We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erica Catherine Fulp. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erica Catherine below.

Erica Catherine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Being an artist and owning your own business is never without bumps in the road. You have the distinct challenge of not only making every decision for your business but also making sure you feel grounded in your choices for your creative work. After all, that is the heart and soul of your business. I ran my business part time alongside other jobs for a few years when I first started. It was a nice way to develop my business without the major pressure of having to have it succeed.

The last few years have been a pivotal time in transitioning to working on my business full time. Those first few years of running my business in a full time capacity were really difficult. I found myself often wondering if it was worth it to spend all this time and energy or should I just go get a “regular job.” Since then, I have continued to grow my artwork and business and that thought comes up less and less. If that thought crosses my mind now I just remember that I get to do something I am passionate about every day and the doubt fades away.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia and graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration. After I graduated I opened Erica Catherine Illustration as a way to combine my two passions, a love for drawing and love for unique products.

My artwork is created using a mixture of graphite pencil with light layers of watercolor over the top to create the vintage and ethereal inspired designs that hark back to turn of the century botanical illustration. After my illustrations are created, they are then applied to everyday products such as cards, prints, and even wearable art like scarves and clothing. Each of my products is meant to make every occasion or a special gift exactly that; one of a kind and truly beautiful.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

When I first started creating products as a place to showcase my illustrations every part was designed, produced, and packaged by me. I printed each card and each print, and sewed scarves from fabric I designed. You name it and it came across my desk. As my business grew it became apparent that production had to take a back seat to my drawing work.

As things grow and change in my business I still aim to keep products as local as possible with an eye on quality. It’s important to me that my designs and products are cherished for a long time. Being mindful from start to finish about the standards of my business and reputation of my production partners has been key to growth. It was very bittersweet to start letting the production move offsite but has been really rewarding and allowed me additional time to work on new projects that I didn’t have as much time for previously.

At this time I work with production partners locally in Savannah, as well others across the US. The fine art prints are the only products that are now being produced in my studio. The change from production in-house to offsite has been trial and error but the key has been finding a company I trust and moving forward.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I started my business a year after my graduation from Savannah College of Art and Design and ran it as a side hustle for years. I worked other part time jobs, taught art lessons, and ran my business in the time between. In 2020 like many others, my “normal” job that I loved hit a slow spot. During the two months of downtime at home I built my own website to change my focus on finding ways to grow the business. I was lucky to be able to still pick up some shifts at my previous job but my time spent between the two switched to being more of my own business.

In summer of 2020, I was offered a display space at a local co-op gallery in a bustling part of downtown Savannah. Gallery 209 is a long-lived gallery here right in the heart of downtown on Riverstreet. It was a big step for me and required lots of commitment from my small business. After consideration and lots of nervousness I jumped in with both feet to the Gallery and became the only under 30 member at the gallery. This seemingly small decision was the biggest change for my business. I wouldn’t have known it in 2020, but the decision to work harder on my business and join the gallery would continue to open doors and prove to myself that I could continue to grow my art career.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ericacatherineillustration.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ericacatherineillustration
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ericacatherineillustration
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyWgMKJa0hgIgxI3-R5Yrqg
• Other: www.pinterest.com/ericacatherineillustration

Image Credits
Two Souls Free Jeanna Hayes Photography