We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Annie Stout a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Annie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
It was slow to build, but now I am making a full-time living from creative work. It is hard, but I wouldn’t trade this business I’ve built for any other job. I started Paper Heart Design Co. back in 2008 as an Etsy shop purely out of my inability to do nothing. My husband and I both graduated from college in May of 2007 and immediately moved to a small town in Kentucky, because Jerod had a job offer there. It was very hard for me to go from a full time student and working part time, to nothing. When I found myself in a new state with no one but my husband, I was a little lost and I had such a hard time finding a job.
It felt unnatural to not have lots of different things to work on after the business of school. I had designed our wedding invitations in 2006, and I had just learned about Etsy, so I thought that it would be worth a try to build something there while I continued to look for full time employment. I did eventually find full time employment, first as a manager of a Sears Portrait studio, then a substitute teacher, before landing a gig as an in house graphic designer of a mom and pop print shop in a neighboring town. Through all those jobs I slowly built up my little custom stationery and wedding invitation business on the side. I loved it.
In 2009 we moved back to Michigan, and I worked full time until I got pregnant with our first child. I knew I wanted to stay home when we had kids, so in 2010 I left the office for the last time, and never turned back. I worked sporadic projects here and there when my kids were young, but mostly just leaned into being a mom. Our second child joined our family in 2013. In 2016 I found an opportunity to teach adult painting classes at a local studio. I inquired, thinking it would be a nice way to be creative and to get out of the house occasionally. Through this I met an amazing group of women artists and entrepreneurs in The Ashman Plaza, who invited me in and helped me see that it was possible to build a successful creative business. These connections launched me back into my graphic design career, encouraged me to create more, and gave me the confidence to really go for it.
Once both of my kids were in school full time, I decided it was time to give it my all and see what I could do to build up my creative business. The bulk of my work through Paper Heart Design Co. is graphic design and communications work, but I also have a blog where I share color palettes to inspire, offer creativity coaching, sell my artwork, and have fun merch for creatives. Sure enough, even through COVID and virtual school for a season, each year has steadily grown, and now I am earning a full time income from this work.
I’m sure if I would have prioritized work over family I could have grown this business faster, but I’m glad I went slow. It allowed me to be present for my kids and it also allowed me to improve my skills and figure out all of the behind the scenes things about running a business, that I had no idea how to manage when I first started this adventure.
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?
Hi, I’m Annie Stout and Paper Heart Design Co. is my studio. I am an artist, graphic designer, and creativity coach. I am an anti-niche multi-passionate creative entrepreneur.
I grew up in metro Detroit where art was always on my mind. I always knew I wanted to be an artist. My mom kept a little book when I was in school that had a spot for a school photo, report cards, and notes. Each year had a “What do you want to be when you grow up?” line and I always wrote in some kind of artist. I took a graphic arts class my senior year in high school and that was the first time I thought to myself that I could make a viable career out of art. I was drawn to the preciseness of digital art. I was thrilled by the option of the Ctrl+Z command.
I studied art at Central Michigan University, where I graduated with cum laude honors in 2007. I earned both a Bachelor of Applied Arts, as a double major in Graphic Design and Sculpture, with a minor in Art History, and a Bachelor of Science in Art Education, with a minor in Industrial Education. I was obsessed with learning about all the ways one can create. I wanted to take every class then, and I’m constantly learning new skills and experimenting with art to this day.
Paper Heart Design Co. was founded in 2008. It is a full service graphic design studio specializing in small business branding. I also have a blog where I share color palettes to inspire, offer creativity coaching, sell my artwork, and have fun merch for creatives. I also run an online creatives community on Facebook called Art is a Record, and recently self published a book by the same name with my good friend, Liz May.
The book, Art is a Record: The 2021 Letters, chronicles a year of intentionally connecting over art, the creative process, and friendship through letters. Liz and I share stories of the role that art has played in our lives. We look at life as a creative person and the joys and frustrations that go along with that.
My goal for Paper Heart Design Co. is to encourage people to do more of what makes them feel alive. I help small businesses create branding and marketing materials, so they look professional when they share their wares with the world. I help creatives who need help getting out of their own way through creativity coaching. I help myself by creating freely and accepting that making bad art is normal, and I believe talking about this helps other creatives know they’re not alone. I believe in community and learning. I truly believe that creating makes the world better.
My motto comes from Elsie de Wolfe, “I’m going to make everything around me beautiful- that will be my life.”
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the freedom. Artists have the ability to bring new things into the world that didn’t exist before. There’s a little bit of magic involved. When a blank screen turns into a completed branding suite, or a blank canvas is a finished painting… It’s an amazing feeling. I know I did that, but sometimes you don’t know how exactly it happened, or why exactly it worked. You have to be able to give in to the process to a point and find that flow state of mind, then just ride the wave through the project. I know that will sound like nonsense to some people, but that’s how it works for me. Sometimes you can’t find the flow and you just have to make a bunch of junk first. Working through that junk can help get you back in the right state. It’s like running a faucet that’s not been used for a while. You have to let it run for a while to get to the good stuff.
Artists also have the freedom to explore. New ideas, new mediums, new ways to apply your skills. Your only limit is your imagination and willingness to show up and work hard.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Absolutely. Helping people is what drives me.
I love helping small business owners with graphic design. People who start a business do it because they’re passionate about their work! They decide to start a business, then suddenly they’re expected to do design, marketing, accounting, and so on… I love being able to equip people with the tools they need to promote what they care about well, so they can focus on the work they need to do. I love learning about why people love their business and who they serve, and I take those intangibles and translate them into something both visually appealing and useful.
I love helping artists break down assumptions about themselves through coaching. I love helping people make small mindset shifts that allow them to see things in a new way. I love asking the right questions to help people realize what they already know inside about themselves. I love talking to people about the struggles of being a creative and helping them find more joy in the creative process.
I love using art and design to help people connect in my community. I do design and communications work for some local nonprofit organizations and helping them spread the message about the good they bring to the community is fantastic. I sit on the committees for both Public Arts Midland and the Art Seen Festival, both of which create public art projects as connection points to strengthen community.
Finally, I love sharing my personal stories through writing (in my book, blog, social media, and in the Art is a Record Creatives Community on Facebook). I share my work and my experiences, because I want to connect with people. I want people to know they aren’t alone in their struggles, and I want to cheer people on when they’re brave enough to share their art and stories. It’s just as important to acknowledge the hard parts of being an artist, as it is to celebrate the best parts.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://paperheartdesign.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperheartdesign
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaperHeartDesign
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paperheartdesign
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/paperheartdesign