georgia norton lodge – georgia draws a house

Sydney, NSW

In February 2019, my little business, Georgia Draws A House, went from side hustle to full-time gig, after I took a very un-Georgia leap of faith. It’s just over a year now and I’m very proud of what I’ve created.

Georgia Draws A House is an illustration business: people send me their address or a photo of their house and in return, I draw it for them. Last year I drew 500+ houses! It started when my sister wrote her first book and I leaped at the opportunity to design the cover. Little did I know, the publisher would request it be hand-drawn. I didn't fancy myself an illustrator, freaked out, then took a breath and picked up a pen.

As the stories are based in the neighbourhood we grew up in, I started by drawing what I could see – the buildings and houses. When I drew my family home, I realised it was pretty cute. My mum loved it, and after tearing up, she grabbed it off me and put it in the Greekest, goldest frame she could find. Mum's friend saw it in the hallway and had to have one of her home done. And so did her friend. And her friend's cousin. And just like that, GDAH was born.

Though it began as a bit of pocket money, I dreamt of GDAH being something more. One day, I planned some guerrilla marketing: I grabbed a spray can and drew a huge mural of my family home on my family home! The neighbourhood loved it! The selfies began, and not long after the SMH printed an article in the Sunday paper. My phone went off, I got hundreds of orders and I quit my job the next day.

Now I'm here, with my intern, still drawing the same houses, plus hosting drawing workshops and creating kids’ books. But it's not just pocket money anymore – this little business of mine now turns over $100K per year.

georgiadrawsahouse.com