For the Art, Literature, and the Law issue, we wanted to highlight the creative side of our HCBA members. View the gallery below:
Click the information (i) link to learn more.
Meet the Artists
Madeline “Maddy” Buck is always exploring how art and illustration can make legal communication less intimidating and more accessible. In addition to drawing on her walls and making whimsical art, she distills legal or other complex topics into illustrations or comics. By day, she works in international health and safety for the University of Minnesota. She shares her creative projects at www.maddybuck.com.
What inspired you to take on a creative hobby?
My regular art practice started as a reaction to the formality of being a lawyer. I found some balance by making things that felt the complete opposite of law: they were wonky, colorful, silly, and involved no rules. Around this time, I also began exploring how drawing, comics, and illustration could be used to explain or reinforce legal concepts. Taking time to be creative every day is ultimately a mental health strategy for me.
How does having a creative outlet help you in your law career? I’ve been told that my ability to “speak art and law” is consistent with my ability to think differently. I’m a creative person, I like trying new things, and I’m always wondering “why are we doing it this way?” I have also found that being able to draw and explain law visually (even when the visual is super simple) is rarely asked for, but almost always considered helpful.
I’ve been told that my ability to “speak art and law” is consistent with my ability to think differently. I’m a creative person, I like trying new things, and I’m always wondering “why are we doing it this way?” I have also found that being able to draw and explain law visually (even when the visual is super simple) is rarely asked for, but almost always considered helpful.
Paul Floyd is an attorney at Wallen-Friedman & Floyd. He served as HCBA President in 2016-17, and currently serves as treasurer for the Minnesota State Bar Association.
How does having a creative outlet help you in your law career? There is a strong element of control in brief writing and transactional drafting. With watercolors you do not totally control the medium as much as you allow the medium to surprise you. I once painted a scene only to turn it upside down and realize that it looked so much better reversed. It is my subconscious at work. Surprises in watercolors are a good thing. Surprises in the law are rarely, if ever, a good thing.
What advice/tips do you have for other attorneys looking to take on a creative hobby? Starting small is fine. For me, I started with travel journals and worked up to larger pieces. Enjoy experimenting to find your own unique style. This applies to photography, watercolors, sculpture, and other artistic media. It is a skill that is honed as well as an art that is created. Finally, be open to learning and being taught by other artists. Friendships are developed by sharing a love of the art and media.
Maggie Forsell Cayard graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2019. Previously, she worked as a law clerk for the Hon. Theodora Gaїtas, and she now clerks for the Hon. Laura Thomas.
How does having a creative outlet help you in your law career? Painting greeting cards helps me to unwind after a busy week in the office. Making and sending cards also keeps me connected to friends and family—especially during a pandemic.
What artist or author inspires you? Mary Jo Milbrandt. She is a local artist from my hometown that captures beautiful images through watercolors.
Stephanie Chen is an associate attorney at Robins Kaplan in the firm’s business litigation practice. She has experience in complex civil litigation in the technology, financial, agriculture, and healthcare industries. Chen also maintains an active pro bono practice representing entrepreneurs, artists, and youths in foster care.
What inspired you to take on a creative hobby? My creative hobby is fine art (painting and drawing) and graphic design. I’ve been an artist since before I became (or even thought I would become) a lawyer—my mom and her side of the family are all talented artists, so I naturally was interested as a child and tried to copy them. I took some art classes in high school and got into art programs and scholarships for college, although my parents pretty strongly encouraged me to pursue other career paths. I took up a graphic design minor in college as a “compromise” with my parents and have kept up an interest since.
What advice/tips do you have for other attorneys looking to take on a creative hobby? It’s helpful to not be so goal- and objective-oriented when taking on a creative hobby. At least in my experience, I feel like as an attorney, it’s easy to get sucked into the mindset of wanting to complete a concrete project with a particular objective and expect a particular outcome. That does not always work well for creative hobbies and defeats the purpose of being creative and having a hobby.
