Travel with JHill Design

Boston Marathon Muse: Lauren Pedigo

Massachusetts / Muses on Apr 18, 2014

Meet our next Marathon Muse, Lauren Pedigo. She too is running for the One Fund and is almost at her goal of $12,000 (so amazing) help push her over the top here. Looking forward to making Lauren’s Personalized Marathon Print after she flies over that finish line! GOOD LUCK LAUREN!!

Lauren in her One Fund uniform. GOOD LUCKY LAUREN!

In fifth grade, I ran my first race. It was the Miracle Mile at Southeastway Park in Indianapolis, an annual tradition where students who participate in intramurals at the Franklin Township elementary schools come together to race one another. I ran a 7:04 and placed fifth – I remember being completely exhausted and so proud of my shiny medal. After that day, I was hooked.

I ran track and cross country through middle school and high school and played basketball. One race during my senior year, I was ‘spiked’ in the back of my calf and my right shoe fell off midway into the 5K. Of course, I couldn’t let those girls pass me, so I picked it up and ran the last half with a single shoe. Somehow, I set a personal best time! My Nana still the picture of that race – me in my FCHS uniform, running with one shoe and carrying the other — on her refrigerator. During track season, I was the chick volunteering to do the 2-mile race – that’s 8 laps around the track. Distance running was my thing. I loved the feeling of outlasting the competition, holding back at the beginning and knowing I’d catch ‘em by the end.

Throughout college and afterward, I continued running and have done three half marathons. Being from Indianapolis, running the Indy 500 Mini Marathon had to be my first. Completing a marathon never really appealed to me until I moved to Boston.

seriously, how cute is this little girl?

I moved to Boston shortly after I graduated from Butler University in 2012. Indianapolis had been my home since the day I was born; Butler is a 25 minute drive from where I grew up. I set my sights on a new adventure in Boston and in the sixteen months I’ve lived here, I’ve met people who will be lifelong friends. Boston gave me my first job, my first apartment, my first blizzard, my first lobstah roll and more New England escapades than I can count. It’s taken me by surprise how quickly this vibrant city found its way into my heart.

Last year, I was at work on Marathon Monday. Heartbreak didn’t pour into my life on April 15, 2013 like it did for thousands of other people. Yet, still, I received such an outpouring of support, just for living here — countless emails, text messages, hours of phone calls, cards, hugs and so much more. It felt like I wasn’t justified to receive such an immense amount of love. Other people needed it so much more than I did. But, there was a way to harness all this good and share it.

After the tragic events last year, I knew I had to be a part of the 2014 Boston Marathon. It’s been an honor to be a member of the One Fund team. Long runs through Wellesley and 6am workouts on the icy New England streets have prepared me for Marathon Monday. But, witnessing generosity from people I’ve never met, feeling the undying support from my family and friends and seeing our team of strangers turn into close friends has made this experience so much more than I ever anticipated. Thank you all for being a part of this marathon journey; you’ve made it all worth it. At the time of this writing, I’m 88% to my goal of $12,000. If you’d like to make a donation to One Fund, you can here.

Boston Marathon Muse: Cecille Joan Avila

Massachusetts on Apr 14, 2014

With 2014 Boston Marathon being the first year after last year’s bombing, emotions in the city have been running high. Launching our Personalized Boston Marathon print for runners has let me get to know a few amazing women that are running this years race, its been great to focus on the happiness around this Marathon. This week we are going to profile a few of the runners that we are doing personalized Boston Marathon Prints for, I’m so excited to have them share their stories here. With that… I introduce you to Cecille Joan Avila.

Cecille Joan Avila in her 2014 Boston Marathon One Fund Shirt. Amazing and adorable.

Training started in January, and because I personally can’t do more than a mile on a treadmill without feeling like I’m totally losing it, I’ve been out running in the ice and snow and rain, so finally having nice weather has been a welcome treat! This will be my first time running Boston, but it’s my fourth marathon and I’ve never been as diligent about running through the winter as I have been this year, so watching the winter melt away has been incredible and beautiful. Some of my favorite runs have actually taken place during one of our many snowstorms, because the few people who are also out running ALWAYS exchange huge smiles as you pass.

photo by Cecille

I currently live in Cambridge, so my daily runs take place along the Charles River. I’ll either run towards the city or I’ll run towards Watertown, depending on how I feel. Running along the river is nice because you don’t have to wait for as many stoplights or weave in and out of pedestrian traffic, and when you’re running between 4 – 8 miles before work, you just need to be able to get out there and go!

On the weekends, I’ve been joining my fellow One Fund teammates at the Marathon Sports stores in either Brookline or Wellesley and running along the course. The first long run that I did back in January was out and back over the infamous Newton hills, so by now, the hills feel like old friends. We’ll see if that holds true on Marathon Monday though!

