As I was creating each card, I kept in mind what my client wanted for each card to mean and to look like.

Though I do not have a favorite card (since all of them are special!), I would like to share Magick, Beginning, Relax, Grounded, and Harmony here to show that creating them had made me realize something: Magick because of being amazed with how the colors jived together upon working on it; Beginning because of how light and noticing the texture and surface of objects can affect how realistic illustrated food can look like; Relax because when I am focused too much on work, I forget to breathe; Grounded because most of the time, my head is in the clouds thinking of stories to write and while looking at our planet in this illustration, I can’t help but be in awe of our common home; and Harmony because of how a slight tilt or unaligned elements in the piano can ruin perspective.

This was definitely one magical project with Ms. Marigold Uy, and I felt like it was a marathon because of the number of cards to be done. Before, during, and after, it was a big learning experience in art and in finding our own inner magic.

As Roald Dahl said, “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”