Attempting better.

I am straight up awful at lettering. Always have been. So this year I’ve decided to get better—not because hand lettering is having a moment right now, but because 2019 is the year I dig into design history and explore analogue processes.

DabblesMaren NelsonJanuary 27, 2019lettering, hand lettering, practice, analogueComment

Work it out.

Creative road blocks need to be worked out and I need to be better at being brave and creating without direction, so tonight I made these weirdos.

DabblesMaren NelsonJanuary 24, 2019doodles, procreate, processComment

Less but better.

I made a goal in 2019 to read more design history, theory, and criticism. Tonight I read this book by Dieter Rams and it has definitely got me thinking about design, its purpose, and its role in the current and future state of the world.

Design CommentaryMaren NelsonJanuary 21, 2019dieter rams, less but better, design historyComment

Gallant Tiger for life.

Made this little poster for a cause that holds a ridiculously special place in my heart. If you’re free, consider stopping by next month to support the best music department around.

WorkMaren NelsonJanuary 19, 2019fundraiser, poster, pro bonoComment

Riverside Plaza.

Riverside Plaza has always been one of my favorite building complexes in the city. A Ralph Rapson design, it’s an iconic design that now reminds me of our amazing Somali community in Minneapolis.

DabblesMaren NelsonJanuary 5, 2019illustrationComment

2019.

Coming on the heels of graduation, I find myself reflecting perhaps a bit more than usual this new year. I mean honestly I feel like all I’m doing is feeling things these days. Gross.

LifeMaren NelsonJanuary 2, 2019 Comment

Corcoran apartment.

I still haven’t finished the work project that has me illustrating these, and to be honest I’m not sure I will at this point—it’s not exactly a organizational priority.

DabblesMaren NelsonDecember 29, 2018illustrationComment

Published: Photo-essay for Northerly.

I’m so excited to share this piece I wrote for Northerly Quarterly about my experience with Lodged Out last winter! Aside from my essay, the issue also includes several of my photos from the trip.

Writing, PhotographyMaren NelsonDecember 18, 2018travelComment

Master Maren.

I always knew I wanted to get a master’s degree, but for the longest time I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study. I tried a lot of subjects on for size, most of which logically aligned with my previous degrees or career choices, but none of them stuck. It wasn’t until I fell into design and applied to MCAD’s Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program that I realized “designer” was the piece of myself I had been missing. Looking back, design and design thinking have played a role in almost every job or project I have taken on—I just never knew to call it that. It may have taken years for me to figure that out, and it may have been frustrating and scary to change directions in mid-air, but I did it and it is still one of the bravest things I think I’ve ever done.

LifeMaren NelsonDecember 15, 2018Masters degree, Graduation, Grad schoolComment

Presenting: brassy!

It’s here! I’m so incredibly excited to announce that brassy.co is finally up! This has been a huge undertaking filled with self-doubt, powerful women, and sleepless nights, but I am so insanely proud of all of it.

Work, LifeMaren NelsonDecember 11, 2018capstone, grad school, Masters degree, websiteComment

Minneapolis Elementary School.

I feel like every single elementary school in the city looks like this. Mine definitely did.

DabblesMaren NelsonOctober 8, 2018illustrationComment

Believe women.

We go to such ridiculous lengths to protect white men. Just think of what could happen if we took only a percentage of that and actually protected women FROM them.

OpinionMaren NelsonSeptember 26, 2018IPad Pro, Womanhood, Design, Graphic Design, Digital art, Persist, #mood, Resist, Gear Up, #YesAllWomen, Harassment, IllustrationComment

Harrison house.

Another day, another little Minneapolis house. This one is somewhere up on the Northside in the Harrison neighborhood near my office. I made her a pretty purple because the world needs more purple houses.

DabblesMaren NelsonAugust 30, 2018illustrationComment

Toolkit for Change: Holy civil disobedience.

People are often surprised to learn that I still go to church because they see it as irrelevant, illogical, or detrimental to society. Some folks carry a lot of anger and pain in their bodies from hurtful experiences with Christians and the church and they can’t understand how or why I would want to align myself with Christian faith. Still others are confused because it always seems like the loudest people in the faith are those wielding it for personal gain. But the thing is, I’m still part of the church because it has taught me that faith is a radical business.

Opinion, Writing, DabblesMaren NelsonAugust 19, 2018sermon, civil disobedience, christianity, palm sundayComment

Longfellow house.

All I want is to buy a little Longfellow house. Now if only our housing market would cooperate...Until then, I’ll have to settle for a drawing these little future homes.

DabblesMaren NelsonAugust 18, 2018Illustration, longfellowComment

Southside apartment.

Still working on little Minneapolis buildings. Here’s a southside apartment building, complete with rising rents and that weird smell in the second floor hallway.

DabblesMaren NelsonAugust 1, 2018Digital art, Illustration, IPad ProComment