Professional illustrator and designer Jacqueline Schmidt is always ready to put pen to paper. “With so many creative thoughts rolling around in my mind, I have learned to be able to capture and document them as soon as they come in,” she says. Her sense of the moment and knack for blending the urban and natural worlds have led to her work being displayed everywhere from galleries to newspapers and magazines to the stationery company she founded in 2008. But as much as her innate imagination inspires her, motherhood has moved her more. “Having kids has definitely expanded my creative self,” she says. “It’s beautiful. I am grateful to them for opening my heart and mind even further.”