My name is Madi, I’m 23, and I’m incredibly passionate about art and literature. I was born and raised in the PNW, and I can’t imagine ever leaving. My childhood involved lots of arts and crafts, fantasy games, dirt-biking, reading, and playing in my grandparent’s apple orchard with my brother. I always had a new creative/business pursuit. As a child I started a started an arts and crafts summer class for my little cousins, wrote and sold neighborhood newsletters, filmed and edited home movies on my iPod touch, and “sold” drawing commissions to my classmates in exchange for snacks from their lunchbox. I don’t think anyone who knew me would be surprised if you told them I would one day start a business redesigning book covers.

When I got to my teenage years, I struggled with finding a purpose or direction for my life. I suffered mental health issues during my late teenage and early adult years that altered my life’s direction in ways I wasn’t prepared for. Painting and reading were the things that grounded me, and creating art to put out into the world was the only way I felt truly fulfilled. This is not a story that’s uncommon — so many of us have experienced that hopelessness and lack of motivation, and I feel very fortunate to have found a passion that makes it all feel worth it.

Nonetheless, I had always dismissed art/creative fields as something that would be impossible to be able to make a living from. I had done silly little commissions for friends and family, and even once sold at a local market, but it never took off for me, probably due to my lack of formal training and education. And in the state of our current economy, it’s hard to find the time and money to pursue hobbies and passions or do anything except work. When I met my husband in 2023, he encouraged me to spend more time on my creative hobbies, even though it was hard for me to find the energy while constantly working. He told me that his favorite memory of me is when he saw me sell my work at the local market. He said that he has never seen me smile more than when I was showing off and selling the things that I’ve created. I had always known I loved creating, but that was what made me 100% sure that creating was what I am meant to do with my life.

Since then, I’ve done everything I can to spend time creating, even when I’m tired or busy or unmotivated. I started binding books little by little during the summer of 2025, and I was able to pick it up more after September passed and all the wedding planning was over. By November, I was gaining a following on social media (which was a huge learning curve—I still struggle with posting consistently), and I decided to pour all the time I had into practicing, and all the money I had into buying equipment. By 2026, I had officially started my LLC. Designing and building beautiful books with classical art for you all has made these last few months some of the best of my life and given me a real sense of fulfillment.

My dream is to be able to expand my business and do this full-time rather than balancing it with my 9-5 job. One day I would like to paint my own art for my book covers. I’d love to collaborate with other artists, sell at markets, and make a real name for myself. Even if it’s not possible yet, I feel very grateful to be able to do it at all.

My favorite book genres are fantasy, folklore, and historical romance. Some of my favorite books include The Everlasting, Daughter of the Forest, One Dark Window, The Knight and the Moth, Half a Soul, and the Throne of Glass series. I have always wanted to have a big library, and own books that can be passed down to my future children. Nothing makes me happier than a beautiful new book to display on my bookshelf. And it makes me so happy to provide them for you all, as well as provide you with the tools and materials to try out the hobby for yourselves.

Thank you for checking out my website, and feel free to reach out to me with any questions about my processes.

Follow me on my social media pages for updates, giveaways, and tutorials:

Tiktok: @madikistler

Instagram: @madiscraftsnbinds