Speaking with Illustrator, Maja Faber

Maja Faber is a Swedish illustrator and surface pattern designer currently based in Stockholm. She creates beautiful, playful designs with a simple Scandinavian style.

In our latest interview, we got the opportunity to speak with Maja about how she juggles her workload and a six-month-old baby, her creative process, her love of teaching and sharing knowledge and much more.

Keep reading to find out what she had to say and for a chance to see some of her amazing wall stickers.

Hi Maja, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Can you start by telling me a little about you and your life?

Hey, I’m happy to be speaking with you and sharing a bit about me. I’m a Swedish surface pattern designer, creative entrepreneur and Skillshare Top Teacher.

I create artwork that I license to collaborators worldwide and I teach fellow creatives all I know about surface pattern design and life as a creative entrepreneur. I work from my home in Stockholm, where I live with my husband, our six months old son and our dog. We are just on the verge of moving to the beautiful island of Mallorca in Spain, to stay for a year.

This actually is one of the reasons why I wanted to work for myself, to be location independent, and be able to work from anywhere in the world.

How’re you finding quarantine life? Has it affected your motivation?

My work life hasn't changed that much actually due to the quarantine. I used to work from home previously as well and all of my work is already based online.

How and when did you first develop an interest in illustration?

I grew up in a creative family where drawing was always a part of my childhood. I was a super creative kid and I loved to draw. Somehow, I lost that along the way.

As I grew older, the path to becoming a surface pattern designer and illustrator wasn’t obvious until things fell into place a couple of years ago. Through taking a creative course in graphic design, I once again found my interest in illustration and embarked on the journey to become a surface pattern designer and a creative entrepreneur.

What’s a typical day like in the life of Maja Faber?

At the moment, I’m on part-time parental leave and part-time working in my business. As I have a six-month-old son, I wouldn’t say that I have a typical day at the moment - everything is in constant motion and changes all the time. But, if I was to try to describe a typical day in a few words, it would probably be busy, chaotic and hilarious.

How’re you finding juggling a career and being a new parent?

I find it hard and amazing at the same time. The biggest challenge has without a doubt been the sleep deprivation that comes with being a new parent. I started to work when my son was 2 months old and have since then shared parental leave with my husband.

We both work about half of the week each, which is perfect! I love my little family and I love my business, and I’m hugely grateful to be able to combine my life as a mother with working in my business.

Can you tell us about your creative process from coming up with an idea through to the final piece?

My head is always spinning with ideas. I have a truly creative, entrepreneurial spirit and I love to try new things out - I’m fast to jump on any new ideas.

I’m a very visual person and I’m more of a doer than a planner when it comes to my creativity. Usually, I try a bunch of things out in the early phase of my creative process, then I narrow it down a bit further down the road. The final piece grows in this process and I get a very strong feeling of when it’s finished.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you use simplicity in your work?

I recently got the question if my identity influences my creativity and I think that I can answer this question with kind of the same answer. I’m pragmatic as a person. I have a very practical, no-fuss personality and I’m quick in thought and action. Simplicity is what I do, it’s what comes naturally for me. My style is a direct response to my personality - it’s simple, bold and straightforward with a playful, modern Scandinavian vibe.

You’re a Skillshare Top Teacher - what drew you to share your expertise and teach others?

I absolutely love to teach! To start teaching was a natural choice for me when I started my business, as I previously worked teaching people how to sail huge tall ships. Sailing on the seven seas and having the force of nature as your guide, forces you to become a good teacher. During my years as a sailing instructor, I discovered how much I enjoy teaching and seeing students grow and learn.

Naturally, when I started my business, I knew that I would like to add teaching as an income stream. Since then, I have never looked back.

I’m very grateful to be chosen as a Skillshare Top Teacher, which means that I’m amongst the top 1% of all teachers on the platform. I’m so tremendously thankful for all of my lovely students who watch my classes and give me such lovely feedback.

Animals feature a lot in your work - if you could speak to one kind of animal, what would it be and why?

Haha, what a fun question! I would definitely want to speak with my dog, Mickan. She’s a goofy labradoodle and I would love to know what’s going on in her head.

What advice would you give an aspiring illustrator and surface pattern designer?

Be consistent and keep at it! To make it as a surface pattern designer and illustrator is hard work - no doubt about that. But, if you know that this is what you really want to do, then just start where you’re at and make sure to constantly move forward. Never stop learning and never stop creating.

If you want to make a living as an illustrator, make sure that you treat your business like a business. If you do, the rest of the world will do so as well.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what career would you have pursued?

Oh, what a difficult question. I’m living my dream life as a creative business owner. It feels as if I was meant to do this and I wouldn’t want to do anything else.

What’s the future looking like? Any big projects on the horizon?

I’m so excited about a few big projects that hopefully will happen this year. There are some things that I can’t share yet but, one thing that I can share is that I’m working on a larger course about finding your signature design style.

This is a process that I have done myself when I first started out as an aspiring surface pattern designer, and in this new course, I will share all the things that I wished someone taught me back then about finding my style. I can’t share a release date yet, but if you want to keep up to date with news from me you could subscribe to my newsletter.