Hi, I’m Jane Miskokomon, thanks for stopping by!

Growing up with two very creative and entrepreneurial parents, I learned early on the value of original thinking, hard work, and ingenuity. My mom could seemingly make something out of nothing, and she was often redecorating. When my dad, a musician, left for a musical gig, it wasn’t unusual for the paintbrushes and wallpaper to magically appear almost before he left the driveway! I loved being part of the decorating fun, and I guess the thrill of watching rooms transform before my eyes never left me.

Creating and imagining started pretty early for me. As a kid, I was forever dreaming something up: hosting lemonade stands, selling my art for quarters, or organizing parades, costume parties, craft activities, and play days with the neighbourhood kids.

My imagination occasionally got me into trouble too. In Grade Three, I remember indignantly being sent to the principal’s office because I was far more interested in embellishing my plain white running shoes with markers than completing my spelling assignment. Apparently, even then, a blank white surface was just too tempting!

As I grew, curiosity and creativity remained constant threads in my life. I loved my 12 years as an educational assistant working with kids, and a Creative Kids Club I dreamed of grew to hundreds of children. There was nothing quite like seeing the pride and wonder on a child’s face when they realized they had made something truly special.

My art evolved over the years into hand-painted clothing and home décor pieces, unique handcrafted jewellery and wire sculptures. People began asking where I found something I was wearing, and before long, “Could you make one for me?” naturally grew into a business, selling my work at home parties and craft shows, and through stores. Making and selling my art continues to be a joyful part of my life today, including the Heritage Wall collages I create as part of my Legacy Suite work and for families wishing to honour someone they love.

My love of making things has always gone hand in hand with encouraging others to create too. Teaching community classes in art, crafts and design, giving presentations at local clubs and home shows, and volunteering with both kids and aging adults have all been part of that. I especially love working with people who begin with, “I’m not creative. I could never do that,” and watching that belief change as they discover what they’re capable of making themselves.

After more than 28 years of joyfully creating design projects across Canada, it still amazes and thrills me to no end what can happen when we begin with who we are (our stories, what matters to us and what we love), then allow the design to become an expression of that.

My greatest professional reward is hearing a client say, “This is me, in the best way possible,” seeing a music lover begin playing a piano they haven’t touched in years, or learning that a once-unused room has become a favourite place to be. These are the powerful little moments that continue to delight and inspire me, and make me hope I’ll have the privilege and joy of doing this for many years to come.

Cheers, Jane