Featured Designer – Brook Magee
Hello and welcome to our first ‘Designer’s Choice’ Featured Designer feature of 2023! What does that mean? Well, just what it sounds like! This year our wonderful team of designers will be coming up with a heap of fantastic new collections inspired by whatever is exciting or motivating them in the moment. They have total freedom to express themselves however they’d like, and we’re super excited to see where this adventure takes us over the next year. We’re kicking off our this year’s series with Brook Magee who’s created an awesome trio of templates for you in Trifecta 34 – Shape Shifter. Isn’t it awesome?
Aren’t these fantastic?! I don’t know about you, but I can never have enough templates in my collection! These beauties will be yours free with a $10 purchase between now and when our new releases go live on February 24th… so don’t wait!
This year, our interview questions are coming from you! Get ready to read all about our designers… maybe they picked one of your questions to answer.
Tell us about your journey with digital scrapbooking… How did you find out about it? Did you start with paper first? How did you get started designing? Where was your first shop? How and when did you end up at Sweet Shoppe Designs?
BROOK: Like many, I started my scrapbooking journey as a way to document my new baby’s life. All of those wonderful photos deserved more than just a photo-sleeve album! I eventually found my place on a design team for a paper scrapbooking kit club (paper scrapping supplies were expensive and I enjoyed getting to innovate new layout ideas and inspire the kit club members). Eventually, the paper and stickers grew out of control as the toys and space for my craft time shrunk… and digital scrapbooking began to emerge as a new and enticing option. Especially for an at-home mom like me who formerly worked in graphic design. I started making very basic digital pages in 2009 and began designing my own digital products for self-use that same year. Before long, digital became my jam. I stumbled upon Sweet Shoppe Designs and found my digi home! In 2012 I became a Sugar Babe and in February 2014 I officially became a Designer.
How do you define your style? What does that style include? How has your style changed over the years?
BROOK: I embrace imagination, artistry, and surprise in everything I create! I design for myself, first and foremost. What makes me smile? I adore color and lots of it. I am inspired by nature, contrasts in colors and shapes, and I love anything with loads of flowers or kitschy elements. I have slowly evolved my style into templates that honestly don’t even really NEED a kit to complete them. If you wanted to, you could drop in your photos and add your own journaling and be done. I love creating well thought out and unique template flowers and elements even though they are only meant to be placement markers to suggest you add one there. I feel like scrapbooking is truly an art form and why not start with something beautiful to inspire you to create your own piece of beauty?
Where do you see your designs going in the future? Is your focus changing in any way?
BROOK: My focus has definitely changed. Ever since 2020 my work environment has changed as the kids have grown and slowly taken over my computer and in many ways, my time. I am designing less these days so I typically focus on templates and Commercial Use products because I am able to work on those in short bursts and still stay on-task. In the future, I’d like to focus on my illustration more. I can envision myself becoming a full time illustrator some day when the kids are grown & flown. I do create my own art – mostly when I design kits – and I miss when I had more time for that. Here are some of my favorite pieces of art I’ve included in my templates and kits (including scoops and dips with other designers):
Do you ever feel like you’ve done it all already and your style is repetitive?
BROOK: Never! I think the creative process itself is my favorite part. I have notebooks full of ideas, but a lack of time and focus to bring them to fruition. My style is ever changing because I actually have to work hard to not explore new things and stick with what I know. It’s one of the unfortunate reasons I have a hard time streamlining my work process. I’d rather make something new and exciting that takes 10 hours than churn out the same-ol’ in 1.
What are some of your favorite things that people have made with your products? And, do you still get a kick out of your creations being used by other people to preserve memories, create art, etc?
BROOK: I adore seeing layouts created by my customers pop up in the gallery! I just want to say thank you to all of you who take the time to share them there in my designer gallery and link to my products you use. It’s a joy to see your creativity and a blessing to be even a small part of your memories being honored & captured for your family and friends. Here are three recent layouts that made me smile! I love how they use my templates (one is a sweet freebie sample in the shoppe!).
What is your Enneagram number and how do you see it play out in your life?
BROOK: I’m a 4. I still haven’t figured out my wing, so I think I’m pretty balanced. I believe it’s what makes me creative and extremely connected to the people in my life and the world around me – at times that connectedness feels too deep to even describe and art is a way to express that. Scrapbooking is a way to share my feelings about the people in my life and how much I value them. I feel a great need to be unique, even from my own previous creations, which explains what drives me to always improve and change on what I’ve done in the past and to stand apart from other designers when it comes to my scrapbooking supplies here at SSD.
Do you have hobbies other than scrapbooking, photography, or memory keeping?
BROOK: I live very close to the beach, so beachcombing has become a huge hobby of mine. I frequently walk miles along the shore and pick up interesting shells and other gifts from the sea. I also love taking walks through the local arboretum. Many leaves, shells and flowers I’ve collected end up in my Commercial Use packs (available here at SSD for other designers to purchase). As an artist, I feel it’s an essential part of my life to appreciate beauty wherever I see it and if I can… capture it! Whether on camera or in my pocket! 🙂
The team has also been hard at work with Brook’s Shape Shifter template set, let’s take a peek!
Be sure you come back on Friday for the first look at Brook’s Featured Designer 15 sale!
Kimberly said...
on February 15th, 2023 at 4:35 pm
Love learning about you Brook and thank you for choosing my page. I love, love, love that kit!!