We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Margot Miller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Margot, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I am really thankful to have a long list of projects that hold special meaning, but the most special of all is one I worked on with my son, Max. We started Max and Mom in 2020, during the pandemic. My husband and I had newborn twins and during their nap time, I wanted to make sure to give Max some 1:1 attention and also keep the house (relatively) quiet. Max and I started crafting really regularly during this time and when we made some wall art for the nursery, we had a ton of fun compiling found objects and artfully arranging them. Without knowing it we kind of found our style that way. One of the many pieces we made was a rainbow. A few years later, my wonderful friend who is a set designer asked if Max and Mom had any art she could use to decorate a child’s room with on a movie set. A few pieces were bought by Paramount for this but in the end, our beloved rainbow made it to the final cut of the movie. My husband and I took Max to see IF on opening night. We all cheered every time the piece was shown, which was actually quite a bit. It’s for sure a core memory for all of us. Both making it and watching it on the big screen.

Margot, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Margot and I am an illustrator and children’s accessory designer. I work fully remotely, from my attic office in Forest Hills, Queens. Most recently, I am working with Fashion Angels on their Style Lab fashion brand and have had the pleasure of illustrating a few sticker books for them.
My illustration style is collage and I love working with found objects and textures. I dream of illustrating children’s books one day.

I studied illustration at Syracuse University and then took a few continuing education classes at the School of Visual Arts. I love what I do. It sounds cheesy but the fact that I am employed to create is really a gift. And now that I do it from home, it’s even better. I’m able to be around for my 3 kids, but also feel creatively fulfilled. Win/win.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I was applying for college I had an interview at Cooper Union in NYC. I knew it was an unlikely fit but because of its amazing price (free), extremely low acceptance rate and insanely competitive reputation, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to apply. I went in, presented my portfolio and the professor tore me apart. He told me I would never make it as an artist and I should change my career path. It was so upsetting for a young creative, full of hope and wanting to learn, to hear that.

Anyway, a few days later I had a wonderful interview at Syracuse University. I presented my portfolio and the professor told me she saw potential. She said I had a lot to learn, and that she thought Syracuse would be a great place to do that. I did go on to go there, and had an amazing experience.

And now about 20 years later, I AM making a career from my artwork! So take that Cooper Union haha!

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The SCBWI is an awesome organization for aspiring children’s books illustrators. It’s still my dream and while I’m not currently an active member, I will one day return and take advantage of all the resources it has to offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.margotmiller.com
• Instagram: @margotmiller.illustration and @maxandmomcreate
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Angels-Bloom-1000-Sticker/dp/B0BZQNGNXP?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

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