melissa wood: artist, illustrator & creative force behind m wood pen 

Melissa Wood is a graduate of Cornell College in Iowa, where she majored in English Literature, Art, and History. With no set career path in mind, she pursued the subjects that brought her joy. One passion stood out: Hollywood — specifically, the world behind the camera. After sending a bold pitch letter to NBC, the then-president responded, “That girl is going places.” It was the encouragement she needed to follow her creative instincts.

In 1982, armed with a Liberal Arts degree that didn’t exactly dazzle headhunters, Melissa took a hands-on job operating a vintage Heidelberg letterpress. Countless typewritten resumes to media outlets led to few bites, so she pivoted to grad school. Studying at The School of the Art Institute and Harrington College of Design, she gained the skills to land a role in Architecture, Design & Space Planning.

Not long after, life rerouted her again: marriage and motherhood sparked a creative homegrown business when Melissa designed her first child’s birth announcement. The response was overwhelming — and a stationery business was born. Long before the internet, Melissa’s boxed notecards gained national attention, appearing in House & Garden, Town & Country, InStyle, The L.A. Times, Bride’s, and O Magazine.

Hand-assembled in her light-filled basement studio with help from neighborhood moms and her children — Noel, Hallie, and Corey — the whimsical stationery line flourished. Her children became essential collaborators, assisting in everything from logistics to art direction. Melissa’s clients ranged from boutique stationery stores to major retailers like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus Direct — and even included Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony winners. The ultimate honor? In 1999, M Wood Studio notecards were named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things. (Yes, there’s a Harpo Studios taping story — but don’t ask!)

After 18 years, Melissa shifted her focus from packing boxes to licensing her artwork. Her hand-drawn illustrations have graced products for brands like Crate & Barrel, Garnet Hill, Baker Furniture, Crane & Co., Trader Joe’s, Recycled Paper Greetings, and Sperry Top-Siders — a nod to her love of The Official Preppy Handbook. Her lively blog and sketch-filled social media presence caught the attention of a book editor, launching her into the world of publishing. Melissa has illustrated several books, including The Architecture of the Cocktail, The Architecture of the Shot, and the Citysketch series (New York, Paris, London), as well as Ms. American Pie and The Art of Being Bill. A highlight? Spotting her books on the shelves of Shakespeare & Co. in Paris.

In 2018, she joined Chicago-based hospitality group Hogsalt as an in-house illustrator, where she sharpened her skills in food and drink illustration, creating original artwork for menus, framed pieces, and created exterior renderings of all Hogsalt restaurants. In winter 2022, Melissa took on an ambitious project: drafting precise architectural “sections’ of Baccarat crystal glassware for the elaborate cocktail menu at The Baccarat Bar at Harrods, London. Collaborating remotely with creatives across the UK, Netherlands, and France was a thrilling — and time-zone-tangled — experience.

Despite a persistent case of wanderlust, Melissa has always called Chicago home. She thrives on road trips, foreign films, vintage finds, friendly feasts, sketchbooks, stacks of novels, and all things European. Her greatest joy is still pen on paper — and her greatest collaborators remain her children.

Now approaching her 35th year in business, Melissa is rebranding once again. She’s assembling a dream team to expand her line of illustrated goods, collaborating with global brands and retailers to bring her signature whimsy to new audiences.

Her path has been anything but linear — but it’s been rich with creativity, connection, and unexpected delight.