The artists whose illustrations accompany the affirmations in this book represent 14 different countries spanning the globe. They have won gold and silver medals from The Society of Illustrators and are regularly featured in the Annual of American Illustration and Communication Arts, among numerous other awards. They have produced art for clients including Apple, Google, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Nickelodeon, Guggenheim Museum, ProPublica, Lucasfilm, Clinique, Prada, Tiffany & Co., Le Monde, Taschen, World Wildlife Fund, Airbnb, Lincoln Center, New York City Opera, New York Public Radio, Wells Fargo, TIME, Fast Company, Ford Foundation, and many others.
The artists are all represented by The Marlena Agency. The agency’s founder, Marzena Torzecka, is an ongoing meditation student who studied with Ani Trime for more than a decade. After Trime’s passing, Marzena shared the 52 affirmations with her artists and asked them to illustrate ones that spoke to them particularly. Some of the artists’ insights are offered below their profiles on the following pages.
Lincoln Agnew (#46) is an illustrator living and working in Vancouver, Canada.
This affirmation speaks to the challenge of connecting to the present. This moment, right now, is filled with all the mysteries of the universe. Yet I tend to ignore that truth when I’m too busy typing on the phone about hot dogs.
Natalya Balnova (#34) is a New York–based illustrator, designer, and printmaker. She graduated from the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program at the School of Visual Arts, and she received a BFA from Parsons School of Design as well as the Academy of Industrial Art and Design in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Practicing living in the moment is about the connection with the universe and self-integration into the beauty of life as it is. It is something that is so hard to achieve, but so important for self-realization. This project gave me inspiration to think in new ways.
Martin Leon Barreto (#14, 31) is an Uruguayan illustrator and graphic designer currently based in Madrid, Spain. Primarily focused on the editorial field, he illustrates for children as well as adults.
I believe in the importance of being conscious of our feelings, as it is the only way to get rid of those who don’t bring happiness to us and those around us. As an illustrator, it is always a challenge to depict simple but profound concepts through a single image.
Andrew Colin Beck (#29) is an American illustrator and graphic designer living in Salt Lake City, Utah. He loves things that ride the line between beautiful and strange.
Serge Bloch (#33, 49) is a French illustrator born in 1956 in Colmar, France. He has been awarded several international prizes and gold medals in recognition of his work, and his books are internationally translated and published.
Kasia Bogdańska (#30) was born in 1980 and works as an illustrator in Warsaw, Poland. She studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.
Francesco Bongiorni (#5) was born in Milan in 1984. He graduated from the N.A.B.A. School of Fine Arts in 2006 and studied illustration at the European Institute of Design. He lives and works in Madrid.
Federica Bordoni (#4) lives and works in Trento, a small town in northeastern Italy. Her illustrations, made mostly with digital techniques, are characterized by a minimalist and dream-like style.
Sometimes life can feel like a storm; but the power of our minds can help to solve problems, so we must be positive and remember that the sun will always come back!
Jérôme Corgier (#9, 11) was born in 1983 in Orleans, France, and is founder of the Design Studio Atelier Pariri.
Edmon de Haro (#39) is a graphic designer and illustrator living in Barcelona.
I first need to be gentle toward myself in order to be gentle to others. If our goal in life is to reach happiness, we must care about the people who surround us, so they can also achieve it. We must understand that happiness is meaningless if it is not experienced collectively, if it is only ours.
Gérard DuBois (#37) was born in France. He studied graphic design in Paris and now lives in Montreal, Canada. In 2017, he won the Hamilton King Award, one of the illustration industry’s most prestigious prizes, as well as four Gold Medals from the Society of Illustrators.
Being that I find myself inclined to have thoughts of sadness, this affirmation appealed to me as a possible form of therapy, choosing to let go of negative thinking.
Hadley Hooper (#25) lives in Denver, Colorado, USA, and works as an illustrator and painter.
Jasu Hu (#17) is a Chinese-born, New York–based illustrator. She studied visual communication design and illustration at Tsinghua University and Maryland Institute College of Art.
Edson Ikê (#44) is a Brazilian illustrator working for publishing companies, advertising agencies, and architecture firms.
Mariko Jesse (#35) was born in Japan, spent her childhood in Hong Kong, and was educated in the UK. She studied at Central Saint Martins in London.
I use this affirmation to make myself think objectively about something, rather than be swayed by my preconceptions and how I want something to be. It seems vague, and it’s hard to do, but I try!
Federico JordÁn (#45) lives in Saltillo, México, where he creates art interventions in the desert. He has worked as a graphic artist for more than 25 years. His work plays with aesthetic sublimation and Mexican colorfulness.
Gwenda Kaczor (#24) is an illustrator based in Denver, Colorado, USA. She received a BFA from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
Nate Kitch (#19, 28) is from the UK, where he studied illustration at Southampton Solent University at the School of Art and Design.
Hate is such a negative and heavy burden to carry, but we all end up doing so in some form. By learning to remove it from our minds, we are able to grow as individuals, and collectively we can learn to make the world better. We are all on a journey, and sometimes we lose sight of that. I’ll never be perfect and I’ll keep making mistakes, but every day I try to release hatred.
