THE PASSION PROJECT ARCHIVE
A collection of projects that have come out of Passion to Paid, my online creative boot camp that teaches you how to use passion projects to get noticed, get clients, and get paid.
A collection of fun, flirty illustrated love notes for introverts. The project is inspired by the funny and romantic things introverts think of, but never say or the things that introverts would love to hear from someone who understands them.
Featured on: HuffPost, Forbes, DesignTAXI
Raised over $3K on Kickstarter to turn it into a printed book
A series of animated GIFS that turn period euphemisms into charming animations that aim to break down the stigma around menstruation.
Featured on: Teen Vogue & Global Citizen
Now represented as an artist by Snyder NY
Tripled her Instagram audience since taking the class last year
Combining his passion for finely-crafted ornament and bespoke typography with his passion for travel, Nick created Fauxsaics, a series typographic mosaic illustrations.
Featured on: Designboom, My Modern Met, Abduzeedo, and way too many more to list so check them out here!
Booked client work with AirBnb and Sézane
Pixel Passport is a collection of passport stamp designs for video games places, inspired by Japan's tradition of memorial stamps. Beside the original stamp designs, some talented guest designers have joined forces to create over 50 designs in over a year.
Featured on: designboom, The Fox is Black
Raised almost $1K on Kickstarter to turn these into actual stickers
A series of hand lettered jigsaw puzzles inspired by the challenges I faced from my own quarter life crisis. Solving puzzles helps me get my mind off things in the most hectic times; once completed, you can frame these puzzles as posters!
I hope these puzzles will help you relax, unwind, and refocus to finally find your peace of mind.
Budget Bae is a lettering series focusing on financial advice for women. My aim is to urge women to take agency with their money, take control and plan for their futures.
Featured on: Girl and the Bay
Booked client work with Digit because of this project - what a perfect fit
“I really enjoyed Lauren's direct approach to the material, the fact that she told us exactly how she went about starting her project/finding an agent/etc without using vague language or hypotheticals like lots of other designers do.
The project launch was the most exciting moment. The response I got was so enthusiastic I was really blown away. It was also so exciting to see this project of mine being featured on so many blogs and accounts. The thought that somehow I stumbled onto an idea that resonated with people—despite being so chronically bereft of ideas—was really thrilling!"
- Nick Misani, Project: Fauxsaics
A mouth-watering collection of foods in the form of letters, from Asparagus to Zeppoli.
Illustrated collection of uncommon English words.
Find culinary inspiration in these typographic snapshots of my dinner table; funny phrases lettered using the ingredients from some of my favorite things to cook (or not cook). Each phrase is paired with a link to the recipe.
I paint the worlds grossest words onto ceramics! Then pair the word with a snack to match.. “moist” with muffins, “flaps” with pancakes, “teabag me” with tea.
I created a satirical series of book covers for non-existent books answering the many unfiltered questions and comments made to multiracial families and people.
Lettering and illustrations of famous rap lyrics that mention food.
Postcards for Pessimists was created in order to share with the world the not so glamorous side to travel. The goal of Postcards for Pessimists is to bring a dose of reality to travel posts and to share these misadventures
so that others won’t feel so alone in their travel fails.
I come up with one animal pun a month with the goal of improving my illustration, lettering and creative skills.
Featured in: Ballpit Mag
By Elizabeth Berglund and Sarah Rushakoff
Long-time friends Sarah Rushakoff and Elizabeth Berglund joined forces to illustrate the bodily dysfunctions associated with entering mid-life. The result is a travel-sized book you can share with your friends as you laugh at their pain.
I made a project combining my love for ancient cultures and humor. It is illustrated facts with a modern, humorous twist.
By Becky Rodriguez and Monica Soltero
A card from us is ATYPICAL because it’s not A TYPICAL card... We draw our inspiration from our everyday encounters and the relationships with others. Our goal is to make relatable messages that reflect on the day to day sentiments you won’t find in a typical card.
I’m a huge fan of binge watching a tv series till I drop, but at the same time I love reading the good old books and often I choose them if I like the cover.
Biking around Toronto, the city I love, sketching and creating illustrations of my favourite places.
Hand lettered complaints about Chicago living. We Chicagoans all already agree that this is the best city on earth, so why talk about that?