I grew up in Arlington, so I’ve always known people who were running the marathon and I personally have always wanted to run the Boston Marathon, even when I wasn’t interested in running and definitely thought people who ran 26.2 miles for fun were totally crazy. I’m no speed demon, but I’ve always said that I was going to qualify for Boston under the strictest time qualifications and then run it.

Last year, I was working for the Boston Globe as a photo researcher. The Globe always has photographers over every part of the course, and last year we had two photographers, as usual, at the finish line of the Marathon. They did an incredible job both bearing witness and capturing what happened at the finish line with dignity and respect. I’ve seen every single frame that all of our photographers took, from the excitement at the beginning in Athlete’s Village in Hopkinton, to the chaos and fear at the finish line. I think those images are always going to be with me, and I knew I had to turn that into something positive or it was going to consume me.

Boston 2014: for The One Fund from Cecille Joan Avila on Vimeo.

So, even though I swore to myself that I was only going to run Boston when I had qualified, I decided that I was going to run the 2014 Boston Marathon no matter what. There was no way I could run a BQ though, so the only way I was going to be part of this race was through a charity spot. But while I supported all of the charities, I didn’t really feel connected to any of them enough to apply. So I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do, until around Christmas, when I got an e-mail from Marathon Sports that said they were forming a marathon team to raise money for One Fund Boston. The minute I read that, I knew that was the team I had to run for, because I wanted to help the people whose faces I’d never forget, and whose lives would never be the same again. I wanted to run for One Fund Boston because running was something I loved, and if I could do good and run, especially when there were some people who wouldn’t be able to just get out of bed and run every day, why not?

I have a fundraising goal of $10,000 – which sounds like a lot when you’re 23, but in the grand scheme of some of the worst injuries suffered last year, it’s really nothing. To date, my teammates and I have raised over $500,000. And all of that money will be distributed to help survivors of last year’s bombings with follow-up surgeries, replacing prosthetic limbs, remodeling homes, and countless other things that I can’t even begin to think about, but that all need to be done to help get their lives back to some semblance of normal.

Running a marathon is a totally incredible experience, and I also think it’s totally insane. There’s so much time that goes into training! It’s also so hard on your body. But what’s incredible about marathons is that I really do think anyone can run one. It might not be fast, and it might not be pretty, but you just need to put one foot in front of the other and keep going, no matter what. Especially with a course like Boston, you’ll find people – both on the sidelines cheering and fellow runners running – who help carry you through the moments where you think about stopping or quitting, until you can keep going by yourself. It’s kind of like life. I’d like to think you can really do anything if you want it badly enough.

Cecille’s Donation Page / Cecille’s Running Blog / Follow Cecille on Twitter

THANKS CECILLE! Can’t wait to cheer her on from the sidelines on Monday!

Boston Marathon Art Print

Massachusetts on Apr 9, 2014

Our studio is just a couple miles from the Boston Marathon finish line, it’s one of the things I look forward to every year. Especially this year when there will be more fans cheering on the runners than ever, (this year I’d hug every single runner if I could).

We have been asked for a few years to add a Boston Marathon Map Print to our Boston Sports Map collection, and we are finally doing it. The cool thing is that we are personalizing our Boston Marathon Map Print for the runners. For the month of April we are offering free personalization on the Boston Marathon Map Print to runners (and those who want to give them a gift) with the code “RUN2014″.

The idea came after my friend Holly had us do a series of Personalized Map Prints for her Marathon-running sister-in-law. It was really fun to do and the story the prints tell of travel and athleticism is really inspiring. We loved making the above prints for Tenely, here is a little about her running life:

“I’m Tenley Ludewig, 39, and I’ve been running since I started track in middle school. I ran my first marathon at 28 when I learned a number of my friends had run them and I wanted to see if I could do one as well. My first was the Marine Corps Marathon in my hometown of DC and it was memorable not only because it was my first but because my family all came out to cheer me on. In the last five years, I have trained with Capital Area Runners, a group with a very established coach. I have completed three more marathons during this time. I hate training in the winter, so I have not raced Boston yet, but I will one day when I get a thick skin. I enjoyed the last six miles of Boston helping my friend come in back in 2012 and that was exhilarating.”

My favorite thing about this photo is that you can see Tenely’s running shoes.

For the month of April we are offering free personalization on the Boston Marathon Map Print to runners (and those who want to give them a gift) with the code “RUN2014″. There is also a unpersonalized version of the Map for those who love the Marathon as much as I do to add to their collection.

Watch us make our The Bronx Map Print

New York / Pattern Love on Mar 21, 2014

I’m so excited that we finally did this! We took a little video of how we make the maps for our City Maps series. First we draw the neighborhood map (not shown because it takes for-ever), the we make the drawings into clipping paths. Next we import jpgs of our patterns until the whole map is bursting with bright JHill pattern. Here you can see how Juliana made our new map for The Bronx.

