Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amber Gillian. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Amber thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am extremely happy as a creative/artist. I always felt that a regular job was not for me. I never liked clocking in and out for someone else on their time. I just dreaded a 9-5. I had a few regular jobs from the age of 18 to the time of the pandemic and I wouldn’t change anything. The regular jobs I had gave me that experience and ultimately let me know that it’s not for me. Doing something I love to do and look forward to doing it every day is all I could ever ask for.

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?

Rugrat is a black-owned one-woman, hand-tufting rug business founded in Los Angeles, California in 2021. I offer a wide variety of rugs on my website from wall hangings to coaster sets and everything in between. I also do customs. For example, a customer can send me any image (logo, photo, etc.) and from there I’ll bring it to life by turning their vision into a rug.

Starting a business during a pandemic was hard enough. The long hours it takes to not only make but to clean a rug, staying up all day and night to finish an order. Getting no sleep the night before a flea market to make sure everything runs smoothly. There are many more hardships that come with running a business but I wouldn’t take any of those things away because they’ve made me who I am and my business what it is today.

What sets me apart from others is my passion and my willingness to constantly learn and create new ideas. I don’t believe anyone should start/run a business they’re not passionate about.

I am most proud of how far I’ve come and how consistent I’ve stayed throughout all of the unforeseen events of owning a business all on my own and my personal life.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being your own creative/artist is creating exactly what you love and want to create. I say your own because I know even some creatives get stuck behind another person’s vision (maybe they work as a creative for a company). I’m grateful to not only bring my customer’s vision to life in a custom piece but my vision to life when I either create my designs or just pick an image I was to create and showcase my work through.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My first audience for my business instagram, came from family and friends through my personal Instagram. We followed each other and they would post me on their stores and that would reach their audience. I continued by promoting my post on Instagram and consistently posting but the bulk of my followers came from physically getting out there at my flea markets mostly and at the stores I shop at.

Contact Info:

• Website: rugratlyfestyle.com
• Instagram: rugratlyfestyle
• Other: Etsy & Depop: rugratlyfestyle