Artist Spotlight: Graphic Anthology

Inspired by the joy of a handwritten card, Graphic Anthology designs cheerful greeting cards and gifts to help you connect with those you love most. Proudly designed by Genesis Duncan in Portland and printed in the Pacific Northwest, her line is unabashedly fun, with bold color, quirky illustrations, and kind sentiments in English and Spanish.

Genesis Duncan, illustrator and founder of Graphic Anthology

Tell us about the birth of Graphic Anthology!

Graphic Anthology started by accident. Or rather it was never supposed to be anything other than a hobby. I found myself designing uplifting art prints during a challenging time in my life. I put them on Etsy, hoping to make an extra buck or two and to my surprise, they did well.

It’s always a rush to know that people will give you money for your creativity, so I kept creating new things and those sold as well, and I was hooked. People and retailers started reaching out asking for custom work and greeting cards, and at that point, I started focusing more on the greeting card segment of my business, which we are known for today.

It took me a long time (5 years!) to realize it could be my career, but once I pivoted from a maker to a business owner mindset, things really took off. Now our products can be found in over 400 stores nationwide and we’ve sold to shops in Asia, Europe, and Latin America! It’s still a rush!

Did you always want to be an artist, even in childhood?

I’ve always been creative, but I don’t think I ever wanted to be an artist. It’s always been more about the entrepreneurial experience. Usually, creative projects were looped into that. For instance, I started many a “business” as a kid and those businesses always needed signage, or menus, or advertisements. The thrill was in running the business, but I also loved branding it! But ultimately, I think I communicate best visually, so I’m not sure I could have done any non-creative business entrepreneurial or otherwise.

What is your favorite medium to create with? Describe your process.

I am pretty much all digital illustration at this point. I do sketch out ideas in a notebook, but they are very rough sketches. I will then flesh those ideas out on the computer, adding color and cleaning up linework if needed. My actual hand illustration skills are atrocious! 

Where do you find your inspiration?

Pretty much everywhere. I am always seeing things on my walks or when I can travel. Conversations with friends also prompt card ideas. I like to think of myself as a sponge. I’ll absorb all this data and one day I’ll be sketching and suddenly an idea just falls into place that seems so simple and perfect.

What's your solution for combating “creative block” and maintaining productivity?  

I do all kinds of things, but ultimately the most successful thing for me is brute force. I make myself sit and work on creative things until I get in the flow. Once I do find flow and hit smaller creative speed bumps, I’ll often just walk away for a little bit. Going for a walk sometimes helps me work out a problem in my head or allows my brain to rest long enough that I can come back and see my creative project from a new angle. 

What does a typical day at your studio look like? How do you manage your time?

A typical workday for me starts about 10am. Since its mostly just me doing everything, I try to do different types of tasks every day. In general, each day starts with admin and email and then depending on the day, my focus might be on order fulfillment, new business, marketing, or creative tasks. In the late afternoon, I’ll catch up on any remaining or new administrative things, do inventory checks, and place orders for anything I need to restock on. I usually wrap up my workday around 7pm by tidying my studio. 

What do you enjoy doing in your “free time?”

Normally I’d say travel because it’s my passion, but this year I’ve been exploring a lot closer to home. I’m also a person who loves a good self-improvement project, so this year I’m working on my meditation practice and improving my Spanish. And if I’m not doing any of the aforementioned things, I’m probably buried in a book. I’m a nerd, haha.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced to get to where you are now?

Money has always been a factor. While greeting cards are fairly inexpensive to produce, you have to sell a bunch of them to make any money! When you are starting out, it’s easy to get sucked into trends and big expenditures for events like trade shows, so it’s a challenge to balance what is a good expense and what is a potential pitfall that will hamper your growth. I think confidence in my abilities and the willingness to take risks and fail was something I struggled with in the beginning. It took me a long time to accept Graphic Anthology as a business and that slowed my growth big time.

How does the culture of your city contribute to the development of your independent business?

I live in Portland, Oregon, so I’m surrounded by creative folks. While it’s definitely less quirky than it used to be, it’s still a good place to be a creative. There’s a playfulness about Portland that I enjoy, not to mention the environment is lush and colorful, with close proximity to all kinds of fabulous natural wonders. I feel magic here that I don’t feel in other places. 

We hear you are working on a new collection of cards. Can you tell us a bit about it?

I’m working on cards for next year. While everyone else is thinking about the holidays, I’m already working on Spring/Summer 2021 stuff. Plants and floral things. Friendship cards and Missing You cards, especially since we don’t know how long this Covid business will last. So far I’m loving how it’s taking shape and can’t wait to share them!

Shop Graphic Anthology products at www.graphicanthology.com. Follow Genesis on Instagram at @graphicanthology