Kyle Kroll is an attorney at Winthrop & Weinstine in Minneapolis. His practice includes business, intellectual property, and class action litigation in state and federal courts, at the trial and appellate levels. His work is an acrylic painting inspired by an arbitration trial he had with Bob Weinstine.
What inspired you to take on a creative hobby? I started painting when I had my first winter break in college. Since then, it has turned into a fun challenge, and I enjoy sharing the art with others.
How does having a creative outlet help you in your law career? The art-making process is a great way to open your mind to different ways of communicating a message.
Ayah Helmy works as counsel for Bright Health and teaches at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the University of Minnesota. She formerly worked in private practice and as an assistant Ramsey County attorney, advising and litigating on behalf of county agencies.
How does having a creative outlet help you in your law career? Drawing is my meditation. I’ve worked out cases while sketching; I’ve listened to hours-long witness interviews while painting or drawing. Having this creative outlet helps me clear my mind and lets ideas find a new place to settle that’s been cleared of the cobwebs of the day. I also think that the practice of trial and error in art has taught me to be a better, more agile lawyer.
What artist or author inspires you? Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is one of my favorites. He is one of the most brilliant artists of our time and his art is incredibly responsive to the global struggle for justice and human rights.
Casey Matthiesen was adopted and raised on a farm in southwestern Minnesota. She is the third enrolled member in the history of the Yankton Sioux Tribe to become an attorney. Matthiesen’s passion is telling her client’s stories. As part of her art background, Matthiesen studied Art & Italian language at Florence University of the Arts in Florence, Italy. Currently Matthiesen practices personal injury, medical malpractice, and American Indian Law & Policy at Robins Kaplan.
What inspired you to take on a creative hobby? I always gravitated toward art class when I was growing up —particularly when I realized how horrible I was at math! I grew up on a farm as an only child, which gave me a lot of time and opportunity to explore hobbies. Channeling my creativity was always a way for me to express myself and my ideas.
How does having a creative outlet help you in your law career?
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle
Whether applied in the context of my canvas or my performance in a courtroom, Aristotle’s reasoning remains true. Art is a form of expression and the ability to create something out of nothing, which is often what we as lawyers do to achieve great results. I believe that my voice as a lawyer is amplified by my creative skillset because it allows me see perspectives and generate ideas in a different way than others. Having a passion for what you are doing makes all the world’s difference in advocacy.
Vicki Bitner is an attorney with Briol & Benson in Minneapolis, where she practices in the area of commercial and business litigation. She received her B.A. from the University of Minnesota and her J.D. from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she lived and worked for 13 years before returning to her home state to raise a family.
What inspired you to take on a creative hobby? I’m not sure I was inspired so much as passing time on a few cold winter mornings. As Patty Digh wrote, “If you’re alive, you’re creative.” I’ve taken pictures for years, but only recently began experimenting with a telephoto lens. In this case, I was simply watching the birds through our back window. When I reviewed the photos, I was mesmerized by the detail—their plumage, their expressions, their agility. I was hooked.
What advice/tips do you have for other attorneys looking to take on a creative hobby? It can be fun to lose yourself in something you enjoy. Most attorneys I know are very creative. They are writers at heart and appreciate perfection. Just try your perfectionist hand at a different medium. Who knows?
Mehek Masood works in the Community Prosecution Division of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. Prior to joining the office, she clerked for the Hon. Fred Karasov, the Hon. Paul Scoggin, and the Hon. Tamara Garcia. She graduated from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in December 2018.
What inspired you to take on a creative hobby? I always loved arts and crafts as a child, and it provides a great escape for stress relief.
What advice/tips do you have for other attorneys looking to take on a creative hobby? My advice for attorneys would be to find a medium that works for them, and just give it a try. We aren’t all trying to be Picasso—I certainly am not! Just taking a paint brush, or clay, or even play dough and think of it as more of a journey, rather than a destination.