Patterns in Play from jhill design on Vimeo.

Here is a look at the final The Bronx Map Print. We also just finished maps for St Louis, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Coming up next… Austin and Dallas! Which city would you want a neighborhood map print for?

Fear of Flying Hypnosis App

Behind the Curtain / LOVING on Mar 19, 2014

I’ve dealt with anxiety issues my entire life and my fear of flying is an extension of that. At one time it was about being trapped in a metal tube, but now it’s more about me being a control monster, (if I could just sit in the cockpit and know what is going on I’d be fine). I spent my last flight quietly sobbing with every little plane movement. So… you can imagine how EXCITED I was when my husband surprised me with plane tickets to California for our wedding anniversary!

Last year a session of hypnosis with a therapist helped me with a sudden panic attacks while driving on the highway. I thought I’d try this for my flying fear / control issues. I called a hypnosis clinic in Boston and was quoted $2k – $3k. That price may have knocked the flying fear out of me right there.

So I turned to iPhone apps. Most concentrated on learning how planes fly. This didn’t help me – I’m not an idiot and I know flying is super safe (despite disappearing planes). I understand how planes work and that they don’t fall out of the sky. I know what all those noises are. I know turbulence happens mostly over mountains and water.

Then I found this Fear of Flying Hypnosis app and it was FREE. I listened to it 3 times before we flew and then while we were taking off and periodically when we were in the air. I was calmer than I’ve been on Xanax at anytime in my life. So calm that it freaked my husband out. The women’s voice is kind of crazy and awesome. She leads you through a relaxation exercise first. Then she does a visualization exercise of you being at the airport, getting on the plane, flying. She talks about the pilots being trustworthy, that you don’t need to worry about anything… I was able to get into it and relax and it totally worked.

I was so calm that when I saw another plane flying next to us out my window at 35,000 ft I only thought “COOL! “and not… “ummmm should I be able to see another plane out my window?”

I enjoyed both the flight there and the return flight. I loved looking out the window. I loved the moon-like rockies and the patterned fields of the midwest mixed with snow. I was really happy and it made a huge difference in our vacation. I don’t know if I’m “cured”, but I don’t fear our next flight and I plan to use this app in the future. If you have a fear of flying I suggest you give it a try, or find a therapist who does hypnosis in your area.

mankas’ boatsman quarters

California on Mar 14, 2014

This year my husband surprised me with a trip to California for our 5 year wedding anniversary. The best part… our sister-in-laws offered to watch our three year old for a night so we could getaway. We decided to drive about an hour and a half north of San Francisco to Mankas in Inverness. After calling and having the rooms described to me (which I LOVED having done) we decided to splurge and stay in the Boatsman Quarters and it didn’t disappoint. We also had dinner at their sister restaurant Sir and Star in Marin, which was delicious.

A six foot clawfoot tub, frette robes and dim lighting.

The painted floor in the bathroom. I love how the stencil was done with stain so that the natural wood texture peeks through.

This little resting nook reminded me of the sunroom at my Gramma’s where she would go “lay on the divan to rest her eyes”.

View from the bathroom

Sitting quarters. Those chairs were incredibly comfortable, we’ve already sourced them for our living room.

We were lucky and the bottom of the house wasn’t rented, so we got to use the pier.

Two words will get me to spend a lot of money… “outdoor shower”.

Their acclaimed breakfast dropped quietly at your door.

The view from the outdoor shower. It was a little cool outside, but the sun was shining, the water was warm and the air smelled of our wood fire. I could have stayed in here all day.

Globes et poisson.

turn down service avec carmels.

The best bedroom nook. The bed was like sleeping on magical clouds.

Morning fire

This view…

rested and refreshed.

LOVING: sweaty wisdom

LOVING on Mar 11, 2014

I’ve seen this “You have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyonce” mug everywhere and I love it. It is created by Sweaty Wisdom, (witty remarks from the yoga mat), visit their Etsy shop where there are more treasures to be had. I need to remember that “Oprah Wasn’t Built in a Day” and I would like someone to whisper “Your Fear is Full of Shit” in my ear on repeat as I am flying (and TERRIFIED) home from San Francisco today . *ps… still listening to ‘Yonce’s visual album on repeat. current favs: Mine and Flawless.

the hustle: watercolor trials

Alaska / Behind the Curtain / the hustle on Mar 6, 2014

One ways I’ve been breaking free from my creative block is stepping away from computer illustration. I love my vectors, but it is time to incorporate more into them. My goal is to take some of my favorite existing patterns / places and recreate them using different methods such as watercolor, paper marbling, and printmaking.

