Modern Monday :: M Chen Wears

Good morning everyone! I trust you all had a great weekend. Do anything fun?

Today I bring you the fabulous Emily, who goes by M. She’s a talented designer who lives in Canada and is a Family Feud junkie and hockey aficionado. So let’s meet this talented M, owner of M Chen Wears.

Morning! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
By day, I am a freelance graphic designer / illustrator; by evening & weekends, I am addicted to my favourite people, good food, jock-like activities, live music, and designing / printing t-shirts. I am chronically too busy. Oh, and I’ve never eaten a peanut butter sandwich.

How did you get started?
After I got a Bachelor in Fine Art, and yielded only one result from a web job search for “artist” (it was “Subway sandwich artist”), I did some heavy pavement pounding. I was lucky enough to find a company who taught me graphic design skills on the job. I did five years of agency work, and have been on my own for another five years. I started the t-shirts in fall of 2007 because I wanted to do more illustration work in my day-to-day.

Where did the name originate from?
Even as a kid, I wrote “m” as a truncation for “Em”, which is what most friends called me. In adulthood, I was getting called “Em Chen” by friends and teammates. So “m chen” was a very natural progression.

Exposing the screen

What is a typical work day for you?
7:30 — alarm goes off; listen to the cbc for a bit.
8:00 — change (staying in pj’s is not a good thing for my productivity) and get working!
8:15 until 5:30, or sometimes later— Day job! Chat with clients, have the occasional meeting or lunch date with a friend, work on projects… It’s pretty go-go-go though, as I usually have a dozen or so jobs open; they range from simple production to full-on design, from illustration to web graphics. I also jump on Twitter, blogs, etsy and facebook throughout the day; all have been helpful to my t-shirt biz and meeting other creative-heads (like you!)

What are your best selling designs?
“See how they run” (audiocassette) and “We all fall down” (trees), and “re[CONNECT]” from the new line. And so far, the baby stuff is going really well too.
See How They Run – Audiocassette
We All Fall Down
re[CONNECT]
Kiddo Wears

Do you have any business advice/keys to success for new businesses?
Don’t sell yourself short — I think most artists do, especially out of the starting gate. Talent is more precious than skill!

What is your muse/inspiration?
No single thing or person… most of my best ideas happen as I’m falling asleep or waking up. I write stuff down in the dark sometimes, so as not to wake up John (le boy). It’s always a challenge to decipher the scrawl.

How would you describe your style?
People tell me that my stuff is whimsical, cute, clever, colourful… I’m usually most proud of the thought that goes into the concepts, the wordplays, the story behind the story.

What is your favorite hobby?
Just one?? The hobby I miss most is sewing. I dream of printing on fabric and sewing stuff out of it… one day.

Do you have favorite blogs/websites?
Oh so many… here is a little smattering:
* Rik Rak Studio
* Lilly Ella
* Noticle
* Keri Smith
* This guy blows my mind
* I adore my sister and love seeing the blog-side of her brain

Thanks M! We’re so honored to get to know you better.

Where else to fine M:
Blog
Tee Site
Etsy Shop
Face Book
Day Job

PS Check out this video of her rescuing a bee. It’s quite amazing.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaQHAx0c3yo&feature=player_embedded]