"Idea generation is an addiction...an engaging, brain-spinning indulgence that must be practiced in moderation." 

This statement is from the Behance's article which cautions on the intoxicating side-effect of idea generation. "New ideas have the potential to transform your life in wonderful ways, but they are also the most notorious source of distraction. Frustrated entrepreneurs and struggling creatives often trace back their problems to a moment when they decided to pursue too many things at once." This certainly rings true for me! Over the past three years, I have opened UPPERCASE, curated a few dozen gallery exhibitions, designed a line of wholesale greeting cards, made hundreds of handmade papergoods, launched an online store and published a book. All the while, I have continued to maintain my graphic design business. I admit that this is quite a lot to manage and though it has been exhilarating, it is also exhausting.

The arrival of a new year always brings about contemplation and resolutions. Leading up to 2008, I had been looking forward to putting more focus on my creative and business endeavours. UPPERCASE gallery, books & papergoods has developed into a bigger project than I could have possibly imagined when it first began. It its infancy, I thought it would be a small bookstore — a companion to complement my graphic design studio. It quickly became an outlet for my creativity. If I had an idea for a product, I could simply create it and see an immediate response from my customers. UPPERCASE allows me to conceptualize all aspects of a project — from concept to production to marketing to distribution. It truly uses all aspects of my creative thinking and I find this very fulfilling and enjoyable. Although working for clients has its rewards, it is so much more satisfying to have full ownership of an idea and its design.

Over the past year, the balance of my business shifted from Vangool Design to UPPERCASE as I began to devote increasing amounts of my time to the store. The success of The Shatner Show in terms of the quality of participants, press and other attention, was phenomenal and was a definite turning point. It put my small enterprise (pun intended) on the map. Although the show and book have just broken even at this point, with proper distribution now in place I hope to make enough to eventually fund another book.

My current self-directed publication project is Work/Life: the UPPERCASE Directory of Canadian Illustration & Photography. The intention of this publication is to promote Canadian talent to the best clients across North America. Participants pay a reasonable fee to be in the book and this, along with some sponsors, will cover the production and distribution costs. Some incredibly talented people have signed up! Necessarily, I have had to decline a lot of client work in order to have time to dedicate to Work/Life. After a decade of freelancing, it is against my nature to turn down a job — but now it has become a necessity to do so. I regret the inconvenience this will cause to some of my clients, but I know they will wish me well. I won't be turning absolutely everything down: I will focus on my love of publication design and special arts/culture projects, plus I remain open to any amazing unforeseen opportunities might come my way.

This book covers absolutely everything you need to know if you've ever toyed with the idea of turning a profit with your creative pursuits. Craft Inc. guides you step-by-step through the very basics of tapping into your creative interests, coming up with a name for yourself, pricing your wares, sourcing the materials you'll need, eventually leading you to the point where you could be booming with business and getting up for work every day to do something you genuinely enjoy.

Also, interviews with artists-made-business owners like Lotta Jansdotter, Jill Bliss and Jonathan Adler  provide practical insight and inspiration.

I couldn't put this book down because like most creative individuals, the idea of making money from what I do for fun seems like a total dream, and after reading Craft Inc. I have a pretty good idea of how to get started.

Written by designer/illustrator/business owner Meg Mateo Ilasco. 

Work/Life is a book project celebrating Canadian illustration and photography. Unlike magazine awards annuals or traditional illustration directories that are little more than picture books, our publication delves into what fuels a creative life. As a participant, you will be interviewed for specifics about your creative focus and artistic technique as well as your inspirations and aspirations. Additional imagery (sketchbook pages, studio shots, inspirational objects or personally illustrated anecdotes) will be integral to each participant’s spread, allowing the reader to take a peek into your work/life.

In addition to the artist pages, Work/Life will have more editorial content such as insights from industry mentors, interviews with reknowned art directors, and the documentation of a real illustration job from start to completion from two perspectives: from the art director who hires and the commissioned artist who gets the job. This editorial content further elevates Work/Life from the average directory: our goal is to produce an informative, entertaining, beautiful and long-lasting book that will be a valued reference for art buyers. 

Each participant will have a double-page spread: one full page dedicated to a single illustration and the companion page including a editorial text and images specific to the artist, a brief bio and contact information.

The book will be sent to a targeted list of 400 of the most desirable clients in publishing, advertising and design in North America. Participants will receive one complimentary copy. The book will be launched at an opening reception of an exhibition featuring work from the book. Complimentary copies will be given to invited guests that evening. Following the launch, Work/Life will be sold in UPPERCASE’s bookstore and online to the general public at a modest cover price.

To read more about this project, please click here. 

I'm pleased to announce the launch of
shop.uppercasegallery.ca!

The online store presents a selection of my favourite stationery items, interesting objects, recommended books and works for sale in the gallery. Please have a look around. More items and inventory will be added on a weekly basis.

Calgary customers have the option of having their purchases couriered city-wide; Canadian and US customers can select from Canada Post and FedEx shipping. If you run into any glitches with the site, please let me know: it's brand new to the world, so there's bound to be some growing pains. Thank you!

