We recently connected with Amy O’Donnell Lueth and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Amy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

For lettering – years of practice. Picking up any book and practicing letterforms over and over with different mediums (like a pointed pen and ink, brush markers, and even the iPad). I took some online Skillshare classes but was really self-taught through alot of practice. For murals – just going for it (but after loads of research). Everything from rollers and brushes, to paint application, to paint type, to supplies, and I’ve only learned more and more the more I paint.

To speed up my lettering and mural learning curves, I wish I would have found like-minded artists and individuals out there, sooner. There are so many artists that share the same skills, and most other artists are open to sharing ideas, tips, and pain points. I wish I would have found these creatives sooner and taken those in-person workshops I’ve been dying to take.

Skills that were most essential – patience and practice. I think anyone could learn how to letter with enough patience AND enough practice. Once you begin to gain the muscle memory with letterforms, you become more confident in being more expressive with your style.

Obstacles for each learning path – time and confidence. The amount of time I wish I had or wish I had devoted to learning each craft was by far one of my biggest obstacles. Balancing life, family, relationships, career, and everything in between, while learning something new is and was always tough to figure out where to devote time when you have it. And if I could look back and take all the doubt and lack of confidence that stopped me from pursuing a project or an opportunity to help move me forward, I would in a heartbeat.

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’m Amy O’Donnell Lueth – known as AmyAmyBoBamy. I’m a designer by trade, and a self-taught lettering and mural artist based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Like I mentioned before, I had an interest in lettering and murals, and just started dabbling in both. I just went for it and practiced. Still practice and learning something new every single time.

I provide handpainted murals, signage, and have done personalized monograms. I do spot lettering, calligraphy for weddings and envelopes, and have done live lettering events. I also offer branding, graphic design, and illustration services as well.

I pride myself in the work I produce, the professionalism and communication during a project, and staying curious in everything I do. I love what I do and feel so lucky to be able to do it everyday.

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

The most rewarding part of being an artist has been sharing my work publicly, but also realizing I worked hard to get here and actually getting to do this for a living. I think deep down I always wanted to be an artist or do something creative, but for a long time, never pursued that direction. The stigma of “starving artists” always held me back and put this cloud over my head of not being able to, in fact, do this for a living. The feeling of allowing myself to go for it and get after it has been so rewarding…it pushes me to continue to strive for new work, new projects, and new techniques. I feel so lucky.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Early on in my design career, my one goal was to make a career out of it. And I feel like I have successfully done that. I love what I do. Along the way, as I discovered my more artistic roots (less design, pixel perfection mindset), I realized, I also want to create art. I want to build up my skillset and create really cool work that I can share and be extremely proud of. After trying out a few new directions and things on my own, I thought, “it’d be really cool to make money doing this”. Art is fun to create, relaxing to do, but how can I have both a design career and art business all in one?

My goal that then drove me was to be “successful” doing both. What that meant to me was simply to be able to make a living for my family, stand back and feel proud of what I’m producing, who I am as a person, but also feel like I’m contributing to a sustainable lifestyle for me and my family. It felt like a pipe dream, but slowly but surely, have worked my way to (what I feel is successfully) doing both.

I still have letdowns, go through burnout and hard times, but I have to remind myself how hard I am working and some of the success I’ve felt and built along the way to put me back in check when I have slower months or tougher times.

Contact Info:

• Website: amyamybobamy.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/amyamybobamy
• Other: tiktok.com/@amyamybobamy

Image Credits
Anber with Chasing Light Photography