Eduardo Luzzatti (#1, 48) is a photographer, graphic designer, and illustrator, born in Barcelona, 1966. He received degrees in multimedia from the Open University of Catalunya and in photography from the Institute of Photographic Studies of Catalonia.
This affirmation allowed me to take an introspective look at the way I relate to others.
Jean-François Martin (#13, 40) was born in Paris in 1967. He works for book publishers and international press. He won the prestigious Bologna Ragazzi Award in the fiction category in 2011.
Andrea Mongia (#27) is an Italian illustrator born in 1989. He graduated with a degree in illustration from the European Institute of Design in Rome and is cofounder of Studio Pilar.
Pep Montserrat (#38) is an artist based in Barcelona who illustrates adult and children’s books and teaches illustration at La Massana Arts and Design School.
Enrique Moreiro (#18) studied fine arts at the Complutense University of Madrid. He has worked as a painter, sculptor, engraver, and illustrator for more than 30 years. He lives and runs his atelier in Spain.
Ola Niepsuj (#52) is a Warsaw-based illustrator and graphic designer. She won a Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators.
We often forget how much more we could learn, understand, and achieve if we follow our heart and soul and listen to our intuition. This affirmation can serve every graphic designer and illustrator who gets blocked in a creative process. We are torn between a problem-solving, functional way of thinking and also spontaneous expression and creativity.
Agata Nowicka (#21, 32) is an illustrator and comic artist who divides her time between Warsaw, Poland, and Brooklyn, New York.
With social media and electronic tools ruling how we live and work, it’s hard to remember to be present in the moment and be grateful for what we have.
Miguel Ordóñez (#6) studied illustration at the school of Arte No. 10 in Madrid and graphic design at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. His two books with Jimmy Fallon, Your Baby’s First Word Will Be Dada and Everything Is Mama, were New York Times bestsellers. He lives in Madrid.
Being aware of your actions and your response to others’ actions is the best way to have healthy relationships with others.
Asia Pietrzyk (#43, 47) was born in Poland and now lives in Stockholm, Sweden, where she works as an illustrator and graphic designer.
Sonia Pulido (#10, 23) is an illustrator based in Barcelona; she says she could not be anything but an illustrator. She works for newspapers but enjoys illustrating books, too. She is a recipient of a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators.
Most of the time the simple way is the best way, and I don’t want to forget this. If it’s complicated, it’s usually not worth it.
Irene Rinaldi (#51) lives and works in Rome. She graduated with a degree in illustration from the European Design Institute in 2007 and now works with Italian and international magazines.
Erin Robinson (#8) is a fashion designer who trained as a fine artist at Parsons School of Design and the Corcoran School of Art. Her day-dreamy, magical style is inspired by travel, color, texture, the feminine shape, and the many shades of Brooklyn, New York.
Carmen Segovia (#22) lives and works in Barcelona. In addition to her illustration work, she creates short comic stories and other collaborative projects.
It’s important to take care of ourselves (and others) by remaining respectful of [our] own foundations while everything and everyone is constantly happening around/toward/through us. But hey, that’s not easy! I found this affirmation good to remember and meditate on, even more than one week a year.
Marta Sevilla (#36, 42) is an illustrator based in Spain whose work focuses on editorial illustration, children’s books, book covers, and surface design.
I like this affirmation not because I’m used to feeling in control of my thoughts, but because I normally don’t. Loving and respecting myself could be something to practice every day more consciously.
Lasse Skarbövik (#3) was born in Norway and graduated from Berghs School of Communication. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, and is a founder of Stockholm Illustration. He works as a freelance artist for clients around the world.
This affirmation is about being yourself and believing in your own style. In any situation, you can’t go wrong if you do what you feel is right, and remember to keep things simple!
Daniele Tozzi (#50) is an Italian lettering artist whose work is inspired by graphic design and graffiti. Born in Rome in 1981, he graduated with a degree in digital design from the European Design Institute.
Tomasz Walenta (#15) is an editorial illustrator, graphic designer, researcher, and educator living in Warsaw, Poland.
Kevin Whipple (#2) is an illustrator living in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City and graduated with an MFA from the Illustration as Visual Essay program.
Michael Woloschinow (#12, 41) received his MFA from the University at Buffalo and now works as an illustrator. He lives in Georgia, USA.
Olimpia Zagnoli (#16, 20) lives in Milan in a house with kaleidoscopic floors. She works as an illustrator for editorial, fashion, and food clients. Her work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide, and she has received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators.
Paul Zwolak (#7, 26) has been a freelance illustrator for more than 20 years for a wide range of corporate and editorial clients.
I realize that I can learn a lot about relaxing and learning to enjoy the small things in life from my cat, Bella. She enjoys playing hockey with the cap from a milk bottle or a crumpled piece of paper as much as, if not more than, the fancy store-bought toys. The sight of her stretched out asleep in a sunbeam is truly a picture of perfect relaxation — something I have a hard time achieving, but I’m working on it!