A place where you get doses of weekly positivity from the Universe :)
"I now have more confidence in what I do and the ability to get paid work. When I was noodling around on my own, the idea of how to attract clients and a following seemed very experimental and mysterious, but Lauren outlined actual strategies that are pretty easy to follow once you’ve made the content. I feel like I know a lot of people that make brilliant artwork but struggle with how to get it seen.
My one-on-one Skype sessions with Lauren were instrumental. Not only was she delightful to chat with, she had such a positive attitude & it was great to talk specifics about my project and business challenges. It’s always great to get another professional’s perspective on how you’re doing because it’s easy to get lost inside your own head."
- Annie Wong, Project: Ovary Actions
A completely different way to envision gratitude.
It's highlights my love for packaging and reimagines gratitude as a fast-moving consumer good.
Handlettered musings created by letterer and designer Jessica Molina, a hopeless romantic trapped in a nihilist's body.
Passion Parade Co. is an apparel line that focuses on self-empowerment and mental health. Wearable art with an edge, without compromising on style and comfort.
People can download free, high-resolution protest art in attempt to help them spread the word about causes close to their heart [with beautiful art].
Where’d the Wild Things Go is an illustrative deep-dive into our endangered species populations. It not only looks at the beauty of the species and facts about them, but also questions us as people; we live in these thriving cities but at what cost?
Asian Food Puns shares a little bit more about Asian foods and cultures through illustrations and witty puns (or phrases).
Illustrated series about anxiety & mental health.
After a year-and-a-half of designing “Rabbit Rabbit” reminders (an old British superstition that says, if “rabbit, rabbit” is the first thing you say on the first of the month, you’ll have good luck), it occurred to me that maybe there’s more I can do to actually, actively spread luck. So, I began the #MoreGoodMoreLuck movement by giving away random free coffees at a local coffee shop on the first of each month.
This is a collection of paintings that rose out of my journey through the grief that came from my daughter dying when I was 21 weeks pregnant. Each one is taken from scriptures that have helped and encouraged me, and my hope is that they help and encourage you, or your loved one, as well.
We make spare time worthwhile by using our skills to bring awareness to things that matter.
Hand lettered cards to carry you and your friends through the "best" season in life - job hunting season.
Totally Nuts Paper Cuts is a series of posters made out of paper, inspired by creativity.
Inku Goods is an illustrated series of ‘super’ products, designed to inspire others to keep pushing through those everyday creative struggles.
A new online platform that uses art to make activism more accessible, SHELBY x Studios is home of rebels
and revolutionaries. A library of creative educational resources and uplifting artwork created by marginalized artists using their skills for radical social change.
"Ghosting Stories," is a super campy and spooky IGTV series that brought attention to the HORROR of rejection…via the dramatic retelling of real stories about real people being ghosted.
Cabaret Au Lait is an illustration series that combines burlesque and food through punny characters and stage names.
Candid Gift Cards is an ongoing passion project of mine aimed at being humorous & relatable gift cards from your most blunt friend who loves you!
Dance moves illustrated.
The only thing more fun and mesmerizing than scrolling through videos of calligraphy on Instagram is picking up a pen and doing it yourself. Handwriting not only sparks creative thinking and helps organize ideas, it has the same calming effect on the brain as meditation. What are you waiting for?
Illustrated portraits of women next to their responses to the ignorant things they hear and witness on a regular basis because they're women.
“The magic formula Lauren helps you unlock in yourself is incredibly powerful & develops a strong inner confidence. I’ll never forget that "AH HA!" moment when I realized I had the ability to connect the dots & create a thoughtful project.
My Instagram has doubled since I've started consistently posting pieces from my passion project & those followers have been super engaged. It also felt surreal when I received my first big freelance client specifically because they loved a piece from my passion project!
I truly believe I will never need to take another online course from anyone else. This class is PACKED with so much quality education, plus so many helpful tips & answers Lauren provides along the way!”
- Kat Goodloe, Project: Candid Giftcards
Kamikamome: Drawing daydreams on paper with extra Japanese sparkles. My passion project started with #darumadvice on Instagram, but it morphed into starting as a freelance illustrator!
Illustrating and lettering my way through cocktails.
A sarcastic view about online dating: mostly Tinder, Coffee meets Bagel, Hinger, & Bumble.
A collection of illustrated recipes by illustrator, Heather Mueller, for herbal remedies promoting health and wellness including healing balms, regenerative milk baths and salts, teas, floral waters and restorative elixirs to promote healing and empowerment.
