Art, Books & New Beginnings
Hi, I’m Gigi. Before beginning this creative journey, I worked as an architect in Nicaragua for nearly two decades. But art was always part of my life. No matter how busy things became, I continued finding time to draw, paint, and explore different ways of creating.
In 2021, my family and I moved to Montreal and began building a new life in a new country, with a new language and completely different seasons. It was a time of change, starting over, and slowly discovering what I wanted the next chapter of my life to become.
Not long after, a friend asked me to illustrate a children’s story. I decided to illustrate it digitally, even though I had never worked with digital art before. I began experimenting with Procreate and teaching myself along the way. That experience reminded me how much I loved telling stories through images and helped me realize that this was a path I wanted to pursue.
My daughter, Isa, has always been the biggest book lover in our family. After years of listening to her talk about the books, characters, and stories she loved, I began creating bookish designs inspired by that world. In 2022, I opened my Etsy shop, and two years later, I created my own store: The Bookish Soul. What began with her love of books gave me a new way to share my art with other readers.
The Butterfly Mail is the next chapter of our creative story and the first project my daughter Isa and I are building together. It brings together my love for art with her love for words. I create the artwork, while Isa contributes her own letter and imagination to each issue.
Together, we are creating something slower and more personal—real mail made thoughtfully, with art and words to hold, enjoy, and return to whenever you need a small pause in your day.