September 22, 2016
My Favourite Colour Studio
Maker Spotlight
Artists Franky + Annie Scaglione established My Favourite Colour Studio to celebrate their greatest pastimes. From baseball, to camping in the Colorado Rockies, to the fuzzy summer colors in analog film, MFC Studio tries to capture the special moments of their heritage in their art.
Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?
My Favourite Colour Studio is a husband-wife team of artists. Before we were MFC Studio, we were independent artists doing our own things, but we were both a bit stuck… seeking that missing piece of the puzzle. When we first started dating, we would say to each other, “you’re my favourite colour.” That somehow became the moniker that describes the missing piece we were both searching for. Most people can relate to finding a favourite colour or favourite place or favourite food…for whatever reason, it just makes us happy. We are obsessed with colour and figure it is worth celebrating!
Have you always been passionate about design?
Yes, we have always been passionate about design! Since we were little kiddo artists, we both loved creating and have always been inspired by colour and design fundamentals. Whether, it was the monthly baseball magazine Franky authored and illustrated, or the hand-painted cards Annie would create and sell to her family, we have been driven by design. We’ve spent years honing in on design, yet find ourselves perpetually inspired to explore more and open to an ever-changing lens through which we see the world.
Why did you start working in this particular craft?
The journey started early. For Annie, it was when she was three, and her mom gave her a pair of scissors to cut and collage. For Franky, it began at his Nana and Papa’s house, who were both artists and would take time to share their love of art with their grandkids. Our goal is to never forget that feeling we had as kids, learning and discovering ways to express ourselves through art… that joy that comes from the process and simply being in the moment. Even though it’ll never be as easy as when we were kids, we strive to keep that thrill alive and well. It helps having a little one (we have an eighteen-month old son) to share this love with. We like to honour the classics of our childhood and of our travels. We love the notion of pastimes and capturing nostalgia. Ultimately, we hope to create stories that others can connect to. We want to move people into a familiar and comforting place, reminding them of their family road trips as a kid, or hot summer days spent at the ballpark, and trigger some sort of emotional response and memory to times that are now past. Because, man, those moments are super special and we never want to lose them!
Have you had any major failures? If so, what were some important insights gained?
We have had plenty of failures, as artists, as humans. When we started MFC Studio in 2013, we were making completely different things than we are today. It has helped us get to where we are today though… so it’s all very relevant, it’s all very good for us. We learn from our mistakes everyday, and the experience helps us direct our energy and our time. We are learning to be more patient with ourselves. Learning we can only do what is humanly possible has been a struggle, and maybe something we fail to acknowledge at times as MFC Studio grows. We always seem to be racing the hours in a day and burning the candle at both ends… working well into the night/morning, only to wake up at 5:44am to get the baby ready for daycare and head to the old schoolhouse to teach high schoolers what we know about making art. It’s kind of comical; but in the end, we want our students to see our joy for making along with how hard we work, because both are important. We remind ourselves daily that art-making is a process. Our process is very slow and tedious, but we take our time because that helps us take it all in and accept we are human, after all. The failure, the struggle, the challenge makes us feel alive and we wouldn’t be content if we weren’t busy making something with our hands. We’d be pining away and wishing we were doing something creative. Even if what we make is a flop, or no one is interested in looking at it, the process is still valuable and good for our souls.
Have you sacrificed anything to create your business?
Of course. We sacrifice lots and lots of time and sleep. We don’t have any regrets; we know that this venture is life-giving, nurturing, and what we have to do to feel complete. We just keep trying to balance our art studio, teaching, and raising a wild little dude of our own.
What has been your proudest moment since creating your business?
Our most recent exhibition, Right to Roam, brought us an incredible sense of accomplishment. Not only were we pleased with the end results: the finished pieces and the curated gallery space, etc., but we found success in the journey. Again, it was about the process for us. It felt good to pour ourselves into this particular body of work, hours and hours and hours… with meaning and heart driving our pace. We created this body of work at a very sensitive time emotionally for our family and somehow we were still able to do it in the midst of deep loss. We are excited to share this collection in its many facets and products at Renegade Craft Fair!
What valuable experience did you have before starting your business?
We are teachers, and that has taught us how to work with people of all ages. Combined, we have taught ages 1-85 years old and every age in between (we both think middle school is the toughest). Guiding others in the art-making process has really caused us both to unearth why we love to make art in the first place, and how to help cultivate this same passion in others. How to share this in an inspiring and motivating way, in the public school setting, with limited resources has taught us courage, endurance, strength and not to give up easily. We love working with people… and, honestly, the more complicated and tricky the better, because art is for everyone! For us, the personal connection we make with people is what helps us get up in the morning. It moves us forward and gives us purpose in our day-to-day.
What made you take this leap into being your own boss?
The feeling of not doing anything was far worse than at least giving it a try and failing.
What are some inspirations for your work?
People. Play. Travel. Colours. Baseball. The list goes on. It could be the sights, sounds, smells, food, and energy of a place. Whether we’re sitting in the cheap seats at the ballpark, or at a café in New Orleans, or watching the highway blur by the window on our drive to Denali National Park, it all feeds our inspiration. We take photos and fill sketchbooks everywhere we go, and at some point, all the ideas seep into our conscious and find their way into our work — into the stories we tell.
What are some tips or suggestions you’d like to offer to fellow makers?
Keep doing your thing, because you all inspire us!
