JANINE, KWOHTATIONS
Delicate humour, and a gorgeously gentle turn of phrase (as well as beautifully illustrated!) is how we would describe the Kwohtations range. New York based Janine the owner / artist / one-person assembly line (and extremely lovely lady to boot) hopes that others will recognize some of themselves in Kwohtations,
and feel a bit more seen, more connected, and less alone.
Kwohtations is a deeply human collection of handmade greeting cards, art prints, and other curiosities, to celebrate the good times and help survive the hard ones. Through genuine diversity and whimsical humour, Kwohtations provides an incredibly authentic voice through all of life’s important moments.
We are thrilled to include Janine’s note to self: affirmation stickers in our September boxes to band-aid over our imposter syndrome moments…. (we need these stickers EVERYWHERE…)
What makes you most proud about Kwohtations?
Creating and sharing art, for me, is a meaningful, tangible way celebrate real life and real people, to provoke people (including myself) into self‐reflection, and to insert a bit of joy and humor that I think is so critical to finding connection, joy, and healing. My goal is to make art that prompts people to say, “This is me!” or “This reminds me of someone I love.” I’m kept motivated by the idea that my art can help someone feel a little more seen and understood, and in turn can prompt them to reach out and share some words of love and support with someone else, whether it’s words of congratulation or a bit of comfort during tough times.
At SoL, we’re all about gorgeous things for amazing women.
What’s your favourite “thing” and does it come with a story?
I have a box filled with every piece of personal mail that I've received in the last decade - birthday cards, sympathy cards, love letters, notes of encouragement, reminders scribbled on the back of a receipt... every so often, especially when I'm feeling down or alone, I'll pull it out and read through them. It reminds me of all the experiences that I've had the privilege of having, and that even though people in my life have come and gone, I have been well loved.
We love giving women permission to indulge. How would you spend an ultimate day of indulgence?
A sunny picnic of cheese with friends, and a whole day of nothing ahead of us.
Who would you give a random act of lovely to and why?
The first person I see walking down the street, because I think most of us are carrying around something difficult that we don't always let show, and we can all use a bit more kindness and lovely in our lives.
See more of Janine's gorgeous art here: https://kwohtations.com/