Printable toys to make and play at home.
The Marigold Collective is a collection of stationery, branding + goods celebrating your passions with creativity.
Brazilian idioms translated literally into English.
German proverbs translated literally into English language, hand lettered and illustrated.
I’m combining my favorite things: art and fashion for this side hustle, Mollie’s Ward-Robe! It's an illustrated guide for getting dressed rain or shine.
I started with a simple ABC challenge of bad bitch wisdom whilst trying to figure out a more outside the box idea. I've researched into current and past feminists (following ABC as their initials) with quotes from them which is great bad bitch wisdom to live by in our current climate.
My project, Quarantunes, is all about sharing the music that fueled my quarantine with the world. Through lettering song lyrics, I wanted to also give a shoutout to some of my favorite artists who had a year of no live shows.
A-Z Melbourne Lockdown! A comical and honest insight to how I was feeling and coping with being locked indoors, with the uncertainty of when we would get out. A lettering project with a focus on accountability (personal), flexibilty (in style) and cohesion (to still look good on the feed!).
Designed, screen printed, and sewn these Positive Pennants serve as a small beacon of positivity. You don't have to be sunshiny on the inside all the time, but your walls can be (for nice future reminders). Positive Pennants is 100% hand crafted by Chloe Jennings.
Hand-lettering of The Dreamer’s everyday struggles and dreams for raised awareness and empathy.
Food lettering/Dimensional type inspired by the love of food and the words we use to describe our experience with it.
“The class made me realize I have a lot of untapped ideas I never knew I had! For some reason I thought I was only visually creative, but I discovered that I am also conceptually creative, which opens up a world of possibilities! It made me think of all the other myths I'm holding onto that are holding me back. I feel like I've gotten a big creative slap in the face, in a good way! You can quote me on that "Passion to Paid; a big fat creative slap in the face!” I now have a list of ideas that I just need the time to execute. I just launched my first passion project called idiYUMs and I’m very confident that it will lead to paid work.”
I create badges (kind of like merit badges from Girl Scouts) that depict the quirky things people do in romantic relationships as well as romantic achievements, like moving in together and being together for x amount of years.
This adult picture book is like a kid's alphabet book that lets young adults know, that they are not the only ones struggling with the everyday adulting tasks. No one has it all figured out.
"When Together, When Apart" is an illustrated series of situations and feelings every LDR couple may experience. You can follow along this journey and find very personal experiences from A to Z on a blog that'll help you understand how long-distance relationships work.
The project is my way to spread joy and empowerment through out my work. Even if you don’t practice pole dance, I invite you to join us on this wonderful journey of self-love.
Valar Morghulis is a morbid collection of illustrations of deceased Game of Thrones characters, immortalized next to their last words, and destroyed in the way that they died.
For I couple of weeks, I hand lettered quotes said by female leaders in different areas: fashion, music, arts, politics, etc. I chose women who were/are powerful and made a difference in our world today.
A series of book cover designs for books I wish existed in the world.
A hand lettered journey of what it's like growing up with a Mexican mom and all the odd sayings and sarcasm that comes along with it
As a podcast-obsessed letterer, with a soft spot for classic vinyl artwork, combining the two seemed only natural. Sharing my love of podcasts, one recommendation at a time.
A series of mean, hand lettered notes to mail to your ex.
Designs & Illustrations of an Introverted Mom raising an Extroverted Child all by herself!
Lettering to Anxiety is a collection of illustrated thoughts about anxiety, created by the lettering artist Isabella Lião. All the sentences were created with the goal of helping me in managing my anxiety crisis, so I hope these can also help you on your journey.
“If you’re trying to figure out how to launch your own project, are looking for more connection with fellow creatives, want eyes on your ideas, or simply want tips on how to market your work, this class is great for all of that. I joined this class because I wanted accountability for launching my project…and I definitely got it!”
- Belinda Kou, Project: What's Not Cooking
Hand-lettered bookmarks and coloring pages introducing the ideas of the Great Books to kids.
Peoria creatives, Chelsie & Sarah, beautify West Main Street through creatively updating handwritten signage in local businesses’ storefronts and show the difference intentional design can make through professional photography.
Dreamy drawings to let your mind wander. What do you daydream about?
A series of things we're all guilty of... or am I the only one?
Taking my native language Papiamento and my goal is to try to make it visually understandable for everyone.
