Jesse’s fascination with maps began in 1990, at age six, when he helped navigate a cross-country move. That same year, he started writing letters, at the behest of his grandmother, who instilled in him the importance of the handwritten thank you note for gifts received. Through years of letter writing, he practiced different styles of calligraphy, while geography held the top spot among his favorite school subjects. It was not until 2012 these two loves collided, and the idea to draw calligraphy maps was born. Jesse began selling maps full time in 2014 at festivals around the country. He has sold maps at events in 30 states, and has earned online customers from all 50 states and two dozen countries.
In addition to geography, Jesse is inspired by history (particularly Christian history and American history), and poetry, especially the English Romantics. He is enthralled by lists: lists of facts and lists of favorites. Aside from pleasantries, the question he is most likely to ask a customer is, “What is your favorite...?” Besides a list of his favorite maps, Jesse has made lists of his Top 15 favorite flags (both countries and states), Top 100 films (94 of which are black and white), and Top 333 English words (100 was too small a number).
The handwritten letter is still his favorite method of communication; he writes over 100 letters per year, and draws just as many maps. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife, horses, chickens, parrots, canaries, turtles, and tortoises.
