Meet Joy Sunyoung Fitzgerald, the creative artist behind our newest Makers Alongside project, the inspirational “Remember Your True North” prints. Joy has been drawing since she was only one and a half years old and recalls becoming especially fascinated with lettering in second grade. She soon became obsessed with penmanship and fonts. “I would actually stress out quite a bit when starting a notebook–what pen would I use? Would I write in all caps or cursive? What font would be best for this subject?” Such questions might not be normal for a typical young student, however her curious perfectionist tendencies paid off. 
Joy admits that she never considered doing anything creative as a profession, especially without any formal training. However, in late 2010, she began to post random sketches on a hand-written, hand-drawn blog. Although it started off with a low follower rate, the blog acted as a carefree outlet where she could express her creativity. Eventually, people began inquiring Joy for paid gigs, which was totally new for Joy, who illustrated for pure personal joy. “Over the next year, I slowly began building confidence that I could actually have a business fulfilling people’s needs through my illustration and calligraphy."
Her business, Made by Sohn, that offers custom-made prints, invitations, and more, officially launched in Fall, 2012. Her pieces have a consistent calm and clean vibe, which reflect what she finds most inspiring: peaceful surroundings, intention, overlooked details, quality, simplicity, scripture and hope. 
You can find Joy’s work on her website, but as of now, she only does custom jobs. However, keep your eyes peeled within the next year for an online store that sells her prints and other goods. She will also be creating designs for a children’s clothing company based in San Francisco that will be available for purchase once it launches later this year. Her favorite HDH designs are the Beurre Tunic and the Elsie Kimono.
Don’t forget to follow Joy on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and her journal!
Photo Credits: James Fitzgerald Photography
