I spent the first part of my professional life surrounded by books. I started by managing a school library, then moved into book publishing. I've always been interested in entrepreneurship. But life sometimes forces us to question everything. When my family had to move over 4,000 km away, I closed the publishing house.

I now had much more free time, so I resumed painting classes I'd abandoned 20 years earlier. Art, like books and entrepreneurship, has always been more or less a part of my life. So I started painting, getting involved in an artists' group, eventually working in a gallery in Western Canada, then in California. Then, I had to move again. Barely settled in our new city, the pandemic hit. My heart wasn't in painting.

So I used all the time I had to learn the basics of computer graphics and… I discovered surface pattern design. I spent a year taking courses, experimenting with a multitude of designs, learning as much as I could, and creating multiple collections .

I had found something that reconciled my love of art, organization, and entrepreneurship. A whole new world opened up before me. A whole new world. There are so many possibilities with surface pattern design that it's very easy to get lost in it.

I needed a plan. I needed to get organized. And what does a librarian do when she needs information and organization? She looks for books to answer her questions, notebooks to help her organize.

I didn't find much. So, like the good old editor I am, I created (and continue to create) the tools I needed to feel in control, to make the right decisions for myself. I then decided to share them with my peers.

Then, a final, and very recent, move finally brought me back home to Montreal. Since then, I've felt completely at home. Absolutely. What I do as a surface pattern designer and artist is combine my love of art and entrepreneurship. Creating my notebooks and downloadable tools fulfills my love of books and organization. I can now reconcile all facets of my work into a single entity that reflects who I am and that I can make available to others.

What I love about publishing is the feeling of contributing to the development of others, my peers. The feeling of sharing what I know and also learning every day.

What I particularly love about art is freedom. The freedom to create imperfect images like life, the freedom to choose colors according to the emotion of the moment, the freedom to express without words.

What I love about entrepreneurship is also the freedom. The freedom to choose my projects, to change my path, to be in control. I hope I can help you be in control of your business too.

If, like me, you want to organize your creative business, discover the tools I offer.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.


Manon Jodoin