The shot above is my initial rough of the site design. The product shots (below) are original photographs taken specifically for shop.uppercasegallery.ca with my  newly indispensable Nikon D40. They were shot in the store and throughout the Art Central building. You're welcome to use images from the webstore as long as you credit UPPERCASE and link back to us, thanks.

The concept of UPPERCASE gallery, books & papergoods is to present the world of graphic design and illustration through products and exhibitions. Visitors can peruse a curated selection of high-quality books on visual and pop culture, purchase paper products unique within the city, and view artworks by internationally reknowned artists alongside emerging and local talent.

As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun! It has been very satisfying to develop UPPERCASE, both as a destination as well as a brand. It has become a fantastic outlet for all my creative enterprises, many of which extend past the gallery walls. UPPERCASE greeting cards are now being distributed across North America by Paper E. Clips (look for our typographic greetings at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts).

Our Eclecto line of buttons, journals and pouches made from reclaimed and vintage papers continue to be popular. Look for them featured in an upcoming issue of Lou Lou magazine dedicated to eco-chic > living. Folks in Edmonton can also find the Eclecto products at Collectiv (#102, 6421 - 112 Avenue 491-0002. www.collectiv.ca).

The biggest project to date is also a dream come true: to publish UPPERCASE books. Our first publication is entitled “The Shatner Show” and will be released to coincide with an exhibition this summer. The Shatner Show presents over 70 artworks inspired by William Shatner. The outstanding roster of participating artists includes Douglas Fraser, Calef Brown, Mark Todd, Martha Rich, Christian Northeast and so many more. Mr. Shatner has approved the project and a portion of all art and book sales will be donated to his charity.

Over the next months, we will be developing the exhibition’s website, www.theshatnershow.com. Please visit now to see the full list of artists and links to their portfolios. To help with the initial production costs of the hardcover, full-colour book, we are looking for “send me the Bill” patrons. For $250, you will be placed, in the order received, on a VIP list. These patrons will be able to put their investment toward the purchase of the artwork of their choice. (Please note that Mr. Shatner will receive first dibs!) Patrons will also receive a free book and some other special opportunities. Please contact me for more details.

It is definitely an exciting and very busy time at UPPERCASE. I hope that you share my excitement for these many projects. As always, your patronage, suggestions (and help) is greatly appreciated. Thank you to all my loyal customers, enthusiastic friends and supportive family. A special thanks to my husband, Glen Dresser, for not tiring of all these crazy ideas and projects.

I usually shy away from referring to myself personally when posting on this site – I tend to refer to "we" or "UPPERCASE" when announcing new shows and products or recommending links. This habit began in 1996 when I was first starting my design business, Vangool Design & Typography. Working from home and growing a design business when I was 23 and fresh out of college, it made me seem a little more confident and capable.

Since I opened UPPERCASE in March 2005 (and moved my design business out of the small room off the kitchen), I've slowly grown accustomed to being in a more public spot. My old situation allowed the occasional sleep-in and pajama workday. Sometimes days – or even weeks – would pass before I'd need to interact with a client or service provider in person. But after nearly ten years of working from home, I was really itching to get out into "the real world".

When Art Central opened in November 2004, I was immediately enamored with its potential of creating a community in Calgary dedicated to art and design. This was really what I was craving after all those years of working alone. I could imagine my long-term dream of having a studio/design bookstore happening in this space. I had previously set aside the bookstore idea as impractical since so many lovely independent bookstores had come and gone in Calgary. But with Art Central as a larger entity helping to pull in like-minded customers, my hopes for a design bookshop in Calgary were re-ignited. I reasoned that my design business would support the rent and operating costs of running a store. My expectations for the store were minimal.

Within about two weeks of seeing an empty available space (and falling in love with its gorgeous brick wall and view of the York Hotel's art deco details), I had presented a business description to my landlord and signed the lease. To fit with the mandate of Art Central, I couldn't just have a design studio: it would also have to be open to the public. So the concept of the store was to present the world of design and illustration, and of a working graphic designer, in a public way. Estimating costs, listing pros and cons, and following my intuition: that was the extent of my business plan.

Needless to say, there's a lot of financial risk involved in this venture, but UPPERCASE as a concept and store has already grown passed what I initially envisioned for it. I had absolutely no previous retail experience, so I really had no idea what was involved. I also seriously underestimated the money, work and amount of time it would take! However, it has really been a much-needed outlet for my own creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. It is so satisfying to develop an idea, make it happen and see it purchased from happy customers. I look forward to continuing to nurture the store and its future related projects as I branch out into another long-term dream: great books on design, illustration and pop culture published by UPPERCASE and designed by me! (Look for an announcement coming early next year.)

Here a photo of me taken last week. I'm surrounded by boxes of holiday items being prepared for wholesale and online customers.

I'd like to thank my husband, Glen, for helping me when things get overwhelming. Here he is – coincidentally dressed to match my Christmas cards. I'd also like to thank Katie, who works in the store on Saturdays and Sundays, giving me much-needed weekends!