Eunice and Sabrina Moyle: Punning Together
This is the first joint Mothers Who Make interview! Eunice and Sabrina are sisters who work closely together and they wanted to reflect on these questions together. I’m so glad they did. It’s wonderful to hear them play off each other and expand on each other’s wisdom. Enjoy!
Did you think of yourself as a creative kid? What did you do for fun?
E: Yes, definitely because drawing was my only obvious skill and our parents didn’t buy us a lot of toys. Boredom was the mother of invention!
S: Yes! I loved to put on plays, draw, sing, write, imagine new places and things, and play dress-up and make-believe games.
What does creativity look like for you these days?
E: Making costumes for a friends’ dance company, dipping back into painting, sewing my own clothes, dancing, rollerskating, and drawing – pretty much everything I do!
S: Writing children’s books, writing children’s music, writing for adults on Substack, singing in a band, and arranging flowers!
How much time do you get to work on creative projects?
E: At least 10 hrs a day. I like to fold non-work creative projects in with work projects. I’m bad at sitting still – productivity is addiction!
S: Usually 3 - 4 hours a day, often early in the morning.
How did motherhood change your creative practice?
E: My kids totally inspired me with their funny quips and amazing drawings. My daughter Imogen even contributed character designs to our graphic novel series, The Cosmic Adventures of Astrid and Stella!
S: I feel like I truly discovered my creative voice through motherhood. It was because of wanting to be a better person for my children that I embarked on a personal growth journey that, quite unexpectedly, led me to discover my creative voice. Since then, my kids have inspired my children’s books, and they have even collaborated with me – they are artists, writers and musicians, too.
How does art enrich your life? How does being a mother enrich your art?
E: Art IS my life – it’s just what I do. I don’t know how to be anything but an artist! I can’t even cook something mundane. Everything is a creative project – which leads to a lot of problematic dinners! My kids have funny ideas all the time – their mere existence is inspiring! And I love the world of children’s art and design – children’s books, toys, clothes – having kids gives me an excuse to look at all of it.
S: Art gives me a sense of joy, meaning, and purpose – and it’s a way to bring joy to others, too, especially children. Being a mother enriches my art because I make art for children, and being a mom anchors me in a child’s experience. Also, young children are so innately creative and uninhibited – it inspires me to be the same!
How would you like the world to see artists and mothers?
E: I would like the world to be a more beautiful place, and I feel like art and artists contribute to that. Ditto, kids make the world more joyful, so I would like mothers to be recognized for their role in taking care of and inspiring kids.
S: I would like the world to see artists and mothers as the people who give life meaning and help people experience their full humanity. I mean, moms see it all – the 3 a.m. diaper changes, the grocery aisle melt-downs, and the brilliant artistic creations and first steps! In a world in which AI is threatening to devalue people, we need more people who can model the love, beauty, and creativity of what it means to be human.
What do you do when you feel burnt out or filled with doubt?
E: Dance it out! Go roller-skating! Go on YouTube and have a Cosplay maker teach me how to make amazing cat ears!
S: Meditate, do yoga, and spend time in nature.
How can we support and encourage each other more?
E: Learn from each other’s work and don’t see other artists as competition. Share your skills –a rising tide lifts all boats!
S: Send your friends encouraging voice memos – they are so much more intimate than a text and a wonderful way to stay authentically connected.
What mothers inspire you? Who should I interview next?
E: Gabrielle Blair, Jordan Ferney, Maybell Imasa-Stukuls.
S: I have just finished reading Sarah Wilson’s Substack serialized book, Collapse, and while she is not a mother, I would love to hear from mothers in her community!
What do you hope your kids will learn about creativity from you?
E: That you can be creative in every aspect of your life. It doesn’t need to be an artistic endeavor – it can be in cooking, how you dress, or anything else!
S: That everyone has access to creativity, and that tapping into it is tapping into your essence. Everyone has a unique voice that is waiting to be expressed and strengthened. Creativity is who you are!
If you had a million dollars to make the world a better place, how would you spend it?
E: Teaching people from different walks of life how to be kind to each other, and less fearful of things they don’t know and understand.
S: More like, a billion dollars! Providing free childcare and well-being services to new parents, to interrupt cycles of intergenerational trauma and ensure that the next generation grows up healthy, resilient, and kind.
If you could give everyone a small treat, what would it be?
E: Bright blue paint from Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech to add flair to their surroundings!
S: A jar Sione of lavender lotion from mother and writer Kyra (Modern Feminity and Motherhood).
Eunice Moyle and Sabrina Moyle are the illustrator-writer sister team behind Hello!Lucky, a creative studio based in San Francisco, CA that makes positive, pun-derful products for the young and young-at-heart, including letterpress greeting cards, best-selling children’s books, and children’s puzzles and games.
Eunice and Sabrina founded Hello!Lucky in 2003 in Eunice’s garage. After over a decade as a letterpress greeting card brand, in 2015 they became a creative studio, collaborating with Egg Press MFG, Paperless Post, and others to create and distribute their designs for letterpress cards, e-invitations, kids’ puzzles and games, and more. Their children’s books, published by Abrams Appleseed, Workman Publishing, and Quarto Books, have sold over 2 million copies worldwide and been translated into eight languages.
Nebula Notebook is a place to meet kindred spirits, get inspired, and learn how to find ease and joy in the creative process—even when life is bananas. 🍌🍌🍌
✏️ PS—The fastest way to grow as a writer is to book a manuscript critique or a creative coaching session with an expert. My clients get agents, sell books, and win awards. They also learn how to enjoy the creative process, so they can keep going when life gets hard. 👏
We have SUPER POOPER AND WHIZZ KID: POTTY POWER! in our house and love it! Thank you, Eunice & Sabrina!