Fika Feature: Jordan Sundberg

If you're on our mailing list, you received a Christmas card from us.  You've probably got it on your fridge, next to all your important family Christmas cards, right?  

Just in case you accidentally forgot to put it on your fridge, here's a picture of it. Look familiar? 

Well, we don't know about you, but we loved the Christmas card.  Not only because it looks great but because it really got at the heart of what Fika holds dear: adventure, gathering together & taking time to savor.  

In fact, we loved it so much that we wanted to meet the artist behind the work. Sadly, we live here and she lives there so a cozy conversation over a cup of Fika wasn't in the cards. But, we were able to ask her all manner of questions via email and, as expected, we were delighted.  She's as wonderful as her artwork.   

Fika fans, meet Jordan Sundberg, the artist behind Tin Cup Design and, if you've been in our shop recently, the artist behind the gorgeous prints hanging on our walls.

Originally named for those nifty little 'telephones' we all made when we were little (the ones cobbled together with tin cans and string), Tin Cup Design was born out of a desire to use art to communicate.  "Art speaks in a wonderfully wordless way.  It adds vibrance and weight–a dimension deeper than letters and numbers," Sundberg said.  

But the name means more than that.  "Over the years, its morphed and deepened in meaning.  The longer I work, the more I realize that creativity and ideas are  gifts and that I am a humble beggar, holding out my tin cup, dependent upon and grateful for the gifts of creativity that drop in." 

"I started [Tin Cup] as a this is all I've got maneuver about eight years ago," Sundberg said.  "I was planning to move to Sweden when all my visa stuff fell through."  She'd already sold most of her belongings and quit her jobs so she "started thinking about what I could do instead.  Friends and family were paying me to design things and thought 'Why not give it a shot?'" 

So she did.  And, to date, it was a good thing she did. "I get to creat art for folks that are using their power to participate in the greatest goods–kindness, love, generosity, serving others over self.  It's taken a handful of years to develop a real style of my own--one that naturally came out of me, versus trying to keep up with trends or styles other folks had.  I'm drawn to interesting buildings and houses and neighborhoods, beloved landscapes and small, urban natural spaces, botanical things and the critters around them....and food!  And of course there are so many wonderful illustrators I get to enjoy along with our daughter, as we read books--Ezra Jack Keats, Christian Robinson, Carson Ellis, etc."

Sundberg's images are all digital illustrations.  But they don't start out that way.  "I always sketch before going on the computer--and always believe that my first idea isn't my best. So I sketch some more, go for walks, talk about it with my husband, drink bubbly water (or a beer), think about colors and the message I'm trying to express. At some point, ideas graciously fall into my little tin cup and then I get to move to the computer where it all becomes a digital illustration."

If you haven't seen much of her work, head on over to her website.  Notice the by-line running across the top of the page.  "A Freelance Illustration & Design Gal, Rooting for Goodness Through Art." 

Of course, we loved that little sentence and wanted to know more.  "Art--like any vocation or pursuit--has power," Sundberg said. "I believe we have an invitation to either serve ourselves with the power of who we are and what we do or lay it down to serve others. I get the privilege of serving businesses, causes and organizations who are doing good work. When I design wedding invitations, I get to celebrate and encourage the beauty of commitment.  Through my work with parks and cities, people notice the beauty of their surroundings and take pride in them."

When we saw the final proof of the image Sundberg created for us, we were thrilled. We felt like she loved Fika Coffee as much as we do.  And when we asked her about it, she affirmed what we expected. "[By the end of a project], I've come to care about both the subject and the people I am allowed to work with," she said.  

We are no art critiques, but it seems that has a lot to do with why Jordan's artwork is so charming, so endearing, so great.  Her love for the subject comes through in each illustration and, in turn, causes the viewer to love the subject as well.  You simply can't glance at one of her prints without being drawn into it.  Swiftly, you find yourself wondering who the folks are that inspired the work and, if you're anything like us, you want to meet them for a fika.  

Jordan Sundberg uses her art to slow us down and make us notice.  When we look at her illustrations, we wonder and awe at the beautiful people and places around us. We appreciate and celebrate them.  Her art is like a fika for the heart and mind. And we're all about that. 

Stop by the shop to see Jordan's work.  It will be gracing our walls for a couple of months. 

--All images copyright of Jordan Sundberg