Hello again, my dears! Happy Halloween!

As promised, I'm back today to bring you an interview with Maddie Morden from Personify. I'm still glowing from the fun the boys and I had on Friday exploring and visiting with Maddie. She and her mom are both brilliant curators and amazing artists. Enjoy! 

1) Tell us a little about yourself-- your family, your interests, what ways you are creative, etc. My mom, Tammy, and I (Maddie) started the shop together in May 2014 so we are lucky we get to work together. My husband and I live in Duluth with my bff dog Basil. We go back and forth between Duluth and the shop up in the North Georgia mountains. Tammy has recently found a hidden talent in painting, but she has always lived creatively. I remember always going furniture shopping with her when I was growing up.

I have always loved to draw and made a lot of collages during my teenage years. I love love love curating the shop with my favorite goods and I also have a jewelry line called Pepper and Orange. I'm always tarting new projects, but the shop work is pretty constant. (Learn more about Pepper and Orange in this gorgeous video from Atlanta Makers)

2) What is Personify all about? How do y'all choose what makers you want to work with for your shop? I love that question! Personify shop is all about personalizing your world with the things you love - and we help bring together unique things to help you do that. We create a mix of modern + whimsical goods that hopefully transport you to a different world. I'm always on the lookout for really unique and special home goods, clothing, jewelry, pottery, gifts, etc. I also love connecting with artists, makers, and small businesses. It's often just a feeling I get and say - oh that belongs at Personify. Tammy and I always run things by the other too ... Our unique aesthetics come together in a really nice and balanced way.

3) I saw on Instagram that you recently started a pottery class-- tell us about that fun! Oh my gosh I am loving working with clay! I am very much a novice but have always wanted to try my hand at ceramics ever since taking a class in high school. I'm handbuilding which is painstaking work but I'm excited to see some finished pieces in the next couple of weeks. We shall see if it turns into anything!

4) How is creative community important to your work (as an artist and as a shop curator) and how do you find that community? Creative community is so so important to this line of work. In one way, with the shop, it's all about supporting artists and makers and one of the things I love about this job. Being able to help people live out the talents that they were created to use is maybe the BEST thing about Personify. In another way, you have to have people who are supporting the creative work you are doing yourself. For awhile it was difficult to find that as we are off the beaten path in a tiny town in the North Georgia mountains. I have recently found a few friends and fellow creatives who encourage me & encourage my dream, and who I often run things by to get their opinions!

5) What advice do you have for other artists and/or curators along their journeys? You have to just really love it because it's a long journey with a lot of ups and downs. Take the good days with the bad and learn to enjoy yourself despite everything going on.

6) Bonus! I asked Tammy to share a little bit with us about her painting. I have always been interested in design and that has shown up in various avenues throughout my life such as sewing, decorating my home, and collecting antique purses to name a few, but it wasn’t until a took a painting class around 7 years ago that I began to discover my love for painting.  Through trial and error, I navigated toward a palette knife and I’ve been hooked ever since.  Landscapes intrigue me so I most often paint those but have been drawn to flowers lately, as well.  I’m always in awe and humbled when a client buys one of my paintings.  I hope that when they or a guest looks upon it they are encouraged to dream and believe there is hope no matter what.

Thank you both so much, Tammy and Maddie, for sharing with us! Your work and taste are amazing! 

Y'all be sure to check out Personify on Instagram (where all but the first and last pictures in this post are from) as well as on their website. If you live near Atlanta or your journey brings you this way, I strongly recommend a day in Lakemont. It's beautiful, and then you could meet these ladies in person! The shop is open Thursday-Sunday (updated hours are on the website's About Us page). 

Visit me over on Instagram, too, to see the orders and other projects I'm sewing away on. And remember, tomorrow, November 1, is the last day to order quilts for guaranteed Christmas delivery! 

In the spirit of Monday-- Happy Coffee!

HollyAnne

PS Click to find Gingiber, MeriMeri, Pendleton, or Chloe May Brown on Instagram.