Illustrator · Comic Artist
Honestly, when you’re pulling pints or collecting glasses and people are sitting there chatting, it’s difficult not to tune in.
By seeing the customers as inspiration, it made a shift at the pub feel like research for a project; I’m cycling in thinking ‘I wonder what I will hear today!’
Written by Danielle Pender for It’s Nice That’s 'In Depth: The Everyday Edition', this feature explores how creative rituals can help artists and designers break free from the repetitive cycles of visual culture. It argues that in an era of AI tools, social media homogenization, and creative burnout, personal routines can restore originality and intention in creative work.
It’s Nice That’s annual ‘Review of the Year 2025: Top 25 Illustration’ highlights the most memorable illustration stories of the year, celebrating artists who explored nostalgia, everyday life, and human connection. The feature spotlights illustrators like Angelica Frey, Helen Oxenbury, and Irasutoya, showing how traditional and personal illustration continues to thrive despite the rise of generative AI imagery.
Illustrator Edie Medley’s project ‘I’m Not Listening’ captures snippets of conversations she overhears while working as a pub manager. The series humorously and empathetically documents everyday exchanges, turning them into expressive comics that celebrate the social life of pubs. The article highlights how Medley transforms her hospitality work into creative inspiration and commentary on community spaces.
It’s Nice That’s annual Review of the Year 2024 highlights 25 standout illustration projects, from Sun Young Oh’s typographic cat flow charts to Rob and Robin’s football-inspired variable drawing tool. The roundup celebrates diverse approaches to illustration, including digital experiments, comics addressing social issues, and nostalgic or observational works. It reflects a year of playful, process-driven, and conceptually rich illustration practice.
Written by Danielle Pender for It’s Nice That, this opinion piece explores how creative rituals can help designers and artists escape the echo chamber of repetitive visual culture. It argues that slowing down, developing personal routines, and reconnecting with one’s own instincts are essential to restoring originality and depth in creative work. The article contrasts the homogenization of global aesthetics and the rise of AI-generated imagery with the grounding power of daily creative practices.