I’m incredibly grateful that my illustration 'My Happy Place' was chosen to feature on the cover of JUNO’s 100th issue. It means so much to me that this particular piece resonated with JUNO’s team, as it’s one of the very few illustrations I managed to complete in 2025.
My second daughter was born in early February of 2025, and life quickly became a whirlwind of happiness, work and chronic sleep deprivation. Unsurprisingly, my creativity, and the time and headspace to sit down at my desk and draw, took a significant hit. Each week I promised myself that this would be the week I made space for creativity, yet most weeks were just as full as the last, and drawing kept slipping through the cracks.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, my tiny newborn became a chunky baby, while her big sister started school. I felt a growing, almost desperate urge to slow time down - to hold on to the laughter and the tenderness of our quiet embraces as we found our new rhythm together. 'My Happy Place' grew out of that feeling. It stands as a testament to that precious first year with both of my girls: a time when everything moved far too quickly, yet our love for one another deepened and bloomed in the most beautiful way.
Although I wasn’t able to create as much as I once did, it feels incredibly meaningful that this single illustration was chosen to mark such a milestone for JUNO. Knowing that its story came through to the editorial team, and that it’s now in the hands of families who may be navigating similar emotions and experiences, means the world to me. I hope this piece brings a moment of happiness, a sense of tenderness, and an invitation to slow down amid the beautiful chaos that parenthood so often brings.
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Morgane Chinal-Dargent is a French freelance illustrator based in Brighton, and the founder of Nagaremono Studio. She launched the project in 2020, while navigating her first postpartum experience during the Covid pandemic, using illustration as a way to process, document, and give meaning to early motherhood. Her work is inspired by scenes from everyday family life as a mother of two, as well as by the quiet strength, resilience, and beauty she observes in women and mothers around her. Through Nagaremono Studio, Morgane is committed to making mothers visible, celebrating their lived experiences, and contributing to greater recognition of women's emotional and creative labour. On Instagram @nagaremono_studio
