We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elizabeth Sutton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elizabeth below.

Alright, Elizabeth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I am a self taught artist, designer, and businesswoman. I first began painting 9 years ago and have since harnessed and turned that skill into a profitable, multi-revenue stream business that is a combination of fine art, licensing of my designs, and manufacturing and distributing product under my own infrastructure. I’ve worked with some of the biggest brands in the world and started my company from nothing but serious hard work. We are talking 4am-1am days three times a week in the beginning. I am a single mother of 2 amazing children, and I began this journey of my career when my first son was born. I had recently gone through a two year period that was filled with trauma and loss, including financial loss. I had never had a real job, financially we were in trouble, and I was headed towards divorce. I’d say God played a huge role in my journey, from blessing me with my innate talent to always being with me so that I never gave up. I owe a large part of my success to my resilience and tenacity, and God is very much apart of that for me. As an entrepreneur, especially as a creative, resilience and work ethic will beat talent any day of the week. I had a big financial burden on my shoulders when I got divorced – 2 children living in NYC and I had just decided to become an artist. It was a time in my life that was filled with nothing but fear, insecurity, and a desire to get my happiness and freedom back. My first 2 paintings sold for a total of $875. Now, my originals fetch between $5,000 and $35,000 per painting. It took some time but I have definitely gotten myself to a point of financial stability for myself and my children, and we are fortunate to live a blessed life. I had to PIVOT many, many times. I am queen of the pivot and that is another things that attributes to my success. Nothing happens overnight. As far as my future goes – I definitely am not done building – in fact, I feel I am just getting started, as I approach my first capital raise. At the same time, I am so completely satisfied with what I’ve built from nothing and I feel grateful every day. There are many things I wish I knew from the start, that all center around creating processes and staying organized. I wish I had implemented a CRM system as well as SOPs within my company from the beginning. I wish I had known about building financial models, COGS models, etc so I could make more strategic and thoughtful decisions. I wish I had taken professional photographs of all my artworks from the very beginning. But these are also things you learn over time and with experience. These are the best tips I can give to a creative getting started.

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 6th generation New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn and Manhattan. I have a son, Miro, 9, and a daughter, Nora, 7, who are the greatest blessings I have in my life, and who motivate and inspire me every day. I began my career as a fine artist and have translated my creativity into many different product categories. I have 5 award winning and best selling tile collections for Tilebar, for residential, commercial, and hospitality spaces. Additionally, I have a rug collection with Rugs America, girls fashion accessories with Bari Lynn Accessories, and desk chairs with the Raynor Group. I have a beautiful collection of wallpapers, as well as women’s fashion accessories including clutches and belts. I also collaborate with luxury resorts, such as Eden Rock, St. Barths and One&Only Palmilla, to create fine art programming and activations for their guests. I am currently working on a very exciting project for Champagne Problems, a new hotspot opening on the Lower East Side, custom commissions for a number of Pacaso Homes properties on the west coast, my first bathroom vanity collection with Tilebar along with a new tile collection, and some other amazing projects that are still under wraps.

I tell people that my career began as a ‘happy accident.’ Between the ages of 25-27, I went through so many severe traumas, including the tragic and abrupt death of two of my best friends, miscarriage, severe financial loss, the death of my father in law, and ultimately divorce with a 3 week old and a 2 year old. These are the circumstances from which my career was born. I discovered a hidden talent during this time, and I used my career as a coping mechanism to get through some very dark times. One of the things I’m most proud of is that I made an investment in myself during this time to get emotionally healthy. I invested heavily, both with my time and my money, in grief counseling and therapy because I was really messed up. Undoubtedly, I owe a huge part of my success to that investment. You can’t be good for others if you’re not good for yourself. It required a ton of discipline and accountability on my behalf. I think one of the things that sets me apart from others is that I see strength in vulnerability. I am very open and honest about many of my most challenging life experiences, because one of my goals in life is to encourage people to not only survive but to thrive through their traumas, and to recognize that we all have our struggles that we need to heal. I am also proud of myself because I am very much aligned with who I am, and I am unafraid to be me. I think this is a thing that many people struggle with – to truly be themselves. I have a strong value system by which I try to live my life, guided by honesty, communication, kindness, giving, and hard work. I don’t compare myself to others and I do my best not to judge people.

I strive to translate these ethos into my brand. I sell beautiful designs, from tiles to art to wallpaper to rugs to fashion accessories, but what I also sell is energy – good vibes, positivity, and strength. Consumers these days can spend their money with any brand they choose. In a business climate where people can no longer express their opinions, I hope that my brand, Elizabeth Sutton Collection, always has a spine and stands for something – mostly to be kind and supportive of others. I continually repeat the message to my loyal followers and clientele regarding the importance of financially supporting the brands that align with your value system. That is how you can actually impact change in the world.

When is comes to solving problems for clients – I create art and design solutions that are bespoke to each one of my clients, ranging from a private client for a custom artwork, to a commercial client for a licensing deal or collaboration. I specialize in understanding the goal and objective of the project, and delivering a beautiful design concept aligned with those needs. 75% of my clients are repeat clients, so I must be making my clients happy :)

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

On Dec 10, 2017, my best friend and fine art assistant was killed in my car leaving my 28th birthday party. Both of my art assistants were in the car – one died at age 27, leaving behind a 3 year old, and my other assistant underwent brain surgery. We went from a huge celebration during my first Art Basel to the scene of a deadly car accident. It’s what my therapist described as going from a high high to a low low. I had a 10 month old and 22 month old at the time, and was fresh off my divorce. I was on the brink of bankruptcy, everything I had started to build regarding my career got literally pulled out from under me, and I was honestly dead inside. I had no emotions. These are the moments that make or break you. It took about 3 years of seriously hard work, on myself and within my career, to come out of that alive and healthy. It will also never leave me, and that accident has very much shaped who I am as a person forever. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it.
The fact that I am where I am is a miracle and it is because I didn’t stop or give up for one minute. Even through my struggles, I always showed up and put one foot in front of the other, and even through my biggest doubts, I leaned on my faith to get me through. I learned to ask others for help, as I did not get through those times alone. Learning to ask for help is one of the greatest tools I’ve acquired, as many are afraid.

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

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elizabethsuttoncollection.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethsuttoncollection?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethSuttonCollection/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethsuttoncollection/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ec8HJji1yLIfdDCQyKXpg

Image Credits
Peter Koloff Julian Osorio Contessa Miami Pacaso Homes Aaron Kraft Max Touchy