MAGGIE STEPHENSON ON HER COLLAB WITH FACE THIS

This year we’re celebrating our 15th anniversary. For this occasion we listed the 15 most iconic Face This T-shirts. And one of these tees was designed by artist Maggie Stephenson. We sat down with her to talk about our collaboration with her.

When we speak with Maggie, she’s in her backyard with her dog Lady. It’s a truly inspiring environment. Maggie: “Over time our backyard has turned into a floral oasis that beams with colours and butterflies. I love this place because it makes me feel connected to nature. I love seeing the variety of critters that come in and out of the yard. We have ducks, lizards, birds, snakes… And it’s beautiful watching everything grow right before my eyes.”

Impressive portfolio

Over the years Maggie has built upon an impressive portfolio: I’ve worked with Sephora, Puma, the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and many more. Each one of my jobs is special in their own way though and I couldn’t pick favorites.” Last year, Maggie added Face This to this list as well. “I love the idea of collaborating with children to create something unique. The fact that Face This contributes to children’s education and promotes creativity is beautiful.”

So much inspiration

We asked Maggie if she could  remember the Indonesian childrens drawings we sent to her. “Yes! I must have smiled the entire time while scrolling through the drawings. Most of the drawings were centered around community and nature. People, flowers and animals – what a beautiful reminder of what really matters in life. With so much inspiration from the children, I simply followed their lead and created an artwork with flowers and people dancing within them 🙂

Do not overcomplicate art

Is there one learning Maggie obtained from your collaboration with the Indonesian school kids? Maggie: “To take inspiration from the beauty of life around us. If we are willing to look for it, we will find it. And the kids drawings were a beautiful reminder to not over complicate art and to take inspiration from our surroundings. Imspiration truly is everywhere.”

Inner child

What was the best part of designing her Face This tee? For Maggie this was feeling like a kid again. “I felt like drawing in my grandmothers house and letting hero creativity run wild. It’s beautiful being able to connect to your inner child through art.”

Art is emotion. And that vibrant feeling kids art has, is something Maggie wants to pass on with her merch. “I want to pass on the same feeling I had when I saw the drawings of the kids. Joyful, carefree, vibrant.”

Rebel

This year we’re celebrating our 15th anniversary. We asked Maggie if she could remember her 15th birthday. What kind of person was she when she was 15? Was she already into art? “Honestly, I can’t remember my 15th. I was a bit of a rebel during that time, doing my own thing. But art has always been a part of my life. I’m so grateful to have it as an outlet throughout life’s twists and turns.” And that includes working with Face This and the kids from Duduk Atas: “Thank you so much for sharing pieces of your heart and imagination with us. I hope you always cling to your creativity and know that if you can envision it in your mind, you can bring it about in your life. Keep exploring, stay playful and always let your imagination run free.”

Maggie Stephenson x Face This

Curious about Maggie’s artwork? Check out the wonderful collab Maggie Stephenson did with the Indonesian school kids of the Duduk Atas school on Lombok.