Welcome to the next instalment of our new editorial content series, #HobbiesOverHustle, where we’re encouraging you to pick up or enjoy a hobby just for fun.
Georgia Norton Lodge started Georgia Draws a House from a passion of design and a love of home. What started as a hobby is now her business, and in the time of isolation, she’s helping others learn something new and take pen to paper. This is her story.
I was working full time as a graphic designer when I stumbled across my love of drawing houses. It first started in 2014 when my sister, Zoë Norton Lodge, was writing her first book, Almost Sincerely. It’s a book of short stories based in the suburb we grew up in — Annandale. She needed a cover and given my line of work, I threw my hand up!
I then started drawing neighbourhood houses and buildings and thought to myself, “hold on a minute, these are kind of cute!” I showed some friends and family and they all wanted one. After the 10th or so request I created an Instagram account, @georgiadrawsahouse, made a website and put it out in the world.
This is where Georgia Draws A House began — it’s an illustration business, where people send me their address or a photo of their house, and then I draw it and send it back to them. Think Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, ‘I just bought my first home’ or ‘I sold the family home’ — it’s a celebration of home, family and love in an adorable hand-drawn way.
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Over the last few years, I built up my business using Instagram and started drawing homes for people all around the world. After a lot of hard work and many, many late nights, I quit my graphic design job to focus on Georgia Draws A House. I feel lucky and grateful to be able to do this full time; it’s a real privilege.
While it seems that in the current climate we have more time than ever to pick up the crochet hook or to make your way through that 30-day yoga challenge, I really want to encourage people to try something for fun — no strings attached, no pressure for it to be perfect. So I’ve started hosting virtual drawing classes.
It’s a way to connect with people from different corners of the earth, to share my love for drawing and also offer an escape from the apocalypse. We pick up a pen, do some ridiculous exercises and have a laugh.
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Maybe you want to try something out yourself? Or do a private workshop with some of your friends (and a glass of wine!)? The classes are a place to relax, build some confidence and hopefully learn a thing or two about packing charm and character into your illustrations.
Last week I tried something new myself — I wrote a poem with my Dad. We jumped on Zoom one morning and wrote it together, for a bit of fun. At first I was a bit nervous to put it on Instagram but I’m trying to practice what I preach — ‘it doesn’t have to be perfect’.
I loved the process, loved connecting with my Dad, and now I think writing poems will have a permanent spot on the hobby shelf. The poem features in my new colouring book, ‘Homebound’, a 24-page love letter to house and home.
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Private virtual drawing classes are available to book and there will be some Instagram Live classes too, so keep an eye out for those. My colouring-in book, ‘Homebound’, is also available to order. You can visit my Instagram account @georgiadrawsahouse or my website for more details.
Home means many things for us, it’s family, it’s love, it’s where we grow, learn, eat and tell stories. It’s honestly such a joy to be able to share my passion for home with the world.
Visit GeorgiaDrawsAHouse.com to find out more about virtual drawing classes, and to download a sample of her colouring-in book now.