My last summer in college I got to take an artist bookmaking class with the amazing Mary Claire Becker in Taos, New Mexico. I had no clue Oklahoma State University owned the Doel Reed Center in Taos and host summer classes there for art and english majors.

If you're an OSU student, look into it asap! They even have scholarships for this class. Unfortunately I did not sign up in time to get the scholarship, but it was still worth it!

Here's an Instagram reel from the Doel Reed Center, click here to watch. Being able to print in Reed's studio was an incredible experience. As a class, we also got to take hikes and create artist books, you can watch that here.

There were lots of time to explore Taos Plaza, art museums, local artist's studios, Taos Pueblo and more!

OSU booked a hotel stay where we all shared a room with 1 person, I shared a room with Maggie. The hotel was very close to the Doel Reed Center and had free breakfast. You do need a car for this trip—a lot of people carpooled from Stillwater.

During the class, we created a few different artist books. Professor Mary Claire gave different briefs for each trip we took. We used our travels to inspire each book. During class at the Doel Reed Center, there were loads of tutorials on how to create boxes, book covers, book binding, print making, and more.

As a graphic design student who did not take any studio art classes, it was the best feeling to get away from the computer and create with my hands. Watching the studio art majors who specialized in painting and print making was so inspiring.

Sophie Isaak, a visiting artist came to speak and teach us her unique process of printmaking. We got to practice her process in the Doel Reed Studio.

The Doel Reed Center was such a fun experience! I wish I could go on an artsy trip like this every year!

I'll admit it, I am a little obsessed with going to estate sales. My favorite thing to do is looking at all the graphic design and taking photos of it to have a gallery of inspiration for future projects. There is always a countless amount of typography inspiration at every sale I go to. People hold on to things for decades so it's like walking into a graphic design museum.

This book is on its last leg, but the typography, label design, and spread layout is so beautiful I had to scan each page and document it. If there is such thing as a graphic design historian, I could label myself as that. I love finding things at estate sales, flea markets, and antique stores and documenting them for future inspiration.

This book is not rare. In fact, you can get a copy on Amazon for under ten bucks, but it is fun to stumble across things that catch your eye. This blog serves as my own little gallery of found things that I can look at anytime for inspiration.

I found a Better Homes & Gardens magazine from 1950 and found lots of advertisements. It is so different to how brands market today, I mean, women are doing much more than cooking and cleaning.

During our time living in Germany, my husband and I made it a point to visit as many places as possible. One of the most memorable trips was to Ukraine at the end of 2019. While there, we took a tour of Chernobyl. As expected, there wasn't much left, but I was struck by the remnants of art and design that still lingered amidst the remains.

I took a girl's trip to Romania and out of all the places I've visited, this place is always in my mind as one of the top places I want to return to. The texture, shape, color, architecture, and handmade feeling is so inspiring. I could walk around Sibiu all day and never run out of things to photograph.

We had the chance to ride the Arsenalna Station metro, the world's deepest metro station. The typography there is sleek and sharp, with thin lines and low crossbars in the A that I found particularly striking, not to mention the generous counter of the P. The stunning blue tiles, paired with the rusted teal blue underneath, created a mesmerizing and unique visual contrast that left a lasting impression.

I love the bright teal with gold embellishments on this church. Notice the coffee bean with a star for the O in Star Coffee. Not getting into a critique here, just acknowledging it.

Living in Germany, I loved exploring antique stores and flea markets to discover unique items. One of my favorite finds was a handmade photo album from April 1907, documenting a group of Germans on a trip to Italy.

One of the best aspects of buying old books and photos from antique stores is researching and uncovering their stories. I researched this photo album and contacted a historian in Germany. He informed me that George and Ida Heckel, featured in the album, lived just an hour away from where I lived, and their family still resides on the same property. I plan to return the original album to the Heckel family when I visit Germany in 2025.

On my last trip to Greece with my two best friends, I brought my drone and instantly wished I had done so on previous visits. Greece is a treasure trove of stunning color palettes just waiting to be explored and captured. From charming towns and pristine beaches to the vibrant hues of the local cuisine, you'll find endless inspiration at every turn.

There is so much design to look at in London from brand design to street art, there is something that will catch your eye.

I loved all the of the sharp sherif type that represented the royals.