Notebooks & Art Prints for Denik
My first time to exhibit at Surtex
Back in 2020, I fulfilled a long-term goal of heading to New York to exhibit at a licensing show for surface pattern designers. The show is called Surtex, which was connected to the National Stationery Show and New York Now (this is the big gift show) housed in the Javits Center each year.
On the second (or third?) day of the show, a guy stopped by my booth and mentioned something about how my work would look good on notebooks. At the time, I didn’t think much of it and assumed he was another artist simply checking out other booths at the show. Before he left, he handed me his business card, which had the company name of ‘Denik’ on it.
While I was greeting other passersby, my husband was Googling this ‘Denik’ guy to see who he was. As it turned out, he was the CEO of a large notebook company that licenses artwork from artists around the globe. I went to their website shortly after, where I read about how they use a portion of their sales to help build schools in third-world countries. It was exactly the type of company I wanted to work with, so I planned on following up with them shortly after the show ended.
Fast forward a few months, and we were faced with a global pandemic. The Javits Center that had recently welcomed trade show visitors near and far was now being used as a makeshift hospital. It was a terrible time to try and get my foot in the door within an industry that relies so heavily on manufacturing, but I was determined to continue down the surface design path.
After reaching out to Tyler Tolson, the CEO of Denik, once or twice, he never flat out turned me down, but it sounded more or less like he’d keep my info on file in case they were looking for more artists down the road. “So you’re tellin’ me there’s a chance,” I thought to myself. In my last email to Tyler, I told him that, if it' was a flat out ‘NO’ that I’d stop bugging him. Lo and behold, it wasn’t a ‘NO’ at all.
A year and a half later, and I’m over the moon to announce this notebook + art print collection with Denik.
Throughout this collection, you’ll find positive affirmations that accompany hand-drawn illustrations related to the sayings themselves. These serve as reminders that we’re all imperfect. We’re all struggling, sometimes just trying to make it through the day. Regardless of what someone’s Instagram account might be telling you, every single one of us is fighting a unique battle. I want people to know that it’s okay to be open about their battles and to ask for help. The world is still in a strange place, and we need each other now more than ever.
I couldn’t be more excited to share this launch with you. It goes to show that the best things in life are worth pursuing, even if you’re chasing after them in the dark or have to overcome multiple hurdles along the way.
Head over to Denik’s website to show this incredible company some love. They’re doing great things in the world and would love to have your support!