Do you know when you look at yourself in the mirror and then repeat sentences to make you feel better? This collection is all about that: quotes to remind us to love ourselves!
Sweet hand lettered notes on self-love, self-esteem and everything in between.
Like to Dislike
A series of quotes related to a variety of popular social media platforms.
I created a clothing brand that mixes Vintage Modern aesthetics, Lettering & Skateboarding Culture.
Save the Fucking World
Everyday, the effect of global warming has become more and more apparent and it’s time we take it in our own hands to do something. This project is meant to be a place to learn and share tips on how to be more eco-friendly. It is a complicated and overwhelming thing to tackle but if each person makes small changes, we can influence the climate.
Various patterns by Stephanie Endemann. Created with different materials, colors and digital tools. Presented by my swimsuit-wearing princesses.
Bloody Girl Gang does not seek forgiveness and will not bloody apologize. Born of life experiences familiar especially to women of color and those on the outside, this is art from the heart that is alive aware unfiltered and real.
Celebrating the achievements of notable women who have paved the way for the rest of us, one portrait at a time.
A hand lettering and illustration series where Belinda letters all the ways out of cooking that runs through her head at the end of the week
While yoga and hip-hop seem like opposite ends of the spectrum, the two cultures are actually both fueled by movement, emotion and a strong sense of community. The Notorious Z.E.N. merges this unlikely duo through handlettered puns.
"Don’t Sweat It" is a series of claymation and live action GIFs, designed to smash sweat stigma, promote body positivity and provide education for Hyperhidrosis Awareness Month.
Plant Love Language is a hand lettering & set design project that playfully shares the five languages of love, but for Plants! Yes, you read that right - plants, because they need some loving too! I came to the conclusion that regardless if you have a boo or not this Valentine’s Day, our plants are just as deserving of our love and attention.
I’m researching and painting a mural in honor of one small town in every state in the US.
The goal of Mentally Chill is to destigmatize mental health by focusing on the funny, happy moments.
Address the Man is bright, neon stationery created specifically for letter writing campaigns to elected officials with the hope of making a visual impact in their mail room that can't be ignored ... or deleted. Want to #defundthepolice or #endthebacklog? Order our postcards for you (and everyone you know) to tell your Senator, Congressperson, Mayor, Sheriff or President what needs changing.
By Alexander Leshansky
I wanted to create The Florida Alphabet as an opportunity to learn more about Florida's diverse wildlife and share it with others. There is so much amazing biodiversity in my home state that seems invisible if you don't know where to look!
Launched in January 2019, Sects Sell is my weekly opportunity to explore a cult and experiment with a mid-century-ish, retro style of advertisement.
Look It's A Sign!
I painted a bunch of street signs and put them up around the city to add some unexpected beauty for anyone to see without being destructive. Beyond adding beauty, my goal was to create my own opportunities to bring attention to my personal artwork.
Sharing my clumsy confessions in hopes of finding my clumsy crew!
I created paper cutouts to tell my travel stories. The trip ended, but the paper cutouts are still going on adventures, but now closer to home.
Every weekend I would go to my local farmers market, and get flowers. I'd take them home and style them with cool lighting, fabric and patterns and create these fun, colorful oil paintings from my photos.
A series of illustrated mocktail recipes
Quirky Critter Collective
Quirky Critter Collective is a series of quirky and unique animal illustrations that are not typically known by kids ages 2-7. The products within the series will teach the alphabet (for the younger kids) and also fun weird facts about each animal (for the older kids).
My Traveling Tabbies illustration series is a mix of cats + travel + fun times + memories + love! I focus on simple scenes and bright colors.
Wonderful Wild Souls is a combination of my love of bright colors, quirky things and creativity. They are meant to be a bright spot in a world that’s sometimes not so bright. Come and join the wild!
The advice and opinions you didn’t ask for. A hand lettered project by Libby Trevino.
Modern Work is a podcast about the work we do today & how we got there – featuring interviews with digital nomads, remote workers, and professionals across industries around the world, recorded from the road.
Bespoke nostalgic postcards from all across America, exploring some of the best local recipes. A great way to remedy homesickness, share something close to home with someone you love, or travel the country without leaving your kitchen!
A completely sustainable (recyclable and compostable) line of gift wrap, cards and stationery. Everything that comes out of simoneone is designed by me and uses 0% plastic. Even the packaging and shipping mailers are compostable!