I started with watercolor. Here is what I learned:

1. It’s hard

2. I’m a massive control freak

3.There is no controlling watercolor (for the beginner at least). It’s basically the opposite of working in illustrator for me.

As fate would have it my new studio mate is illustrator extraordinare Julia Denos. We have spent afternoons painting together, with her teaching me painting tricks and I educating her on InDesign and going to a spa. I have loved every minute of it. I’ve scanned these watercolor paintings and work will them into a totally new design for the Fairbanks, Alaska pattern – an imagined vacation to see the aurora borealis. And I’ll keep on painting, because I’ve barely scratched this surface.

moodboard: cape town, south africa

Africa / Pattern Love / South Africa on Mar 6, 2014

The Cape Town, South Africa City Print pattern was inspired photos of sunlight glittering on ocean waves. Dancing bits of light in rays of sunshine. Magical right? I can almost feel the sun while imagining it.

LOVING: kellyn walker

LOVING on Mar 4, 2014

One night, while laying in bed perusing graphic design on Pinterest, (a favorite pre-bedtime activity), I came across the work of graphic designer Kellyn Walker. I was so inspired! I’ve been killing my creative block by incorporating more handmade elements, scanned objects and collage-ness to my patterns and designs. She does it so very well. Check out her very inspiring Pinterest boards.

THE HUSTLE: CREATIVE MOVIES online

Muses / the hustle / Watch, Read + Listen on Feb 26, 2014

Last month I had some surgery, (deviated septum, an adnoidectomy – life changing, email me if you have any questions about having it done), and spent about a week and a half sleeping off pain killers and watching movies. I have been going through a bit of a creativity crisis and watching so many great process movies and biopics has really helped (God bless my Netflix, HuluPlus and Amazon Prime accounts). Here are some of my favorites that I watched while convalescing.

1. BILL CUNNINGHAM’S NEW YORK // I’ve watched this multiple times and never tire of it. “Fashion is the armor to survive the everyday life”. (netflix)

2. BASQUIAT // The story of Basuait’s rapid rise to fame. Plus David Bowie puts in an amazing performance as Andy Warhol. (netflix)

3. SCATTER MY ASHES AT BERGDORF’S // The history of the store and the making of their holiday windows peppered with interview from fashion’s frontrunners. (netflix)

4. GREGORY CREWDSON, BRIEF ENCOUNTERS // The process behind the making of Crewdson’s elaborate movie-esque photos. (netflix)

5. MARC JACOBS + LOUIS VUITTON // My favorite all time process movie. Watch Marc design multiple collections and throw a killer halloween party. I’ve watched this a billion times. (youtube)

6. THE RACHEL ZOE PROJECT // I am SO SAD that this show was cancelled. I love how honest Zoe is, especially in the last season as she becomes a working mom, insecure in her work and trying to balance everything. I totally relate. Plus she is quite funny and the fashion is to die for. (amazon)

Any creative documentaries that I missed that I need to see? let me know!

infographics as art

Eye Candy / LOVING on Feb 25, 2014

I love complex infographics, layered pieces beautifully showing lots of information. We interview a lot of Massachusetts College of Art + Design students at JHill, many have a project of making an infographic of a Girl Talk song. These are always my favorite projects to review.

UNIVERSO DE EMOCIONES // Designers Victor Palau and Ana Gea (PalauGea) created along with writer and scientist Eduard Punset, an infographic of the world of emotions and feelings with which we live.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE // Vladimir Gukulak summarized the yearly range of colors of plant species in a circular infographic.

THE COLOR PRINTER // Beautiful plates of color theory via Present and Correct, you can see the entire book here.

3 MONTHS OF CROCHETING // Lana Bragina recorded all her knitting and selling activity since January 1, 2009, and incorporated it into this infographic. The graphic shows how long she knitted every day on each piece; how long each piece was posted on Etsy until it sold; and where the items was sent to.

moodboard: nashville tennessee

Tennessee on Feb 19, 2014

imagine: the st louis Jewel Box

Imagine / Missouri on Feb 18, 2014

I love that this little greenhouse built in St Louis, Missouri’s Forest Park is named the Jewel Box. I imagine opening the art deco doors and being met with a wave of heat and sparkling, bejeweled flowers. It was designed by architect William C. E. Becker and built in 1936. The Jewel Box consists of over 4,000 panes of glass framed by patina-ed copper. A frequent, (and lovely), spot for St Louis weddings.

CREDITS: Jewel Box sketch by moi, Jennifer Hill (I wanted a drawing for the post and then thought… wait I CAN DO THE DRAWING. A new leaf is turning here. // Bejeweled flowers a la Pinterest // love this moody instagram photo by Maureen Breena via STL Mag // beautiful straight-on photo by Mark Scott Alben // This HD photo by The Barbarian. Unreal.