It is not everyday that you see a nun sipping from a martini glass, taking a ride on a motorcycle, or shopping like it’s going out of style. However, designer Jill Seale has decided to break the mold to incorporate these party girl nuns into her new line of products, Nuns for the Road®.
You’ve seen them on everything, from towels to potholders to cocktail napkins – nuns. These are nuns that like to have fun. Sisters Mary Margarita, Mary Merlot, and Mary Manhattan are just a few of the humorous characters created by Ms. Seale herself. Her comedic and good-natured take on life radiates through this line of products. Within the last decade, Seale’s designs have become all the rage with her many creations replicated on thousands of products.
Why have one career when you can have 45 dozen?
One of Jill Seale's many designs for Nun For the Road®
As a mother, a wife, a dog rescuer, and now a designer, Seale does it all. Nothing holds this woman back, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Jane of all trades.” When she isn’t at home with her family, Seale acts as a coach for artists, teaching them about licensing. She even performs design work for fundraisers, and to top it all off, runs marathons and travels to promote her own products. Just this past Spring our It Girl released her very first book entitled, “Stark Raving Motherhood,” where Seale makes us look at Motherhood in a hilarious new light.
This fabulously funny and intelligent woman has landed in Holly Pinafore’s It Girl section because of her ability to do it all without forgetting to laugh at the end of the day.
It was at a very early age that the young Jill Seale discovered her artistic talents. Taking her artwork to a whole new level after college, the aspiring designer pursued a career in graphic design in Washington DC. After starting a family, Seale pulled away from her everyday graphic design work to focus on a select few of her clients. This is when she was able to create her original series, Nun for the Road®.
Speaking from her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, Seale gave all of us at Holly Pinafore valuable business advice. She said, “If you want to make a business from what you love, you’ve got to learn how to run a business.” Her advice to all of the up-and-coming artists is to seek business training. Stating, “There’s no reason your passion can’t be also financially rewarding. I remember my brother saying, ‘What’s the worst that can happen? You fall flat on your face and go get another job.” This is an extremely important advice for anyone who is discouraged in his or her field of work.
For Seale, this gave her the courage to strike out on her own and to ultimately do what she considers part of her mission: To be a part of the up-lifting process, stating, “Whether it’s humor in products and fundraising, or encouraging others, like with the coaching,” her aim is to always uplift the spirit.
Her motto: “Bring your best, original self and bring it with a LOT of energy. If you are driven to do something that’s really a passion, find your original voice.”
And now, three questions for Jill Seale:
How would you describe yourself?
“Light-hearted, passionate about people feeling good. When you feel good, you do better. Happy. I just want world peace, that’s all.”
What is your favorite city, and why?
New York because it’s a creative explosion, same with London and Paris…I Love Rome because it’s the origin of everything. That’s the closest I’ve ever felt to pure art. I don’t even dream the same since I’ve been there. Of course I love Charlotte, because it’s a great place to raise a family and I’ve met lifelong friends.
Favorite drink?
I like the sound of a Campari and soda, but don’t like the taste of it. I keep trying it, but it’s still bitter. I love club soda with lemon. I’m embarrassed to say I love a wine spritzer; it’s got a little effervescence to it, a little visit with wine.
With that conspiratorial wink and a paintbrush in hand, Jill Seale does for us what the club soda does for wine – She gives a little bubbly to our days
