We were lucky to catch up with Aaryn Nutter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaryn, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

My short answer to this question would be absolutely, yes! Although my personal story shows the journey can be unexpected and more like a winding road at times.

My path was not one of grand design but more of happy accidents. I studied Graphic Design at Cal State Los Angeles and graduated in 2004. I was thinking maybe I could work in the music industry designing album covers (lol). But most of my college friends were fashion students, and once I was ready to graduate my best friend gave me what was probably the best career advice I’ve ever received and told me to check the job listings from the local Apparel News publication. I landed an interview for a graphic artist position at a well known Jr’s fashion company and secured my first big-girl job within a week of my last final exam.

While at that job, I discovered a whole new world I’d never really been exposed to, when agents for print studios would come and dazzle me with their beautiful wares. Eventually I learned how to make a technical repeat in Illustrator and that’s when I realized that textiles, more than apparel graphics, were truly my passion. At the next company I found a position that was only working on prints. It was actually less creative but I was learning so much technically and building a foundation I would rely on for the rest of my career. At times I really hated that job, but the skills I acquired and the people I befriended have paid dividends in the years that followed. In fact a few years later when I opened my own fledgling print studio out of my Los Angeles Apartment – that company was the first to purchase artwork from me.

Without walking you through every job I’ve had, I’ll say the last ten years have been a zig-zag between entrepreneurship and corporate jobs.

After losing my most recent corporate fashion job at the start of the Pandemic in 2020, I decided to pivot back into self-employment with a commitment to making it durable and lasting. And in the 2+ years since creating my business I have seen exponential growth in my income – it’s hugely encouraging, but still not yet totaling my first ever salary from 2004. It truly is like starting over financially, and absolutely none of it would be possible without my husband’s belief in my ability to grow a successful and sustainable business based on my little art brand. Without him holding down the family’s financial obligations I would have had to make different decisions in my career these last two years out of necessity. I can’t sit here and answer this question without acknowledging I am currently in a position of privilege.

To boil down my big personal take-aways, the corporate jobs have been great at advancing my technical skills and exposing me to more cross-functional workings of the business structure, as well as building a varied professional network. Usually somewhat creative but not usually within my comfort zone, forcing me to explore my boundaries and try new things (i.e. what I’m not always good at). In contrast, working for myself has allowed me to align more creatively with my talents and passions, both in my personal work and my collaborations with clients. This is not always easy financially, but it produced a far more impressive portfolio of work than my corporate jobs ever did, but it’s providing a platform for me to connect directly with my customers in a way that none of my other jobs ever did. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t really change a thing.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a fine artist and textile designer with my own lifestyle brand of gifts and art for the home. I also work closely with select fashion and interior clients on textile design and consulting services.

I arrived at this point in my career after 18 years of working as a textile designer, mostly in the Los Angeles apparel design industry. It took me over a decade before I began to see myself as a real artist (honestly I’m still working on this), and even longer before I developed my own consistent personal style. But after discovering the vivid magic of watercolor inks I really began to explore this medium and fell in love with the optimistic surrealism it added to my work.

And I don’t think I would understand that as well as I now do if I didn’t hear customer after customer come into my tent at pop up markets and say that I make “happy art”. Because most of the time I’m not thinking that much when I paint, it’s often an intuitive and therapeutic process free of client parameters and exact repeats. I don’t set out to make happy art, it may just be a fortunate accident of color palette and subject matter through my point of view. To think that I might be able to add a little bit of magic and happiness to someone’s world by creating my most authentic art yet feels very rewarding and purposeful.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I’m thankful to be at a point in my career where I am able to directly connect with my customer, instead of simply being a disconnected part of the supply chain. To sell a painting or even a tea towel and hear the meaningful stories of personal connection is hugely rewarding. To connect with my customers over their stories of love and loss, and how my items remind them of special family memories is a privilege I did not enjoy in any of my previous roles working for other companies.

It feels great to sell your design / intellectual property to a big name company, and it feels great to see a famous actress wearing your print on morning talk show or red carpet. But really those are just nice for my ego. The real prize is being able to be building personal connections and community authentically through art.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I hear people say all the time that they could never do what I do, that they aren’t creative or artistic, or “good at art”. They might not realize that artists have those same doubts and critiques. Perhaps it is not our artistic ability that makes us special, but our being compelled to continue creating despite those doubts and critiques. It’s ok to completely suck. If you enjoy the process you will keep at it and eventually get better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aarynwest.com/
• Instagram: @aarynwest
• Facebook: AarynWestArt
• Linkedin: Aaryn Nutter
• Twitter: @aaryn
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AarynWest