We were lucky to catch up with Amanda Salvato recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I had just given birth to my first son and I was working part time at a local bank. I loved my coworkers and I felt obligated to go back after my maternity leave. After leaving my son in the morning, I cried all the way to work most days and that is when I knew something needed to change. I have always loved art since I was a child, so I started exploring my options because I knew a creative career would suit me. I started an Etsy and dipped my toes in the professional creative world. After that my business evolved and I was hooked. With my husband as the main bread-winner, I was able to step back from my bank job, and move into a creative role while being a full time at-home parent.

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 am first and foremost a mother. That role has been the most important thing to me and will always be what comes first. That being said, my business truly evolved out of a desire to fill that role. They always say ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ and so it was for me and my business. We had no money at the time that I started my business. I was making cards from antique postcards that I would find around town, but there was not a market for what I was creating. To be honest, I didn’t even love my own products! I starting pouring over stacks of library books to find something else to add to my little online shop because I knew if I was going to make money, something had to change. I happened on stamp carving in a craft book, and I thought what the heck? I should try this and add it to my website as another little section for customers to see when they go on to see my cards. My beginning stamps were rough. VERY ROUGH. Well my cards must have been as bad as I thought because the stamps were the only thing that started to sell! I quickly adjusted, threw out the postcards, and started putting all my effort into my stamps. I tried new types of rubber and different carving tools every time I could afford them, and I started learning to use the wood saws and sanders in my dad’s garage. (Boy was he a patient man letting me in there!)

While I still love hand carving rubber and wood working, I am also able to offer laser carved stamps. The laser provides very precise carving that is not always achievable with hand carving. I like to think my stamp shop has the best of both worlds with the old and new carving styles.

I love the fact that my business is small enough that every piece that is ordered still goes through my hands. I make each piece with raw materials in a healthy, happy environment right here in Texas. That is becoming more rare these days.

I want my customers and future customers to know just how much our family appreciates you. There are a lot of places you can order a stamp. I mean a simple internet search would land you on just about a million websites. As a consumer, I like knowing where my money is going and who is getting that money. I know my customers feel the same. It feels good to provide a creative gift that I know will serve you, your family, and your business for years to come, while simultaneously putting food on our table. I love being partners with my customers in that way.

In your view, what can society do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best way to support creatives is to just stay connected. Eventually that creative is going to make something you need or want but they need the chance for you to even see their products. Keep your eyes open and think small when you need to buy something. It may not be possible every purchase, but surely several times of the year you will think of ways to shop from various makers.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is having the freedom to use my mind however I want. In a corporate setting obviously you have certain tasks that you need to do repeatedly, and those tasks are chosen by someone else. I like being in control of what I am thinking about all day and using my creativity to mold the direction my shop takes.

Contact Info:

• Website: paperafternoon.com
• Instagram: paper_afternoon
• Other: [email protected]