out to have a lot in common; they are both self-taught illustrators who entered the field as their second career. Emily and Lisa kept up a friendship for years, and when Emily’s business was ready to expand, her pal was at the top of her collaborator list. As they’ve both grown their artistic voices, the two have another thing in common: they both value their platform as creatives and through it, speak out against injustice in the world.
In her new role at Emily McDowell & Friends, Emily is “basically a creative director,” although she thinks of herself as a curator more than anything else. Her level of involvement depends on the illustrator. For those with less experience, she’s happy to have a heavier hand in the process. But for Lisa, who has an extensive portfolio and background in licensing her work, Emily fits into more of the curatorial role.
The collaboration experience was a breeze for Lisa and Emily. “It was great,” Lisa recalls. “Most of the time when you collaborate it’s for a client and you don’t know them.” The two combed through Lisa’s portfolio of personal work—particularly pieces that pair images and text—for this collection. Some items, such as the greeting cards, were created new for Emily McDowell & Friends.
Photo: Chris Dibble.
Lisa is known for sharing empowering hand lettered phrases on Instagram. If you follow her there, you’ll probably recognize some of the illustrations. The meanings of them make sense with the function of the object. “Ok let’s do this,” adorns a coffee mug—a fitting expression for tackling the morning. The tote bags, which are like walking billboards, highlight Lisa’s passion for social justice. I carry around the bag that exclaims, “Women of the world: this is just the beginning.” I receive a “hell yeah!” every time I’m seen with it.
“A lot of my work is centered around hopefulness,” Lisa explains. “People can feel hopelessness about their lives.” She wants folks to use these pieces and soak in the phrases and ultimately, to feel optimistic about their future. This includes Lisa, too. After all, many of these illustrations were intended as only personal work before they were in the collection. “Most of the messages are things I need to hear myself.”
Pictured here is just some of the collection’s offerings. Shop all of Lisa’s work through the Emily McDowell & Friends website.
