Maggie Waller was my first graphic design friend. Truly. After stalking anyone taking the major at Iowa on the early version of facebook, I found Maggie and for some reason she accepted my stranger-friend request. Hah. Thanks for your leap of faith lady! Besides a few short months working in the same studio in Iowa City, our friendship has been mostly of the digital variety. Maggie and I have most recently bonded over our passions for hand-lettering, freelancing, and blogging. She just launched her new studio, type & title, and I’m so proud of all the lovely that she’s been able to accomplish in these past few months. Get it girl! 

Hello! I’m Maggie Waller. I live in San Diego, where I do freelance design and lettering under the name type & title. I started working from home a few months ago when my husband and I moved to California from Texas for his job in the Navy. I’ve loved words in every form for my entire life, so it only made sense to dedicate my business to the design of type, lettering and communication!

What gets you jazzed?

Sharpened pencils, long train rides, a well-designed magazine, a neutral color palette, the ocean, a good postcard, home-brewed beer, knitting, and public art… lately, I’m especially inspired by a well-curated site, blog, store or space. I love finding & meeting people who know their aesthetic and wear (or design) it well.

Where do you go to find inspiration, and what are you inspired by?

My go-to trick for inspiration is to get out of the house! On a daily basis, that usually means taking my pups for a walk. They’re thrilled to get a mid-day break and it clears my head. I almost always come back with a new idea or approach to a project. Working from home is an entirely new experience for me. I’m learning that I really need regular breaks and interaction to get out of my own head — sometimes that’s a dog walk, meeting a friend for coffee, or even a break to check Instagram… connecting with other creative people can really inspire me to create something myself!

Tell me a little about this project and how it was inspired:

These sketches are the initial ideas for my hand-lettered ampersand tote bag. I’ve wanted an ampersand tote for I don’t know how long, and eventually my DIY instinct kicked in and I decided it was time to design one myself. I tend to be ridiculously picky about typography (which is partially why I’ve gotten into lettering) so I knew I was going to end up with a hand-drawn letterform.

How has blogging effected your creative life, and vice versa?

Blogging and I have had an on-and-off relationship since high school (hello, livejournal) and I keep coming back to it, which is something I’ve never been able to do with a journal. I think putting your thoughts and work online where there’s a potential audience can keep you making work. Blogging makes me feel like I’m contributing to a community  — even if only one person sees my post, that’s one person I’ve connected with. Connection fuels creativity!

If you could give one tip to the rest of us, what would that be?

Do it anyway. I’m still brand new to working-for-myself, but it took me a really, really long time to even begin following my career dreams — I stalled for years because I was scared to act. It seems so crazy now! It’s easy to want to quit, or not even begin, when you have no forward momentum, but you can’t get that unless you actually do something. “I can’t do this but I’m doing it anyway” is one of my favorite quotes ever. We’ve all been there! Just do it anyway.

Thanks again Maggie! Be sure to follow along on Maggie’s journey over at type & title, she’s sure to keep doing some pretty great things. Maggie has been kind enough to send along a tote to one lucky reader! Follow below to enter the giveaway. AND, if you can’t wait for your chance to win, you can get your own here. 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway