meet ngaio parr, the artist behind the 2023 frankie diary
How Ngaio stays organised and the inspiration behind her lovely diary illustrations.
Hey Ngaio, tell us a bit about yourself. Hi! My name is Ngaio (you say it nigh-oh) and I’m a creative director, artist and author living and working in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. I run my own independent studio where I work on books and publications, branding and identity, museum and gallery projects, and spaces.
I love hanging out with my husband and our blind Boston terrier, Iggy Pup, finding treasures at estate sales and throwing dinner parties in our backyard.
What inspired your illustrations in the 2023 frankie diary? I wanted to create something different to previous editions, and use representational items to conjure the seasons. I started with messy mind maps of everything that I loved about each season and themes and groups started to pop up! For some of the items, like the boots or sweaters, it was also fun to draw the versions of these I wish I owned.
The diary is themed around Australia’s seasons. What’s your favourite season and why? Summer, hands down! I’m a real beach baby, all the best fruits and veggies are in season, thunderstorms in the afternoon, and fun holidays built in. I miss Australian summer!
How do you like to use a paper diary/planner? Are you a neat freak kind of planner? I am true-believer in lists! If I don’t have it on one of my many lists, it’s not going to happen. I always start our neat and ordered, and then the page ends up looking like an abstract artwork by the end with scribbles and notes not even I can decipher! 
What’s your number one tip for staying organised? My number one tip is to have all your lists and tasks – but then prioritising only two or three tasks each day. Limiting your focus keeps you organised and gets things done!
What’s your favourite illustration/pattern from the diary? They are all my favourites! I love the mixed one with a bit of everything, but if I had to choose I think the boots pattern is my true fave – mostly because I wish I owned those cowboy boots.
See more from Ngaio on her website and Instagram. Take a peek inside the 2023 frankie diary and calendar, nab them from the frankie shop, or pick them up from one of our lovely stockists.
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